Some one at GM was smoking crack telling to gap your sparkplugs at 0.062" with that new HEI system. Not the only gap, larger one between the distributor rotor and cap.
Been gaping my plugs for auto at 0.025" for many years, motorcycles and chainsaws more like 10 to 17 mils to avoid a missfire. My plane and boat used multi-ground electrodes, those cannot be gapped, but could keep clean with a ground walnut shell blaster.
Ignition system points was a far superior system, condenser, actually a oil filled capacitor was in parallel with the primary of the autotransformer of the coil. When the points opened, formed a resonant circuit that produce a series of positive and negative alternations for a rather long spark line. But points would wear out, newly formed idiot group call the EPA want transistors to be used of longer life, but they are all unipolar. Only one tiny little spark that lasts perhaps a tenth of a microsecond. Far better system used a 500 volt capacitor triggered by an SCR that generator a similar spark line. But would cost around ten bucks in production, bean counters said, one tiny transistor switching 12 volts was enough, so this is the kind of crap you are getting today. Your only recourse is to cut that large gap, voltage is greater, but the current is so weak, combustion hurricanes can blow it out.
Just saying don't blame engineers, we care, but the bean counters have control. But even they have to listen to the DOT and EPA, before 1972, engineers with brains had a say, and so much for the land of the free.
Ha, if an insurance company finds you are using other than your vehicles recommended spark plugs, can claim this is the cause of some idiot running a red light for an accident rather than that drunken idiot.
This country is sure going to hell.
