Does anyone know of anyone who is making/supplying the small 'washer' gasket which is needed for an X plug to be used? I have two plugs which would be perfect, but those little rings are missing therefore rendering them useless.

I know of a number of other of our club members who have the same problem and unless you find a junk plug you are out of luck. And junk plugs don't always have them either.

Someone with a decent press might be able to stamp these out by the hundreds at little cost ??

Bill,
As far as I know the Champion X had no gasket, Model A's had a gasket but not the Model T.

Alex

Alex,

The gasket goes inside to seal the center electrode to the body - not to seal it where it screws into the head (like the plug for an A).

Seth

Dose this gasket go between the porcelin insulator and metal base of the Champion X plug, or are you asking about a gasket between the plug and head?

Seth,
Right, I misunderstood.

Alex

David,
It is a small, thin ring whch goes between the porcelain insulator and the metal base. It is easy to lose if you don't know it is there since it tends to take on the dark color of the metal base. Without it, the plug will not seal, tighten down or work in your car.

Bill,

That washer is conical, correct?

If so, short of having a replacement washer you might try using copper wire. Measure the thickness of a compressed washer and add maybe 50%. If the number you come up with is 0.040", use 18 ga. solid copper wire.

Wrap it on the sealing taper(?) on the center electrode's insulator until you reach the OD. Hold the wraps together with Super Glue or other so that you can assemble the plug.

Torque the locknut until you feel the copper yield and compress.

That's what I'd do if I had take-apart plugs and was missing those washers.

Seth

They are conical and must be seamless in order to work. They are also very thin which is important so as not to move the tips out of alighnment. I will experiment tomorrow to see if I can create a circle which will properly seal, perhaps with an overlap of the ends. You can't use solder as it will melt away. This area gets very hot very fast. Thanks for the suggestion.
Bill

"Someone with a decent press might be able to stamp these out by the hundreds at little cost ??"

Now where have I heard that before? Punching is not a problem. The cost is in the dies and the copper.

You will note than I exercised caution by using he word "might" and ending it as a retorical question. But boy, these seem like pretty simple little items to someone who has no dies, no press, no copper and no knowlege.
Bill

Bill,

OK, real thin, huh?

3M makes an adhesive-backed copper foil tape that is 0.010-0.015" thick, IIRC. The ID could be cut out with an X-Acto knife (if you're good ) and OD with scissors. Radio Crack might have it - it's used in electronics.

"Plumber's Tape", though aluminum I believe, might work also.

Seth

They are simple. But when you cut them out of a sheet of copper, look at how much waste there is.

So, if you'd be willing to pay 20 cents a piece and will buy 5000 of them - a whopping $1000 worth of them, you'd be real lucky to pay for the punches and dies - forget about paying for the copper.

Do you understand now why so few things are reproduced?

Seth

I'm up to my eyelids in stuff but I'd give it a shot on a short run trial once I get a few projects completed. I can make the dies here and have a couple of punch-presses. It may require a post-punch anneal as copper will harden if you look at it with both eyes. The taper can be done during the punch. I'm wonding if the old Xs are the same as the new Xs though.

Ken, you are a man who ponders the possible. A very "Henry" attitude.
In the meantime I will experiment with some of the suggestions above. One of them might save some expensive plugs.
Thanks for your interest.

If you're going to try cutting your own, I would suggest punching the ID out first with a gasket punch and then trim the outside.
Depending on the ID required you may have to fabricate an apropriate sized gasket punch.

Ken K asked "I'm wonding if the old Xs are the same as the new Xs though."

I have both, old and new, and if there is any difference it is infinitesimal, assuming you are asking about size.
Gordon

If Champion makes the new X plug, they must make the ring. Perhaps they would sell them by the bunch separately.

Darl, I have just sent them an email. I will post their response.
Thanks

This might be a place to start:

http://www.imperialinc.com/grp310.shtml

My guess is Champion makes Champion X plugs in batches with a number of years between batches. It probably isn't profitable for them to stock, distribute, and sell the washers at a price folks would be willing to pay.

I may be speaking out of turn but did Royce Peterson once say they could be had from Mc Master Car?? A [Iron Worker] [Machine] and a reworked punch and die?? Who among us is a Die Maker who could redo a punch and die to cut the ID,Shape the ID,cut the OD,and shape the OD at the same time?? To save on cost at GM we used to make the brackett that allows a [Man Cooling Fan] to rotate and also swivle at 90'deg to rotation.Cutting a half moon 7/16 X 1 1/4" with a torch is a lot of clean up and a mill would have did a nice job but slow and expensive.Some old fat lazy Millwright had a Die Maker make a Punch and Die for the Iron Worker! Years after retirement i see it is still in use Bud.PS Darel,It shure won't hurt to ask,BUT to ask a Huge Mfg to sell part of a product that would inhibite sales of their current product?? Bud.

Here is an original X

There are a number of different size conical washers used on different T plugs. But fo the Champion X above, get a length of 1/2" copper tubing, flair the end, then cut the flair off and smooth it up as necessary. I use a aircraft double flare tool, 37 degrees but only single flair. I suppose 45 degree flair will work as well. I use old tubing when I can find it, seems to be a little softer than new stuff.
Don Vagasky
Tucson Az

I never said anything about McMaster selling spark plug washers. By the way, the early ones have asbestos and copper washers. Modern X plugs just have copper.

McMaster sells copper sealing washers and Buna - N sealing washers that are handy for the bolts on the oil pan inspection cover. Maybe that is what you remember me saying Bud?

http://www.mcmaster,com

I received the following, perhaps encouraging email from Champion:
Hello Wm
We do sell gaskets for Champion sparkplugs for a 14mm Solid, 7/8'', 18mm, 12mm, and 10mm. Which do you prefer? These are the part numbers n-673, n-678, a478, a678, n-675, p-678, y-678.
Thank You
Customer Service
Martha@sparkplugs.com
888-800-9629-Out of state

I sent back an email with a picture attached to make sure whe is refering to our plugs and knows precisely what part I am looking for.

Let you know....

is there no copper pipe or rod that could be put on a lathe and parted off?

When I asked her to be sure she knew what plugs I was asking about, it turned out she didn't and then had to reconsider her reply. Turns out they don't supply our gaskets.
So, I will experiment with a number of the above suggestions and one of them will work.
Thanks for the ideas.

Bill, what's the ID of the gaskets for the X plug?
I wonder if the 12MM or 10MM plug gasket would fit?

The inside diameter of the gasket mikes at 15.87mm. The outside at 18.46mm and the stock shows 1.15mm.

Wow! That's thicker than what I had thought it would be. Are those measurements of a used gasket removed from a plug or new?

Ken, you are right. My typeo thickness = .60mm