'03 blown plug...1 old head and 1 new head!!
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Joined: Aug 2002
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From: Jackson, MS
'03 blown plug...1 old head and 1 new head!!
Sorry to start another blown plug thread, but I needed to express my surprise and frustration from the weekend.
I've got an early production '03 (#38). Based upon what Superfords posted back in 2003 about the old and new head castings regarding the threads for the spark plugs; that Ford was using up all the old heads before bolting on the new head castings; and dates of production for my motor/truck, I always assumed my truck was one of the unlucky trucks with the old heads. Sure enough, a couple of weeks ago I was cruising down the interstate and POP.
This weekend, I finished tearing in to the motor and pulled both heads to do timeserts (and a few other things while I'm at it). I was shocked at what I found. Yes, the head that shot the plug was obviously the old head and had only ~4 threads per plug. When I started taking plugs out of the other head, I noticed that I had to turn them much longer to get them out. Upon inspection, there is no question that there are TWICE as many threads in the other head.
Therefore, I got a motor with 1 old head and 1 new head. That's how close my truck was in the production run of the head turnover. Does anybody else know if they got one of each too?
I originally planned to do timeserts on both heads while I had it broke down, but now that I've discovered the new head, I don't plan doing timeserts in that one now. Anybody disagree?
Chris
I've got an early production '03 (#38). Based upon what Superfords posted back in 2003 about the old and new head castings regarding the threads for the spark plugs; that Ford was using up all the old heads before bolting on the new head castings; and dates of production for my motor/truck, I always assumed my truck was one of the unlucky trucks with the old heads. Sure enough, a couple of weeks ago I was cruising down the interstate and POP.
This weekend, I finished tearing in to the motor and pulled both heads to do timeserts (and a few other things while I'm at it). I was shocked at what I found. Yes, the head that shot the plug was obviously the old head and had only ~4 threads per plug. When I started taking plugs out of the other head, I noticed that I had to turn them much longer to get them out. Upon inspection, there is no question that there are TWICE as many threads in the other head.
Therefore, I got a motor with 1 old head and 1 new head. That's how close my truck was in the production run of the head turnover. Does anybody else know if they got one of each too?
I originally planned to do timeserts on both heads while I had it broke down, but now that I've discovered the new head, I don't plan doing timeserts in that one now. Anybody disagree?
Chris
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 643
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From: New Jersey, USA
Wow #38 of the 03's! That's a pretty low build number! I have #39 of the 04's! 
I had a 03 and had the same concern about the thread count switch-over so I called SVT and they said that ALL 03's received the new heads. I guess they where wrong! I had a later build, #3841 6/3/03 that did in fact have the new heads.
I had a 03 and had the same concern about the thread count switch-over so I called SVT and they said that ALL 03's received the new heads. I guess they where wrong! I had a later build, #3841 6/3/03 that did in fact have the new heads.
![[03bolt]'s Avatar](data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 50 50'><circle class='avatar-circle-default' fill='%23cf4391' cx='25px' cy='25px' r='20px'></circle><text class='avatar-text-default' x='49%' y='53%' fill='white' text-anchor='middle' alignment-baseline='middle'>[</text></svg>)
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 910
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From: Selden, NY
****** Ford 
With the THOUSANDS that have spit plugs for all those years you'd think those A-Holes would have put inserts in ALL YEAR HEADS since they've known about the problem for 1/2 a frigging decade before the FINALLY fixed it.
GIVE ME HEAD FORD
Real sorry to hear it Chris, I wish you a Lightning recovery...
With the THOUSANDS that have spit plugs for all those years you'd think those A-Holes would have put inserts in ALL YEAR HEADS since they've known about the problem for 1/2 a frigging decade before the FINALLY fixed it.
GIVE ME HEAD FORD
Real sorry to hear it Chris, I wish you a Lightning recovery...
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 643
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From: New Jersey, USA
Originally Posted by HI 'O' SILVER
My 02 Lightning & my 97 Cobra's SVT build certificate's don't have where they was delivered to,was that just a 2004 thing??