Expert: Ben Deutschman - 5/25/2009

Question
My poor  husband and son are out working on my son's first car, a 63 dart station wagon.  It does not have the original 170, but a 225.  They have 2 questions and are both frustrated.  
1.  they can't figure out what spark plugs go in it.  Some are so big they can't get a wrench in to tighten it and the "peanut" plugs don't appear to have a long enough reach.  So that brings us to question 2.how do you identify the year of the motor?


Answer
The Slant-Six from 1960-1974, used a 14mm Long Reach Spark Plug, WITHOUT the 'Crush Washer' on the flat seat of the Spark Plug. In Autolite, the Spark Plug number is 66. The old Champion number was N14Y. You may also want to get a 14mm Thread Chaser if the old Spark Plugs had the 'Crush Washers' on them, otherwise the new Spark Plugs may not seat all the way in, due to Carbon buildup in the bottom threads where the Spark Plug threads in.

In so far as the year of the Block is concerned, that I don't remember offhand, but the Engine Displacement is usually stamped on a Boss in the Block, on the Passenger's side, right near where the Ignition Coil mounts. You may be able to get more information on the Motor in your Dart by going to http://www.allpar.com .