Installed a set of Champion 'truck plugs' #4701 , replacing Champion RC12lc4 from about 10 years ago ? 70K n\miles ?
the old electrodes were spent more than half. Gapped them at .040 .
glad I had a knuckle for the socket for this job since I have the headers.
Will be changing out distributor cap and rotor tomorrow .

 

So, I thought we had an " what did you do to your Dakota today " thread ... ?
anyway , Got invited to a football party today , so parts store tomorrow .
Probably going with the Blue Streak parts from O'Reilly's ... Afterthought,
I am still using the original ignition coil , so picking up one of those also.
any comments on the blue streak brand ?

 

so , baby steps , after the plugs and ignition coil , fires up within a second ,
idles well and ran it to 5k rpm and back down to idle fine... distrib. and rotor tomorrow

 

I think the main point is to have fun and enjoy anything you do in life .... we do not always get the option to do so. Take it while you can.

I do not know about the Blue streak brand name.
To be honest I typically order from Rockauto and choose the brand names I want. .... Local auto parts store you get the brand they serve.

My Dodge I'm running AC DELCO plugs which is a GM brand, but they make good stuff and I choose it when it is a option .... My coil pack is NGK.

I get a little carried away sometimes on parts replacement. I replaced my distributor on my Chevrolet truck when I bought it .... I had a strange miss I was trying to find.
Turns out it was in the distributor pick up coil, it had rust on the shaft that caused a miss at high speeds. 7 years later the new pickup coil went bad and had to replace it.

Years ago we use to just call this a random tuneup, we would replace the cap, rotor, points, condenser, wires & plugs .... this was just expected.
Today we are called hacks and using a shotgun approach for replacing items before they leave you sitting on the side of the road.

I would rather do it on a Saturday morning in the shop, then later getting a tow truck ride home. .... I have good spares on the shelf if needed.

So just enjoy it and have fun. It is rewarding keeping a vehicle running and dependable without a lot of expensive car payments and full coverage insurance.

 

Hey man , your so right on so many things there.
Truck was paid off when I drove it home 24 years ago ( $10k )
And I don't carry full coverage ins.
So glad I can actually work on this truck, besides paying for control arms /suspension parts about 5 years ago, the only thing major I replaced was a power steering unit and steering rod. I guess I have to include the exhaust donut , which I was glad to pay for a new 3" y-pipe and complete exhaust to get installed with the headers.
So yep, satisfified with the parts put in yesterday and today. ( the coil pack was made in Poland btw ) distrib. and rotor were spent also, so glad I changed them out.
next up is some new front brake pads, then changing out the rear diff. oil.

 

You and me could hang out and drink beer together .... we feel the same way.
I prefer to maintain the older vehicles and keep on rolling. .... Looking out my door today.


I have a 1993 Dodge Caravan that is a treat to drive ... going to toss on a replacement EGR valve, is giving me a CEL .... I have a older project Dodge .... Also have a 1991 Chebby Silverado 350/5spd manual transmission .... I have owned it for over 9 years and would drive it anywhere today .... I maintain it and is ready to go .... has 430K miles on the clock.
The Caravan is 190K but just got a new / used engine due to my mistake .... has all new suspension, axles, brakes, tires 15K on a rebuilt transmission .... It is a forever car, same with my 49 and the 91 .... newest thing I own is 1994 and my John Deere riding mower. My house was built in 1948 and still pretty original .... I'm a true nutcase. But happy

 

Nice, good luck with the truck.
Only Chevy I wish I had was a '52 truck from my brother that I used to drive as a teenager... his damn exwife sold it without any notice.

 

Changed out the front diff. oil and transfer casr fluid... just used a pump.
Damn, I guess I should try and loosen/remove the skid plate someday (never been )