Hello everyone, it's been a little while since my last post, I've been kind of busy neutering Camaros and Fireturds lately. I just wanted to get some opinions on what kind of spark plugs I should be running in my 1983 Mustang GT. There has to be something better than the plain ol' regular Autolites I've got right now...and you might be thinking to yourself "what is this guy thinking? There's lots of different plugs out there, DUH!" Well, there's only 1 catch. I'm running early-style 289 heads that use the 13/16" plug. As most of you know they are bigger diameter than your normal 5/8" plug you see on everything nowadays.
This is what I've got... I have a 1980 306 (302 bored .040" over). I also have the T5 transmission, I have a steel crank, Stage 1 rods, TRW forged dome pistons, ported and polished '68 289 heads (58cc combustion chamber, 1.78"/1.45" valve size
) an MSD 6-AL box and billet distributor set up, regular Autolite plugs (#45, I believe), Accel 8mm wires, Crane stud-mount 1.6 roller rockers, and an Accel coil. I'm running the Victor Jr. intake port & gasket matched to the heads, an Edelbrock #1405 carb with manual choke. My cam is a hydraulic Wolverine at .471/.488" lift, (I believe). Gasses are expelled using Hooker 1 3/4" long tube headers going into dual 2 1/4" pipes, through a 2 ft. long Thrush glasspack on each side, and exiting out the back w/ 3" tips. I breathe through a K&N filter and have modified my stock GT hood to make ram-air functional. My timing is set @ 14 degrees and I only run Premium through it (which is 90 octane up here in Alaska).
These are my concerns:
1. I'm running a stock mechanical fuel pump. I had a Holley diaphragm pump a while back but she started leaking so I tossed it. Is it IMPERATIVE that I get another high performance pump?
2. Is the Edelbrock 600 cfm carb really enough? I don't want to overcarb it by any means but I think I'm gonna get a Speed Demon 750 when I get AFR 185 heads on it.
3. Should I ditch the Accel components (coil, wires) in favor of MSD coil and wires? I was thinking of getting Ford Racing's 9mm wires too.
4. SPARK PLUGS...Hmm..remember, I'm running the HONKERS, the big mama spark plugs because of my early style 289 heads. (13/16") Does anyone know of a great, durable, platinum tipped replacement for these? I'm just afraid my MSD throws too much fire through them and don't know if they'll last too long!
5. I am getting a new aluminum radiator next week. My '
Stang has been running a bit hot with the stock 2 core one it has...time to upgrade!
6. I'm currently galloping down the road with 3.73 gears in the stock 7.5" rearend. I know, I know, it's a puny rearend and I'm embarrassed having it in my Mustang, but at least the 3.73's are in there. I have an 8.8" rear out of my '89 parts car that is refreshed and ready to go in my car, however, it has 3.08 gears in it. I want to throw it in my car but I don't think the 3.08's will get along very well with my cam and Victor Jr. intake. It's a POSI, which as friggin awesome, but I'm thinkin I need to go with 3.55 gears before I install it.
So what would YOU GUYS do if you had a set up like mine? Please don't say "I'd throw it away!" This is what I've got to work with and to be completely honest, she's pretty QUICK. Most everyone who tries to keep up with me is hard-pressed in doing so! Most of the time I pull away and I'm GONE! I know I could use some AFR aluminum heads, but I got the 1968 289 heads for $120 each, ported and polished them drilled them for 7/16" studs and topped them with Crane Roller Rockers, Comp double springs and Crane hardened goideplates and pushrods. The addition of these heads and accessories really woke my Mustang up. (My redline is 6500 rpm instead of 5200, and I have an MSD 6200 rpm rev-limiter chip installed just to be safe.) Sorry this post is so long, I just need some feedback on this...maybe I could be making TONS more power for CHEAP and I'm forgetting something obvious. Maybe my Edelrock 1405 carb isn't nearly as good as a Speed Demon. Maybe I'm killing myself with the stock mechanical fuel pump...PLEASE ADVISE!
And I will be getting some AFR heads in the future, and I'm thinking of switching to a SOLID ROLLER CAM....Mmmmm...I can taste the horsepower already!
Thanks for your input!
What kind of spark plugs CAN I use? Among other things... 
