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Follow along with my H/C/I install in my 95 GT

7K views 22 replies 4 participants last post by  Urambo Tauro 
#1 ·
Hey all,

Timing chain seems to have gone bad, so I decided to go ahead and install the H/C/I I've had for many years.

Combo:
Typhoon intake (will gasket-match ports)
GT40p heads (upgrading to valve springs to Alex's Parts PN VSK7k49)
XE270hr cam
1.7 Crane rockers
Pacesetter LT Headers (supposed to fit around AODE)

This won't be a screamer by any means. I have a forged 347 shortblock to go in this car (that'll have a different h/c/i)
But this will be my first build & I didn't want to ruin my 347 by doing something stupid, so this install is mostly practice; especially since I have all these parts already.

I'll also be replacing all the brake lines & doing some rust repair.

Anyway, follow along with my pics, tips, and struggles.

Current mods:
3.90 gears w/ 31 spline forged axles & Cobra carbon T-Lok
Bilstien shocks, H&R SS springs, Ebach swaybars, UPR Upper/lower control arms
Performance Automatic Super Streeter AODE w/ Revmaxx 3600 torque converter
FRPP Aluminum Driveshaft
 
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#2 ·
1st step was to remove radiator

Pulled lower hose off radiator & drained into 5 gallon bucket.

Next I removed expansion tank by removing the CCRM module & a few bolts on top of the radiator support. It just clips in down low.
Expansion tank was full of dirt & the coolant was really nasty. Probably dirt all in the coolant system. I'm sure that's why it likes to run hot.

Next I removed the Trans cooler lines and other hoses going into it.
Caution...the trans lines are really soft and easily bent. Take this slow.

Finally I removed several bolts around the top of the radiator and it popped out of the lower rubber cups.

But then the A/C Line was blocking the removal. I couldn't see anyway to remove the radiator without disconnecting the A/C line.
So I relieved the A/C pressure.
Then I used one of those terrible Ford "quick-disconnect lines to remove the line. Those tools suck.
All I can suggest it to push the tool in as hard as possible and pull on the line at the same time and it may come loose if it decides it likes you.

After that the radiator was home free.
 

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#3 ·
Day 2:

Removed Alternator side accessory bracket. I left the accessories on the bracket as there's no reason to remove.

3 different wires/connections going to alternator


There are 3 bolts holding bracket to engine.
But one of those bolts is hidden behind the tensioner.
You need a T20 bit (I think) to remove tensioner.

I had already deleted the Smog junk so if you still have that you'll have to do a bit more work, but it's not hard.

After that the bracket just comes right out.
 

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#4 ·
Day 3:

Removed PS/AC accessory bracket

You will need a tool designed to remove the power steering pulley as the pulley blocks access to one of the bracket bolts.
I purchased the tool from O'reillys PN W87020

After that I removed the 3 bolts holding the bracket in place.

I kind of dangled the bracket off to the side of the engine and disconnected some lines going to the AC Compressor.

I then just let the bracket + accessories rest in the battery tray.

Next I removed the distributor.
Remove the spark plug wires
Disconnect 1 elecectrical wire connection to distributor
Remove the hold down clamp that keeps distributor in its hole
Carefully & easily twist and work the distrubotor out of its hole.
I've heard that the oil pump drive shaft can stick in the dizzy & then fall into the oil pan and about the only way to get to the oil pan is remove the engine from the bay. I'm trying to avoid that headache (even though I really need a new oil pan)

At this point I've probably only worked 4-5 hours on the car going slow, labeling, documenting everything.

Next up I'll remove either the water pump or everything attached to lower intake (incl upper intake).

I'll try and take more pics as I go too.
 

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#5 ·
I got a bit side tracked...my awesome wife got me a cool Craftsman workbench/toolbox/cabinet for Fathers day, so that kicked off a several week long re-organization of the garage. Anyway, back at it!

The upper intake came off pretty easily. There were several vacuum lines attached underneath that I tried to disconnect before removing it. Just remember there are bolts under the "5.0 HO" plate (which comes off with a Torx bit)

Next was the fuel rails. There are 4 small screws on the lower intake holding the rails on. Be careful; they're super soft aluminum and easily rounded out. I'm going to replace these with some steel ones.
Pop the rails off the injectors; gas will probably come out. (Yes, I bled them first)
Next fight with the injectors; they just pull out but they're pretty tightly in there!

