Almost every modification people undertake to customize their classic truck is done to either improve its appearance or performance. That said, sometimes these modifications can come at the expense of creating an inconvenience. Perhaps one of the best examples to illustrate our point is the most common modification of all, swapping the truck's original inline six-cylinder engine out for a V-8. Right out of the gate, this upgrade relocates the six original spark plugs conveniently placed at the engine bay's top center to down at the bottom of the left- and right-side cylinder banks paralleling the framerails.
To complicate matters, it is not unusual that either due to a need to reroute the exhaust as a part of the V-8 conversion or simply to satisfy a desire for increased performance, tubular exhaust headers are installed. In a perfect world, this would not be a problem, but the fact of the matter is in order to enable the dual quartet of pipes to stream in between the framerails and the engine block to clear essential items like the steering gear, the headers must be bent to conform to severe angles. These severe angles and random bulges in the pipes often obstruct access to the spark plugs.
The subject of inadequate or poor access to spark plugs is not unique to aftermarket tubular exhaust headers. In fact, the topic is one tool manufacturers have attempted to address ever since the very first factory V-8s were buried under power-steering pumps and air-conditioning compressors. Through the years major tool manufacturers have slimmed and refined the profile of spark plug-related tools, as well as improved the inner workings of spark-plug ratchet wrenches, but even with these improvements there can be an instance where a spark plug cannot be removed without taking extreme measures.
This is where the folks at HeaderSockets of Riverside, California, enter the picture with their selection of special spark-plug sockets specifically designed to address this problem.
 Chad's '72 Chevy shortbed...  Chad's '72 Chevy shortbed Fleetside came stock from the factory with a 454-inch big-block. The addition of tube headers decreased his room to move in an already cramped engine compartment. |  Access to the number seven...  Access to the number seven (last at right) spark plug was eased with the use of a HeaderSockets' 13/16 socket. The plug wire is removed from number three. |  In this close-up of a 14mm...  In this close-up of a 14mm spark plug in a 13/16 hex shell, one can see the notch a HeaderSocket provides to angle the socket over the spark plug in a tight (restricted access) situation. |
 This is the only spark plug...  This is the only spark plug that our camera could capture, and it's not all that easy to remove with a conventional spark-plug socket. This HeaderSocket is a stubby designed to remove 14mm spark plugs in a 5/8-inch hex shell, otherwise known as a "peanut plug." |  Here's another good example...  Here's another good example of a typical "mean bugger" to get the plugs out of. |  Those in the know, know serious...  Those in the know, know serious mechanics use Snap-on. Here we have an unbeatable combination of a Snap-on wobbly 3/8-inch extension coupled to a HeaderSocket intended for the most stubborn of peanut plugs. |
 The two stubby peanut plug...  The two stubby peanut plug sockets are driven with either an open-end box wrench or a 5/8-inch socket, while the deep HeaderSocket offers all three options. The hottest ticket yet for getting in and out of a tight spot is Snap-on's 1/4-inch ratchet body available with a 3/8-drive. | | |