Electrical Question

[Deleted User]

I noticed in my1930-39 Hudson parts book that the electrical system components in my 1936 Terraplane, (distributor, points ,condenser, cap, starter, generator and regulator), are all manufactured by Auto-Lite, but the parts book calls out for Champion spark plugs. Why would they not use Auto-Lite spark plugs, since they have an Auto-lite electrical system?

Unknown

too late to ask that question. that is the way it was, a better deal from champion, no doubt on the plugs. SHudson used what worked the best

Jon B

From a history on the Auto-Lite company, I find the following statement:



THAT YEAR (1936) ALSO MARKED THE ENTRY OF ELECTRIC AUTOLITE INTO THE SPARK PLUG FIELD, WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PLANT AT FOSTORIA, OHIO.



So, it would appear that AutoLite was just getting into the spark plug biz even as Hudson was pumping out its 1936 product line. Keep in mind that Champion and AC were aleady out there knocking on car company doors.

MikeWA

I was going to suggest that the choice of the motor car company as to which spark plugs (or other aftermarket items) to recommend was dependent on the vigorish paid by the supplier. Since I hate to be wrong on my posts, I decided to do a quick Google on "vigorish" to see if I was remembering the definition of the term correctly. Turns out I wasn't, exactly- "vigorish" actually is the "commission" paid to a bookie for handling a bet. Kind of the same idea, but not the precisely appropriate term. What was interesting was 593,000 hits for the term "vigorish"- long treatises, mathematical examples, philosophical disertasions. You could have done a master's thesis in a few hours, with a little judicious cutting and pasting. Its just amazing, what the internet has done for the dissemination of information. Al Gore, we shall be forever in your debt.