Lower intake was pretty straight forward. Biggest issue was some coolant tube that attaches right above the waterneck. Had to use a very large adjustable wrench. I think it was probably a 1". Used a rubber mallet to hit the wrench to get any leverage.
To pry the lower intake off, I put a small screwdriver under the front of the intake so it was between the gasket and lower intake; ensuring I didn't damage the engine block itself.

Next was valve covers, again easy as can be. Just remove all the bolts and tap gently with rubber mallet and they pop right off.

Next was the passenger cylinder head. I pulled all the upper bolts between rockers first, then I started to pull the ones by exhaust ports.
As you pull these bolts a lot of coolant will pour out.
Next issue was the crossover tube between the heads; I couldn't get a wrench on it so I took a cutoff wheel to it and cut it in half. This had the added benefit of being a great handle to remove the head. (Safety note- always wear a face shield when working with cutoff wheels; the wheels can explode apart)

Next was repeat for drivers head. Note that I didn't pull the rocker arms.Just lifted the head over the pushrods. The pushrods went everywhere. I lost 2 between both heads; oh well I have replacements anyway :)

Next was the timing cover & balancer
To remove the balancer bolt, i bought an Ingersoll Rand electric impact wrench model # IRTW7150K2. It was very expensive but it consistently has the best reviews and the most torque of any electric wrench.
Crank bolt came out no problem.
Used a bolt style pulley puller that I grabbed from harbor freight and the balancer came off easy. I did remove the balancer pulley; used the impact wrench on the 4 bolts, but in hindsight I didn't need to remove the pulley. My balancer is brand new.

There are 4 bolts that attach to timing cover up through the oil pan. After removing those I used rubber mallet to tap it off.
Pro tip- Be sure to clean all the dirt and crud that sits on top of the timing cover as the oil pan is open to the air and all that dirt and debris will fall into your oil pan.

At this point I had access to timing chain; removed the bolt holding the top timing gear and slide the assembly off. You will have to pull the bottom and top one together.

I finally confirmed my diagnosis of why the engine failed to start; timing marks were off by about 2 teeth which is about 1". And the timing chain had a lot of slack in it.

Next remove the cam shaft retaining plate

Next remove the spider, dog bones and lifters.

Next I had to remove two small screws at the top of the AC Condenser and 1 screw that holds the AC line under where the CAI would be. I then just rotated the entire thing counter clockwise up towards the hood prop rod. (didn't fully remove it). It takes a bit of work and fighting to do this. The fins are extremely fragile so take your time.
Honestly, I should have removed the condenser when I removed the radiator. It would have saved a lot of headache.

Finally, I put the upper timing gear bolt back into the cam and used it to begin sliding the cam out. Go slow steady and easy so as to not scar the cam bearings. If it feels stuck wiggle the cam up & down easily; one of the lobes is hitting the cam bearings.

Finally I had the entire thing apart as it's gonna get!

I'm going to begin replacing the brake lines next.
 

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#6 ·
All my pics didn't attach in last thread.
 

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#7 ·
I'm really enjoying your play-by-play here, Steel_Venom. After completing a timing chain job on my '95, I wrote a list of observations & tips that you mind find useful. It's in this thread.

Was your timing really off by two teeth? The picture looks like maybe it's just not exactly at TDC.

Also, what kind of brake lines are you going to be installing?
 
#8 ·
I'm really enjoying your play-by-play here, Steel_Venom. After completing a timing chain job on my '95, I wrote a list of observations & tips that you mind find useful. It's in this thread.

Was your timing really off by two teeth? The picture looks like maybe it's just not exactly at TDC.
You're 100% right- it was just not TDC. I actually noticed this the next time i looked at it, but forgot to update the thread. The chain was really loose though.

Also, what kind of brake lines are you going to be installing?
I'm installing the LMR Stainless Steel kit #LRS-MU1078SS. I'm also installing the J&M Rear stainless lines. I really like these J&M ones- they are coated in a translucent vinyl tube which will protect the stainless. I already had ebay-brand stainless lines on the front, but they weren't coated like this.
I've been tinkering around on it for a while, but apparently ocean water & cell phones don't mix! Who knew?? facepalm2.gif (So i couldn't take pics)

Anyway here's what's been happening:

Installed cam retainer plate. Pretty simple- it's labeled which side goes out & down.

