Replacing 300ZX Spark Plugs

I tried to get the plugs out and was only able to get the #1 plug out. I couldn't even seem to get the socket on. I used all sorts of socket/extension combos but no luck. I thought for awhile the #3 was stripped but realized the socket might not be fully seated and remembered the Pathfinders had a special tool for the plugs. I got on the ZCAR.Com Board and learned that I already have the plug tool in my Z's toolcase (Duh!) and maybe the areas around the plugs were full of dirt.

The next morning I went out and used the spark plug tool from the Z toolcase to get the #5 out and when I looked at it it was caked with sandy crud and the threads were full of sand! I got my spotlight out and shined it down there and saw a bunch of crud around the edges and a big chip of crud sitting on top of the hole!!! Dohhtt! I hoped not too much stuff fell in and rigged up a series of reducers on my vac that ended in a soda straw, which I used to clean out the area.

After that I used the light, a length of baling wire and the straw-vac to clean out the #3. It was so full of packed, sandy dirt that the nut on the plug was covered, preventing the socket from getting on it. The sediment looked like it was on its way to becoming ceramic. In a process more closely resembling dentistry than auto mechanics I cleaned out the crud around each plug with the tools described and then after seating the plug tool socket on the plug, I stuck the straw down there to try to catch anything coming off of the threads and then cleaned it out more once the plug was out. Anyway, the rest of them came out about the same, although I did need to take off some bracketry to reach a couple and on #6 I used my socket and reached around the back.

I guess the PO (who said he couldn't get #1 out!) must have had the same problem at some point because only the #1 plug(most accessible) was a Denso that looked not too bad - the rest were Bosch Platinums that looked like they were there for years.