Original 3X and Plug Box Color Change?

[Tom Wesenberg Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tom Wesenberg]

Does anyone have a picture of an original 3X spark plug box?
Or, are they identical to the modern 3X box?

The first box is Champion X, then 3X, then J7J, then J8. I just pulled these pictures from ebay.
Also, does anyone know when Champion changed box colors, especially from the later blue box to the red box? Thanks

[Dennis Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Dennis]

Doesn't the original 3X have a larger base than the current 3X? Seems like I noticed the vendors sell seperate a different base for 3X judging. Notice the knurl goes all the way up to the hex, the spark plugs they sell have a seperation between the hex and the knurl. Maybe that was when they changed to box color.

[Mike V. Florida]

The physical size of the plugs, original and modern are the same. The krurling is different but the size it the same.

[Rowdy]

I thought the newer 3X porcelan would not get full points, so why offer new bases for them? Maybe I am wrong. Also the nut on top is wrong. I remember someone referenced a McCaster or Fastenal part number for the nut that looked correct and had the correct threads for the modern 3X plugs. Rod

[Mike V. Florida Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mike V. Florida]

I thought they were the same with the red box the X plug and the blue the 3X.

[Jeff/Illinois Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jeff/Illinois]

Question: Why did they take the time and expense to put a knurling on a spark plug to begin with?? When you hand screw one in you usually turn it by the porcelain or the hex portion to get it started.

[Mike V. Florida]

Looks pretty

[Mitch Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Mitch]

Tom i have read a lot of information regarding the plugs themselves but really nothing regarding the boxes. I wonder if champion has some kind of archive research center.

[Tom Wesenberg Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tom Wesenberg]

I tried Google before posting the question, but couldn't find anything about the box colors.
All the years I worked as a mechanic the boxes were the same as the 4th picture, the red box.
A few years ago someone posted pictures of how they did the knurling on the base, and it looked perfect.

[Mitch]

You probably know this but the new 3X's come in the blue box 2nd pic

[Mike V. Florida Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mike V. Florida]

Rowdy commented
10-19-2017, 07:02 PM
I thought the newer 3X porcelan would not get full points, so why offer new bases for them? Maybe I am wrong. Also the nut on top is wrong. I remember someone referenced a McCaster or Fastenal part number for the nut that looked correct and had the correct threads for the modern 3X plugs. Rod

Metal rusts and porcelain does not. Find original 3x with rotted metal and replace. Or find the plugs given out at a national meet in the 70's that had the rounded 3 and replace the metal. You can also but the nuts from the vendors. this is from Bratton's, Champion brass top nuts are smaller than the original. Order (17720) for original nuts. And for the large "asbestos" washer, Copper sandwiched with an asbestos substitute is 17730.

[Tom Wesenberg Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tom Wesenberg]

Also look at the knurl to see if the diamond pattern goes inward, or sticks outward as original.

I'm surprised I couldn't find out about when the color change happened on the last two pictures, even by using Google.

[Tom Wesenberg Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tom Wesenberg]

Vince sent me this link to spark plug box information on his site.

http://www.fordgarage.com/pages/sparkplugboxes.htm