I installed the Timing chain. I had to fit the rear on w/ chain, and then fit chain around top (large) gear. Then I had to slide the bottom gear back all the way. Finally, Igot the top gear close to the bolt holes, thread the bolt through it, and used the bolt to pry it up into correct spot. Then just torque it down.

I let the new ford-racing lifters soak in oil for over a week.
I put some assembly lube on the roller. I'll put some in the cup once I get to the pushrods.
Then I just slipped them into place. Don't force them- just twist back & forth till they drop in. Should be zero-insertion-force(ZIF).
Next I installed the dog bones. They're ZIF as well, so if they don't fit your lifters aren't aligned properly.
I found that slipping one side of the dog bone over one lifter, and using the bone as a lever to rotate the lifter until the other side dropped onto the 2nd lifter was easiest (lifter are soaked in oil so slippery!)
Also the dog bones are labeled as which way goes up- so keep an eye out for that! :nerd:
Finally I re-installed the original spider. Remeber, it doesn't hook over the dog bones. It's more of a spring to keep them in place. 2 screws and it's back in.

Then I started re-installing the timing cover.
Cleaning the gasket surfaces are a PITA. I found that brake parts cleaner degraded the original silicone sealant enough that I could fairly easily scrape it off with a 1" painter's putty knife. I actually wore gloves for this step because you're pushing hard on the putty knife, so you can slip & cut yourself easily.
Cleaned timing cover & engine mounting surface very well.

Then I got dumb and did this part backwards, so hopefully no leaks. But I put the new RTV & gasket on the timing cover first, and then installed the unit onto the engine. I should have put the RTV + gasket on engine first. Seems to be sealed good, so we'll see if it leaks if I ever get this heap to run.
Tip- smear the RTV on the mating surfaces with your finger to prevent globs. Wipe any excess off so it doesn't get into oil pan and ruin your engine.

Tonight I'll be installing the water pump. I got the ford racing gasket kit from AM (PN# M-6003-A50), and it comes with 3 different WP gaskets, but not a single one is right for the '95 WP. So a trip to auto-parts store is happening.

Also there's a bunch of different bolt sizes for the WP & Timing cover. I never found good diagrams online (nothing is 94-95 specific), so I looked it up in my Assembly Manual & am attaching those diagrams. (Gotta look *really* closely at the timing cover diagram to see bolts.) Hopefully this helps someone!
 

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#9 ·
I'm the worst at updating this thread. But I did some work on the heads a few weeks ago:


New valve springs & retainers installed (from alex's parts) on the GT40ps using Eastwood Valve Spring installer. I forget if it was intake or exhaust spring, but one of the stock springs has another metal cylinder in the retainer. I put a socket of the appropriate size and use a rubber mallet to tap it down (once the spring was compressed).
I attached a pic of the spring off the head with this setup so you can see what I mean. It took me a while to figure out why these wouldn't come off.

Also cleaned the combustion chambers and valves

Installing new seals was easy; just appplied some assembly lube and used the same socket previously used on the spring to tap it on gently. Should take nearly no effort.

To test if the valves had bad seats or my new seals leaked, I poured acetone in the chamber and looked underneath the head for leaks- fortunately there were none!

I tried gasket porting but these iron heads were tearing up my dremel bits so I gave up on it. I probably needed a good carbide bit for it.

Then I painted them with Duplicolor Ceramic Engine Paint.

To install on engine...wow. that was a workout!

used rubber mallet to tap in new head dowels, but not fully seated in the block. this way I could set the head on them easier.
Overlay head gasket, paying attention to writing saying which side goes up/Front
Held the head from intake & exhaust ports and after a few tries I managed to get it on the block.
Used new ARP head bolts. in hindsight I would use studs as it would probably make it much easier to install head.
Put ARP thread sealer on the small/lower bolts since they go into water passage.
ARP includes assembly grease with their bolts, so I put those on the long ones.

Torqued to 90'lb following recommended sequence (google image it)

Repeated for passenger side.
 

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#10 ·
Next I installed water pump and the new harmonic balancer. I know some people have a hard time getting the balancer on, but I put axle grease on the crank and inside the balancer. Push it on until the notch in balancer just starts to grab the key on the crank. Then thread the bolt in (used new arp crank bolt) and as you tighten the bolt it'll pull the balancer on.
Once balancer bolt was as tight as i could get it without spinning the engine (fully threaded) I gave it a couple quick bursts from the impact wrench to ensure it was tight. I dont worry about torquing it to spec because the engine spins clockwise so the engine will always be tightening it.

