Poor boy lightning inspired build
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 84
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From: Michigan
I got my stuff in yesterday . I soaked the water passages in the cylinder heads in evapo-rust . worked out pretty well but man that stuff costs alot . good thing it can be reused . I have been getting them ready for a couple coats of ford gray VHT engine paint . I got a set of cheap non baffled trick flow valve covers(pretty nice for $25 actually) to clear my roller rockers . they look like they might not clear the upper intake plenum .I may need to order a spacer ,I will check after i take the plenum off and test fit a cover . It's been really hot and humid so it has been slow going ...
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 84
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From: Michigan
I got both heads cleaned up dried (easier said then done in this weather lol) and painted . I noticed while cleaning up the headers that the passenger side one has a crack in the weld on the collector . It's in the center were all the tubes are welded together . Not quite sure if its worth getting it welded and replace it later with better mustang style headers like i had planned . now I'm stuck , I don't have the cash for headers right now . glad i didn't start tearing down the engine yet .
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Joined: Jan 2001
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From: Virginia
I got both heads cleaned up dried (easier said then done in this weather lol) and painted . I noticed while cleaning up the headers that the passenger side one has a crack in the weld on the collector . It's in the center were all the tubes are welded together . Not quite sure if its worth getting it welded and replace it later with better mustang style headers like i had planned . now I'm stuck , I don't have the cash for headers right now . glad i didn't start tearing down the engine yet .
Tuned
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 319
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From: Houston
I agree with David, I went with long tube headers and now I'm having to pay about 400 dollars to get the work of the exhaust done correctly. 400 dollars is 400 dollars I say look into getting a cheap pair from the junk yard
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 84
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From: Michigan
I am doing a full custom dual exhaust , non of the stock piping will be used .It will use a dual in/out muffler and exit in front of the passenger side rear tire . I have no cash left after buying $500 in parts and supplies to do the head swap ,tools ,a new master cylinder and reman brake booster and other stuff for my truck .
Would having the stock mustang gt headers crack welded be a decent temp solution ? i could at least get the exhaust system put together and drive it until i got something better .
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/bb.../model/mustang
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ps.../model/mustang
Stainless Steel SS Exhaust Header 79 93 Ford Mustang Windsor 302 5 0 8CYL GT SVT | eBay my brother in law has Chinese stainless ebay headers on his mazda mx-6 . they don't leak and have handle the Michigan salt very well . they still look good after 4 or 5 years . might be an option .
Would having the stock mustang gt headers crack welded be a decent temp solution ? i could at least get the exhaust system put together and drive it until i got something better .
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/bb.../model/mustang
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ps.../model/mustang
Stainless Steel SS Exhaust Header 79 93 Ford Mustang Windsor 302 5 0 8CYL GT SVT | eBay my brother in law has Chinese stainless ebay headers on his mazda mx-6 . they don't leak and have handle the Michigan salt very well . they still look good after 4 or 5 years . might be an option .
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 84
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From: Michigan
I got the reman brake booster and new master cylinder installed . What a pain that was , it was pretty much glued to the firewall by the old gasket . After spending some time adjusting the booster I have a nice firm brake pedal with a consistent feel . And no more hissing from the bad booster is pretty nice as well as the much improved idle . 
I still need to put the line support bracket back on but while cleaning and painting it i lost the nut to it . It's always something lol
I still need to put the line support bracket back on but while cleaning and painting it i lost the nut to it . It's always something lol
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 84
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From: Michigan
I made decent progress Saturday . Both exhaust manifold are off ,air box ,ignition coil and mount , throttle body, egr , air pump ,most of the upper plenum. got stuck because of the torx bit on the passenger side middle on the intake plenum . I will have to get torx bit set as i only have a set of folding torx . I"ll snap a few photos tomorrow .
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 84
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From: Michigan
Well got it all apart . It was very clean inside no sludge or any issues that i could find . I have the new heads on and snugged down . I am taking a short break and will be back out to torque them down shortly .
Quick question about the new cylinder heads and spark plug gap . Do i use the stock truck gap or do i gap it larger ? i believe the cobra gap is .050 . I have an msd street fire coil and wires as well . I will also be installing a set of rebuilt matched four hole nozzle (forgot the correct name) fuel injectors to replace the pintle nozzle injectors . Same 19 pound flow rate as the stockers .
Quick question about the new cylinder heads and spark plug gap . Do i use the stock truck gap or do i gap it larger ? i believe the cobra gap is .050 . I have an msd street fire coil and wires as well . I will also be installing a set of rebuilt matched four hole nozzle (forgot the correct name) fuel injectors to replace the pintle nozzle injectors . Same 19 pound flow rate as the stockers .
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 456
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From: Owensboro, KY
I went with a .055 gap when I installed an MSD coil in mine. You can't really go by factory specs, it'll really depend on the voltage of the coil. The more voltage, the hotter the spark, the larger the gap needs to be. As far as using the DRI style injectors, you might notice a slight improvement in mileage from the better fuel atomization, very slight. Probably no noticeable power increase. Couldn't justify the cost when I revamped mine, I just rebuilt the stock injectors. That was a much needed improvement and sufficient for me.
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2014
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From: Michigan
I went with a .055 gap when I installed an MSD coil in mine. You can't really go by factory specs, it'll really depend on the voltage of the coil. The more voltage, the hotter the spark, the larger the gap needs to be. As far as using the DRI style injectors, you might notice a slight improvement in mileage from the better fuel atomization, very slight. Probably no noticeable power increase. Couldn't justify the cost when I revamped mine, I just rebuilt the stock injectors. That was a much needed improvement and sufficient for me.
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Joined: Jul 2010
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From: Northeast, OK
I don't think "correct gap" is quite the right term. Perhaps "maximum gap" would be closer. The higher voltage capability of the new coil just means that you can open the gap up further and still have the spark jump across it. The wider gap means more fuel is subjected to the spark so the probability that the fuel ignites, and the amount of fuel that first ignites, goes up. But the condition of the engine as well as the plug wires, plugs, cap, rotor, etc come into play. Higher compression reduces the max gap a spark can jump. And old wires/cap/rotor/plugs increase the chance that the spark will go elsewhere but across the gap of the plug.
So, it won't hurt to run the stock gap. But if you want you can open it up a bit, keeping in mind that at some point the spark will find another way to ground than across the plug gap. Or, it won't fire at all. And the point that usually happens is at heavy throttle, which raises cylinder pressure, meaning the engine misses under load.
So, it won't hurt to run the stock gap. But if you want you can open it up a bit, keeping in mind that at some point the spark will find another way to ground than across the plug gap. Or, it won't fire at all. And the point that usually happens is at heavy throttle, which raises cylinder pressure, meaning the engine misses under load.
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Joined: Jan 2001
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From: Virginia
And also throw in longevity and maintenance cycles. You can run wider gaps, even on the stock system, but it puts more stress on the wires/cap/rotor like Gary said, and when your plugs wear just a little bit, they will need changing.
The stock gap was a compromise for performance and plug maintenance.
The stock gap was a compromise for performance and plug maintenance.
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 84
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From: Michigan
i have 8mm msd wires , msd cap and rotor with around 500 miles on them. I will be using new motorcraft copper core spark plugs with my new cylinder heads . Stock gap for my truck is .044 ( if i am remembering right), i might go to .050 .
sorry about the cruddy photos , my camera battery is dead and i can not find the charger .I had to use my cell phone .
sorry about the cruddy photos , my camera battery is dead and i can not find the charger .I had to use my cell phone .