.55"

-justin

So I can buy a gapping tool for cheap?

a gapping tool that will be sufficient for your needs will cost $1. if you want to be really economical use $15 of the money you would have spent getting all this stuff done, buy a haynes or chiltons repair manual, and go through the procedures step by step to do it yourself. that is money MUCH better spent in my opinion, and probably in the opinions of many others here. there'* really not much to screw up, and either of those books will show you everything you need to know. let us know of any other questions.

EDIT: the O2 you bought is probably not the right one, unless the 93'* are different. an O2 for a 3800 from that era will probably be in the $40-$60 range. correct me if i'm wrong here guys.

Mine would be $40.. and I think you guys need two. HAHA!! VINTAGE cars just kick more and more *** daily!


-justin

Oh crap! Well I wouldnt mind installing the plugs myself but what sort of tools would I need? I have a ratchet and a few attachments but dont I need like a long one to get the plugs out? And what about pulling the plug wires, is it easy to do with your hands? Please help me out.

You will need a spark plug socket. If you go to Sears or AZ or wherever, you'll see with the sockets, something called a "spark plug socket" and its just a 1/4" drive. you can pull the plug wires yourself.. and you will need a "feeler gauge" for the gapping... its fairly simple.


-justin

Do I have to tighten it to a certain amount or just until they stop moving? I want it to be perfect and I dont want to mess anything up in the future. Thanks!

Use a 3\8 drive ratchet with a 5\8'* socket. There are two different spark plug sizes ( 13\16 and 5\8'* ) so dont just buy a spark plug socket. Your car uses the 5\8'* socket.
I use a 3 inch extension on some and just the socket on others.

Do the fronts first to get a feel for it. Also, to pull the wires you can use your hands but twist them first. I mean twist the boot on the plug so it breaks loose.Otherwise your
hands are going to look and feel like hell after. I can't tell you how many times I've broke a wire loose and skinned my hand on something.

If your doing the wires at the same time ( I would, heck your going this far ), do the wire and the plug together and only do one at a time. As for the torque specs on the plugs I can't remember what it is but I just snug them down with a little grunt at the end. No mondo monkey torque.
Don't be wimpy either or they will back out. You can kinda feel it when they seat.

Buy some dielectric grease and put a small amount up into the boot ends. The plug wires kind of have a snap feeling when the wire is seated right.

AS for the O2 sensors get a sensor socket. A crescent wrench will work also but the socket makes it SO much easier.

If you have anymore questions you can PM me. I will help you out anyway I can.
As for a shop doing it, your probalby going to get zapped for 2 hours labor.
I'm not sure what the shop rates are there but they are about 65 an hour here.
Why 2 hours ? Cause they can ... and thast about standard for a tune up.
The shop guy won't be in a big hurry to save you money.

Check under the hood for the gap specs. It should be on a sticker. Alot of folks have differing opinions on the gap. Autolites are factory gapped at .042-3. I gap mine at .050.


JLathem

snug.. don't play godzilla, and don't leave it too loose. Make sure you thread it in by hand FIRST so you don't crossthread the heads.. and also when you do it.. go after some anti-seize on the plugs and o2 sensor, so when you replace them later on, you won't have any problems getting them off, although mine have been sitting on the engine for 4 years or so, and are 7 years old [i know, REALLY old], and they don't stick.. but the o2 sensor is factory original, so I am not sure about that sucker.


-justin

Well since this O2 sensor wont work I think I might just have to throw it away or something.