Water pump install was annoying. The ford racing gasket kit from AM doesn't include a WP gasket for a 95 mustang. i plan to email them about that. 3 auto parts stores later I finally had one. Similar install procedure as timing cover & followed the bolt diagram I attached earlier.

then the crane 1.7 pedestal rockers.
I used ford racing hardened pushrods that were slightly longer than stock.
I'm not going to write out how to do this. Just watch and you will be good to go.
I will say that 3 of my new ford pedestals broke though (was using torque wrench) so I ordered new ones, so that has put a kink in my build.

So I started doing some misc stuff while the pedestals ship:

Ground alternator bracket where smog pump used to be....in hindsight I should have used a Saw-Zaw instead of a death wheel. Painted that and the A/C bracket. I've heard all this bling adds like 50hp.

Tried to install my LT Headers. I had pacesetter headers which advertise as fitting the automatic. Yeah not even close. I couldn't get them to fit at all.
I read some forums and sounds like you have to lift the engine a bit and drop steering shaft and a bunch of other work.
I decided if I was going to go through all that trouble, I should replace the oil pan & k-member (oil pan is in rough shape). But that's a monumental project in itself.
So I'm going to throw the shorties back on there just to see if it'll run. No sense putting all that work into headers if this heap wont start.

And so that's where I'm at now. next will be installing lower intake.
 
#11 ·
I see you made the same mistake that I did with the timing cover gasket, not cutting the excess material off. Ah well... LOL

Making good progress, though! Good call with the headers and oil pan- that's unfortunately a pretty big job thanks to its shape and the location of the K-member. My oil pan actually rusted through in a couple of spots not too long ago, and I'm taking my chances with an epoxy repair. So far so good, but I'm afraid I'll have to bite the bullet if it doesn't hold.
 
#12 ·
FYI- You can use the crank bolt to pull the damper on in a pinch, but don't make it a habit. Eventually you WILL pull the threads out of the crank. A damper installation tool doesn't cost that much and works really slick.
 
#13 ·
Thanks for tip on Damper.

Yeah I think if I ever get this thing runnin' again I'll definitely swap the oil pan & maybe a new K-Member; and install headers at that time.

I hit a major roadblock; there was an intake bolt broken off in the GT40p head which I didn't realize until I tried installing the lower intake.
After breaking several drill bits, bolt extractors, and a tap, I can safely say the bolt hole on the head is 100% ruined and now there are 3 objects stuck in the hole.

So now I'm going to get a new head. I could buy another GT40p, but I'm strongly considering swapping to GT40x or TF 170s. Benefit of the GT40x is I don't need new Rocker Arms ($250 savings). I've read a million threads comparing the heads & know that the TF 170s are miles better but just not sure I want to spend the extra $250 on new rockers...

Meanwhile I painted my intake (should add ~20hp according to a honda-owning friend). And I plugged all the vacuum ports that I won't be using with brass caps. I applied ARP thread sealer to them too to ensure no leaks.
I decided to run dual breathers & not use PCV system. (no emissions in my state)

I'll throw up some pics in a bit- they haven't finished syncing.
 
#14 ·
I decided to buy another GT40p head off ebay (was $191...pricey for it as I expected $125, but they had pics of the actual head & I could tell no bolts were broken off in it so willing to pay extra for hassle free experience.)

Couldn't justify the GT40x because they are $1200/pair and have negligible performance increase over the GT40p.
Couldn't justify the TF 170 because they are $1300/pair and I would still have to buy rockers ($250) + pushrods. So i would be at ~$1700 all in.
My plan after finishing this H/C/I is an On3 Turbo, which after options, is $2000. I can't justify spending all my turbo money on the TF heads when I will get significantly more power out of the turbo.
 

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#16 ·
Thanks!!! If you've got any questions on any particular part/step feel free to send 'em!

I hit 2 delays that cost me a couple weeks:
1- Seller (midwesternautosalvage on Ebay)sent an OHC Explorer head, probably from the 4.6 on accident. But they quickly fixed it and sent a GT40p explorer head without any hesitation and inclueded a prepaid shipping label for the wrong one. Would highly recommend them.
2- Hurricane Matthew hit and my area was evacuated for nearly a week. Fortunately no damage to anything.

