Champion Spark Plug's

[Mike Bretsch]

Being an old A/B boat racer I have been doing Mercs for a long time. I still have my first 20-H bought new in 1955 and it still has Champion K-3 spark plugs in it which is what it came with. I have been restoring engines with my brother in Florida along with building the old speedliners for more than 40 years. Last summer we bought 8 engines from Charlie Miller, a well respected racer from Canada and he showed us the engine. We when I found out he wanted to sell it it was love at first sight. You can look at our web site to see some of the things were doing. Aeroliner-Boat.com. I will pick the engine up after the snow melts up in the far north. I would love to hear from you about the engine. After restoration we will be running it a bit and showing it at AOMCI meets.

Alan

Alan;

Where do you live in Florida?. I also now live in Sarasota, Fl the last 5 yr's. It is nice that someone will restore an engine like that, that's what keep's the history going on. It was a wild engine running in a small test cell,you could hear it everywhere. In the 70's I raced 1/4 mile dragboat's. Did you ever meet Skip Mason from Champion's Racing Div.? The last couple of year's I have built a couple of supercharged BB chevy engine's for Offshore Racing. Maybe someday we can meet.

Mike Bretsch

[Master Oil Racing Team]

What a great story Charlie. I was mesmerized at how this was going to turn out.:cool

As to Mike's question to Alan...I got to wondering. Skip was always at the NOA alky nationals, but about 1972-73 I don't remember seeing him. Does anyone remember?

[JBM]

I have a new set(4) of Champion J 60 G 's I used to run them in the old 44ci merc and they ran good. I never could find any info on them in the books though. They are a 3/8" reach fine wire electrode. Does anyone need these?
John

[Aeroliner]

Well digging through some of my things today ran across a box of spark plugs from Champion and AC. In the bunch was one of the Old White Boxes of Champions. They had never been opened. The plugs are L-G 506. They have this number stamped in the steel and no other indentificiation on them except champion. The plug is a fine wire and I have no Idea what I intened to use them for. Hope the photo of the box brings back some fond thoughts.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I hope someone will know about those white box plugs. The Yellow/black/white L 87's had me confused for awhile until I saw the L 88's. That's the color of the Champion boxes I remember. But what do the A's at the end of the number mean?

When I first started racing we bought a used Merc/Quincy B that had the most humongous sparkplugs I ever saw. Russ Hill probably must know. They were Champions, but I don't remember the size. They were alky plugs, and they were the same reach as a standard 14mm, but instead of a 13/16 socket it required a larger one. MM wise I guess the spark plug hole was about 16 or 17 except it was probably in inches. I can't remember because we were never able to get the motor on a plane and junked it (hole in the top head when we bought it). When we started racing Champion was the plug to use in our area and they always had an ad in Roostertail. We put the Champion decals on our boats.

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

I was given some in boxes like these at DePue early 70's or late 60's. If I remember correctly I got them from Skip Mason and he said they were plugs that had been "rebuilt" in the Champion factory and then returned to the race course for further use. I have no idea what the "rebuilding" process was. I do remember the really fine wire electrode though. I think I ran them in my flatheads. Perhaps Gene East or Paul Christner might have some knowledge about them. I think they had 505 and 506's but I dont know about heat range. Must have been similar to L-84R and L-87R though if they were used in flatheads. I think the fine wire electrode was to keep them from loading up if you were running rich.

[Mark75H]

When I first started racing we bought a used Merc/Quincy B that had the most humongous sparkplugs I ever saw. Russ Hill probably must know. They were Champions, but I don't remember the size. They were alky plugs, and they were the same reach as a standard 14mm, but instead of a 13/16 socket it required a larger one. MM wise I guess the spark plug hole was about 16 or 17 except it was probably in inches.

Wayne I have a couple of motors "worked on" by Lon Stevens that use the big Champions. 18mm threads, 1" socket on the hex.

18mm was pretty standard for aluminum heads (and some steel) before the mid 1950's.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

That's the one's I referred to Sam. I had been thinking of a plug wrench about 1 or 1 1/8". Could you post a pic of one laid next to a standard plug?

[Gstillwill]

I have some new 18MM plugs from back when, the number is K-58 R and was used in the 6NHR Hotrod from the 50's. I have a few of the white box plugs that were reconditioned from Champion. I have a few of the experimental plugs Skip used to bring to the races for testing new numbers. Those have numbers stamped on the hex with a X before the number. You would tell him what number plugs you were running and he would give you the plugs to test and a little cloth draw string bag with a tag attached. You would make some runs with them and fill out the tag on the bag and give them back to him with the plugs that you were running in the motor and he would give you a new box of the plugs that you were using in the motor.The yellow and black boxes came when Champion revamped the number system.Example L-58-R came in the red,black and white box the L-87-R came in the yellow and black boxes but were the same plug with a different number.

[Aeroliner]

Alan;

Where do you live in Florida?. I also now live in Sarasota, Fl the last 5 yr's. It is nice that someone will restore an engine like that, that's what keep's the history going on. It was a wild engine running in a small test cell,you could hear it everywhere. In the 70's I raced 1/4 mile dragboat's. Did you ever meet Skip Mason from Champion's Racing Div.? The last couple of year's I have built a couple of supercharged BB chevy engine's for Offshore Racing. Maybe someday we can meet.

Mike Bretsch

Hello Mike,
Well I really live in Louisiana but work in Florida in Melbourne. I'm there about 25 days a month. My brother lives up close to Daytona and I spend my weekends there building boats or working on engines. Our web site is www.Aeroliner-Boats.com. I have a few more four cylinders under restoration up at Doug Kay's. They are a KF-9 open flywheel, KG-9Q, Mark50, Mark 30-H, two Mark 55-H's one a 1959, Mark 58H, two quincy engines, 40, and a 44 deflectors, a 30 cu-in engine that will be done to the Harry Brinkman standards and have almost all the parts for a 75-H. Still need a set of carbs if anyone wants to sell a set. Mike my phone is 337-304-0379. Buy the way David and I used to drag race in BMS with a a Sprite powed by an injected Buick V-8. I will post some of my 2 cylinders awaiting restoration.

Alan