But now I made a ton of progress this week; the cooler weather I'm able to work a lot more per day. Anyway to the build:

Since I was swapping the head, and head gaskets are a compression fit, I knew I couldn't reused the head gasket. I bought new FRPP Head Gaskets from AM PN: M-6051-CP331. My presumption was that the FRPP head gaskets would be the same as the head gaskets included in the FRPP Engine rebuild gasket kit. Wrong.
They were actually MUCH nicer. They seemed to have a metal core which is very nice. The ones in the gasket kit are just a pure composite.
Now, I *should* have pulled the other head off & swapped its gasket to match, but honestly I was lazy and just left the other gasket as-is. So yes I'm running 2 different head gaskets. I know this is not optimum but hey this engine has 180k miles on it & it's my "practice engine" so I'm not worried about 100% perfection.

Next I swapped over the new valve springs & seals from the broken head to the new head. Since I hadn't actually run this engine I didn't worry about keeping pushrods in order i took them out. Had it been run, I would have kept them in order.

Put the head back on, torqued headbolts. Honestly trying to sit the iron head on the head dowels is such a challenge due to the weight I would 100% recommend using head studs, or even better just using Aluminum heads.

One other tip I wanted to add about the rocker arms: As i torqued them down, I noticed they tended to twist and the roller tip wouldn't be centered on the valve stem; It'd be off to one side. So, I had to hold the rocker centered over the valve while torquing it, which is harder than it sounds.

Next I put the exhaust studs in. Wow. Major PITA. Had to use pliers to twist them in which messed up the threads a bit, but the header nuts still went on so I guess it's ok. I tried using the nut to twist them in, but the nut stretched over where the stud flares and then was stuck. So I ruined 1 stud & will have to use a exhaust bolt.
I wouldn't recommend these exhaust studs; I would try and find some that have a way to use a ratchet to install them. These you can only use your fingers, or pliers and tear up the threads. Alternatively, try and just buy 4 studs and use them at the outer most exhaust holes to help you hang your header.
I considered that the threads of these heads were just messed up- but I could easily ratch the the ruined stud in (the one with the nut stretched).

Finally I installed the lower intake again.
I put Permatex Red RTV around the coolant ports on the head, and on the gasket as well as the exhaust crossover ports.
Then time to torque the intake bolts down. I started at 15ft-lb and followed this bolt torque pattern. I made this pattern about 5x to get all the bolts to 15lb. I think as i would tighten 1 bolt, it would move the intake down a bit, so the other bolts would no longer be at 15lb. Just be patient and keep following the pattern until all 11 bolts torque to 15lb.
Next I made the pattern but to 25ft-lb. Took about 3 rounds to get 11 of the bolts to torque down.
The front most bolt next to where the large coolant hose enters the intake wouldn't torque to 15lb; it kept slipping.

Much frustration ensued as this was the *SAME* bolt hole that had the broken bolt in the old head which caused me to have to deal with this to begin with!! I called it a night since I was pretty frustrated.
 

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#17 ·
Came back a few days later with a fresh perspective.
Decided to tackle the distributor install as i thought that it was going to be one of the harder aspects.

The Distributor I used was PN: LRS-12127D from LMR. I was highly impressed with the piece; it seems very well built & identical to my factory one.
One thing I noticed comparing the two was that the factory rotor was rubbing on a sensor in the housing. It seemed to be a magnetic pickup sensor. Or maybe it is part that sends the spark through. not sure...The new one spun freely. I'm not sure which is the correct way for it to operate. Still trying to figure it out. I'll post a video to youtube showing this difference.

I found several Youtube video & other threads and used combine info from all of them to install. Here's what I did:

- Rotate engine by socket wrench on crank bolt.
- Rotated engine & watched for intake valve on Cyl 1 to go down, which means it was opening. (Cyl1 is front passenger side cylinder)
- Put finger over Cyl1 spark plug port, felt air come out
- Used flat blade screwdriver in spark plug hole to feel piston come up
- Watched harmonic balancer for 0 degrees to align with timing indicator.
- Spark plug terminal on new distributor cap had a "1" on it, so I took a sharpie and aligned a straight-edge from the terminal to dis. base & made a mark
- Put assembly lube all over dis. gear
- Drizzled ton of lube into dis. hole
- Pointed my mark on dis towards intake runner 1- I tried to match the orientation to factory pictures of dist. installed.
- Lightly dropped dis. into hole.
- Twisted left & right until it kind of pulled itself in, and began to mesh with cam gears.
- At this point the dis. housing(base) would rotate and the rotor was stationary.
- Now my housing was way off from where I had marked #1. Fortunately the housing rotates, so I just lined it back up.
- Just make sure the dis. is FULLY in the hole. It'll begin to mesh with the cam, but not be fully in, so make sure it's fully in.
- Once I had the rotor *perfectly* aligned with my mark I put the dis. hold down bolt back on- being very careful to ensure dis. doesn't move.
- Finally I put my MSD Cap on it because every bling item adds 5hp. So i've got that going for me. (Admittedly the cap that came with the dis. actually seemed much more solid and better built than the MSD).

I noticed the distributor came *very* close to touching the lower intake. Probably a papers width between them. I put the cap & rested the upper intake in place and fortunately everything cleared. It's really close though. I'll check this area to see if the distributor rubs when engine runs.

I admit, I have cut corners a few places on this build, but installing the distributor I spent a lot of time on to make sure it was perfect. Why? Because the whole reason this build kicked off was because timing was FUBAR and engine wouldn't run. SO I want to be sure that's not an issue again

Anyway I was feeling good about Distributor install going pretty smoothly so I decided to tackle the new radiator.
I used the SVE radiator from LMR.
HIGHLY impressed. This radiator was lighter than the stock piece, and everything just fit perfectly with it.
If you have an automatic trans, be sure to pull the coolant line fittings off the stock and put them on the new radiator.
I just reused the stock fan because everything I've read online says it works just as well as any aftermarket one. It fit perfectly on the LMR SVE Radiator.
I also used new Mishimoto upper radiator mounts (PN MIS-RADMOUNT94 ) because LMR recommended them; they are very thin aluminum and flex easily (compared to factory steel ones), so the theory is they will flex with the radiator and help resist radiator cracking. No idea if that's true but they were $35 so it seemed like a cheap enough investment if it'll save the radiator.
Honestly this LMR Radiator was *so* easy to install. It was probably the easiest part I've installed yet because everything just worked/fit like it should. That's a first for this project.

Anyway pics attached of things.
 

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#18 ·
Tonight I wanted to check things for fitment:
Shorty headers & spark plugs/wires
Alternator & valve covers

Both of these are known issues so wanted to know what problems I'd encounter

I have new pacesetter LT Headers, but if I wind up going turbo I wont need them so trying not to use them so I can say they are "new" and sell them.

The passenger side shorty header pretty well cleared every 45 degree boot. I needed a 90 on #3 cylinder. I just flipped my plug wires around to test this (so 45 degree side was on dis).
The driver side...the number 5 was close to contacting, and the #7 was full contact; couldn't get header even down over it. Cyl 6 & 8 cleared well. So really the *only* cylinders with a fitment issue are #3 (barely), 5 (barely), 7(full contact)
I think I'll buy a propane torch & 5Lb mallet and see if I can mangle the headers enough to fit over the spark plugs.

I've attached several pictures of the plugs & wires & headers.

I know I lamented the header studs previously, but they do make the header install soooo much easier. I would really just recommend a different header stud if one is available. These ARP ones sucked to install.

I also found that the boot on 1 wire was burned a bit, and another wire was burned through the silicon. So will need at least 1 new wire.
I'm going to buy a bunch of 90 degree boots and cut these FRPP wires to a better length (they're kind of long) and install 90s on all plugs anyway. Will also run some sort of heat shield.
This is a later project though: I can leave them reversed just to get the engine running.

Also another issue I've heard a lot is that the Alternator won't clear aftermarket valve covers on our cars.
I have cheap chrome valve covers off ebay...happy to report they cleared very well. No issues seen at all. They mirror the factory valve cover design.
Several pics of this too (with my new 150amp alternator!)

Just for good measure I threw on the PS bracket too.
Also I coated the bolts of Alternator & PS bracket with anti-seize to make sure they dont rust into head.

I wrapped up the night by checking into that lower intake bolt that wouldn't torque down.
Upon close inspection I noticed that the intake was 1/4" to 1/2" taller at this bolt hole compared to all other 11 bolts. I speculated that the bolt was spinning because it wasn't fully threaded into the head.
I realized that the water pump bolts used the same thread pitch as lower intake. I found that one of the old WP bolts was about 1/4 longer than the ARP bolts I was using.
Installed this bolt and viola! It torqued to 25lb no problem! Was super happy about this.
 

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#19 ·
Nice work! I can tell that you're meticulous like me. Thanks for specifying the parts you're using; good to hear exactly what peculiarities you can run into with them.

I'm disappointed that the header studs were giving you so much trouble. I know you said that the old bolts threaded in just fine, but that doesn't necessarily guarantee that the threads were clean enough. Perhaps it would have been advantageous to run a thread chaser in there and blow out any debris. I just treated myself to a set of thread chasers recently, and I've quickly become addicted to them. Everything just goes so much more smoothly when you take a minute to make absolutely sure that threads are clean.
 
#20 ·
I'm disappointed that the header studs were giving you so much trouble. I know you said that the old bolts threaded in just fine, but that doesn't necessarily guarantee that the threads were clean enough. Perhaps it would have been advantageous to run a thread chaser in there and blow out any debris. I just treated myself to a set of thread chasers recently, and I've quickly become addicted to them. Everything just goes so much more smoothly when you take a minute to make absolutely sure that threads are clean.
What thread chaser set did you get? I was trying to run taps through them to clean them but after I broke the tap off in that one intake hole and wound up buying a new head I didn't try it again...
I definitely think it had to do with dirt/grime in the holes though. My Typhoon intake came with studs to use in various places & they threaded in perfectly.

That being said next time I pull the headers, I'm doing double-hex head header bolts. They showed these on Hot Rod Garage...my jaw dropped. Best invention ever for exhaust. I wish I had seen these a few weeks ago.
 
#21 ·
Edit- I attached all the pics in the next post. Forgot to include them here.

Here's what's happened next:

Big lesson learned; install the fuel rail BEFORE the distributor. I broke the crossover tube on the fuel rail. I tried to pull it apart and apparently it isnt' meant to do that. I've included some pictures as I thought it was fascinating how there was tube-within-a-tube design.
I read some on replacing those tubes. Sounded like a major PITA, so just bought another fuel rail off ebay for $50 and replaced the whole thing.
When I put the new one on I removed the distributor this time.

Next was upper intake. The Typhoon came with studs to go in driver side lower intake holes, and bolts for passenger side. (Pics attached). There are two vacuum ports in the neck of the intake I threaded some caps into to seal. The typhoon intake comes with an assortment of vacuum port caps which was cool. As always, coated them in ARP thread sealer to prevent leak.


Then was the power steering pump + pulley. Have to get a special ford install tool that you can pickup at any auto parts store. (pic attached). Lots of threads & videos on using this so not going to go into too much detail except to say that you know you're done pressing the pulley on when the hub is flush with pulley, and the pulley is inline with the idler.

Found a bad crack in the heater bypass hose (short hose that goes from water pump to water neck). It doesn't leak but it's on the to-replace list.

Went to install the coolant overflow tank. Good thing it's plastic- it had to be bent around the new larger radiator to get back into the stock upper & lower brackets. It takes a bit of persuasion but it'll fit. I used a new tank from AM pn# 100894. Unfortunately the hose to the radiator was a few inches short. I popped the one off the old tank and put it on (this is why not getting rid of any parts until project complete is good idea!). Also this tank didn't include the low coolant sensor, which is built into the lid of the old tank. So pulled the lid off that tank and put the sensor + lid assembly on new one.

Next was wiring. Lots of wiring. Honestly I was nervous about this but for the most part everything kind of only goes one place. I also took pictures when i started of nearly every plug I disconnected to help me remember how it went back together. The only couple that gave me some confusion is that the alternator wiring runs over to the battery area (no surprise once I realized its purpose) and then on the drivers side fuel connections there is a long wire that runs down the front of the engine and connects to the harness that runs under the oil pan. Also don't forget to reattach the block ground cable!

Then came the A/C Compressor. This thing was harder to install than expected due to the weight and not much room to work around. there are 4 bolts. Here's how I got it in- from underneath the car loosely thread in the bottom two. Go to top of car and put in the top front bolt loosely. Then remove the lower two bolts. Then rotate the compressor on the top bolt that's still installed, and slip the rear top bolt into place. There's not enough room to thread the bolt in with the compressor completely in place. Then reinstall bottom 2 bolts.
You could skip installing the bottom two first but it really helps to hold this heavy thing in place when you go to put the top bolt in. Don't forget to connect the wire harness to the compressor!

Next was the Professional Products intake elbow adapter. I always thought this piece was way overpriced for what it is, but upon installing it I realized why. There's a lot to it and it includes great instructions. For 94-95 mustangs (not sure about foxes) you have to pull the vacuum tree out of the stock intake and thread it into the elbow. This is the tree for the fuel pressure regulator and the one with the main vacuum line to the main distribution block.
The only issue I had was the EGR fitting hit the valve cover and there was no way I could get around it. So broke out the cutoff wheel and cut off the EGR port on the above the lower bolt hole. (pics attached)
I was concerned with only one bolt holding the plate in, there'd be a leak, so I Put some RTV around the egr valve port, and installed my blockoff plate. (had to remove stud off of stock intake)

Next was TB install. Again pretty straightforward and there are a ton of threads on this. Just be sure to hook up throttle cable and install the brackets, and the wires to the IAC and TPS. I sprayed both of these with electric parts cleaner to be sure the sensors were good to go.

Then was time to install the MAF into the CAI. When I opened the MAF I initially panicked- there didn't seem to be anyway that this thing was calibrated for 24# injectors as it should be. But then logic set in and I compared to the stock and you can see that the tube where the MAF sensor goes is quite a bit larger on this one. I thought that was interesting. The Mac MAF included new phillips screws to install the sensor which is great because one of the security torx bits on my sensor was stripped, so I had to drill it out.
I haven't really seen anyone running the Mac MAF but overall I'm really impressed with it.
Also soaked the sensor itself in electric parts cleaner to be sure it was good to go.

Now i have this junk CAI I bought off ebay and it has *never* fit right. It's garbage. When I fit it on the TB I had to laugh. I wish I got a picture because the new intake & elbow obviously affected fitment even worse. The air filter element was literally sitting ontop of the headlight it was so far forward.
So again the cutoff wheel was used to remove about 2" of material from where the CAI connects to the TB and then with a lot of finagling I got it to fit in there. Again it fits terribly, but it'll be junked if/when I go turbo so I'm not too worried.

Then I did a coolant flush (again lots of other threads on this) to make sure my coolant was clean of other chemicals from install
Then filled radiator. At this time I realized my chrome water neck was leaking (shocker!) I tried the stock one and it leaked too! So I guess the PP Typhoon lower intake to waterneck surface was warped.
So I RTV'd the heck out of the neck and lower intake, and let it dry for about 36hrs. Viola! no leaks!

Then oil change

Finally I installed the H-Pipe back onto the shorties & tailpipes.

Now it's time to fire it up and see what happens!
 
#22 ·
Super excited to report I got it running!!
I pulled a couple all-nighters (working from about 4pm to midnight) to finish everything up.

Without further adieu I present a link of it running



Had some issues getting it running at first- I don't think it liked 0 degrees initial timing. When I first cranked it, it didn't even want to start. I probably cranked it for 30s and then I could hear some combustion occurring (exhaust) and so I knew I was getting there.
Kept cranking and finally fired up! But ran horribly.

Had to keep rotating distributor to adjust timing. Also I adjusted the set screw on the throttle body so that the TB is open a bit more to let in more air to keep it running better. This seemed to help.

Threw timing light on it and realized I was probably at 20+ degrees of timing with SPOUT out. Moved it back to 15 and it started running terribly again. Seems really odd that it needs that much timing to idle smoothly.

Two minor issues:

Sounds like the cobra rockers are hitting some part of the valve covers. I can run a thicker gasket, or if they are just hitting the baffles in the covers, I can heat the baffles and beat them with a hammer so they clear. The valve covers I have are taller than stock so I suspect they rockers are just hitting the baffle.

The heater bypass and main radiator hose leak where they connect to chrome water neck. This water neck is just junk apparently.
I'll probably pull it off and put the stock one back on.

Anyway I think that about wraps up this thread. Thanks for following along. Feel free to PM or respond with any questions.

Still a long way to go before it's on the road.
Next steps:
K-Member + Oil system (Pan, pickup, pump) swap. My oil pan is rusty. Going to suspend engine with a brace & drop the k-Member and install oil system that way. Probably going to install a PA Racing K-Member when I do this. Debating about switching to Terminator steering rack since I'll have to disconnect it too to drop K-Member.
I'll make a build thread for this. Not sure when I'll get to this- maybe a month or two.

Also 255 Fuel Pump install, Rust repair (por-15 FTW), back-half of new stainless brake lines. May make a thread for this stuff.
 

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