How to's.....

[5point_Slow]

Thermostat Install
STUFF YOU'LL NEED:

1. Thermostat-the factory one is a 192degree part, get a 180degree if possible. Don't beleive the wanna-be's that say to use a 160, that's TOO cold. The 180 will keep engine a little cooler for more power.

2. thermostat gasket

3. silicone sealant-blue Permatex or the equivalent.

4. coolant

5. 1/2" wrench

6. flat blade screwdriver or 5/16" nutdriver or socket & ratchet

7. rubber mallet (a regular hammer & a block of wood will suffice)

8. gasket scraper or razor blade-also, some scotch-brite will be useful for final clean-up.

9. pliers

10. drain pan

11. funnel

REMOVAL:

DO THIS ON A COLD ENGINE ONLY! Start by locating the radiator drain petcock. It is on the right (passenger) side of radiator, near the bottom. Look down from the upper hose inlet, you'll see a spout with two ears. Put the drain pan under here. With the pliers on either side of the ears, turn counter-clockwise (from pass. seat view) . The petcock will go into the radiator as it unscrews, it looks backwards. Sometimes these can be a bear to break loose; be careful, the ears bend & break easily. When the coolant begins draining, remove the radiator cap, this will drain it faster. You only need to drain coolant until it's below thermostat level (it's at the engine end of the upper hose). If you wish, you can reuse the coolant if your drain pan is clean-or, you can refill w/new. Also, you can drain the rad. completely, to get more new coolant into system.

Remove the upper hose from the thermostat housing with the 5/16" nutdriver/socket or screwdriver. This is the time to replace this hose, but the budget will dictate these things :) . Removing the hose entirely is optional, you can leave it connected to the radiator. There will be some coolant loss when the hose comes off the housing, no big thing. There is a small hose connecting the thermo. housing to the water pump...this is probably the worst part of the job. Remove this hose from the thermo. housing, sometimes it's easier to loosen clamp, & when the housing is off of intake, remove the housing from the hose. Ford left us NO room to work on this part...it's a royal pain.

Removing the housing from the intake is a cinch. Pull the 2 bolts on the housing with the 1/2" wrench. Notice that you have 2 different bolt lengths, they only go in the housing 1 way. Take your rubber mallet, & swinging from the intake to the radiator, give the housing a good rap. Substitute the rubber mallet w/ a hammer & a block of wood if necessary, be sure to hit the wood & not the housing. Expect more coolant loss when the housing comes free of the intake.

OK- the thermostat sits in the intake, & is held in place by the housing. Notice which end is facing the radiator & which end faces the intake. Match this up w/new thermo. to get an idea of how it's placed. Sometimes the thermo stays in the intake, sometimes it comes off with housing, just pull it off of either. If your thermo. is original, it'll have a FoMoCo part # & say "192" somewhere on it.

Now you need to get the old gasket & any sealer off the housing & intake, use the scraper/razor blade, & finish up with the scotch brite. Clean mating surfaces are what will keep this from leaking, get them as clean as possible. Make sure there isn't any coolant dribbling out of intake & onto mating surface, try to keep it dry once it's clean.

Look at your new thermo.- it may have a "this side to radiator" stamp or something of the like. Make sure it's facing the right direction when you install it!

If you can, get a gasket that has adhesive on one side..like a sticker. We get ours from NAPA. Set the new thermo. in the housing, making sure it's facing the right way, & put the gasket on the housing. The gasket should hold the thermo in place, this is why the self-adhesive types are nice. If not, put a bead of silicone around thermo. hole & the hole for the water pump hose, & set gasket into place. press down on gasket to seal it to the housing & let it sit for a few minutes, so the silicone sets up a little (but don't let it dry completely). Put silicone on the gasket, put housing in place, & install bolts. You may find it easier to put the bolts into the housing before putting housing up to intake. Also, put the small hose onto the housing before putting housing into position.Tighten the small hose clamp, re-install upper hose onto housing. Make sure petcock is closed before refilling radiator! :)

With either your old coolant, if it looks good still, or new stuff, fill the radiator back up. (This is where the funnel comes in handy.)

You'll notice that once it reaches the top, the level will slowly fall as the radiator fills. What you want is for the level to be maybe 3 inches from the top.

Ok, moment of truth time! Fire her up!

What you're looking for is for the thermostat to open...you'll know this when the upper radiator hose becomes hot to the touch & you'll see the coolant flowing faster in the radiator. When this happens, success! You've replaced your thermostat!

THIS IS IMPORTANT:

Make sure you have extra water/coolant on hand when you start the car. There is now air hiding in the system- once the thermostat opens, it'll make it's way to the cap..it'll "burp". The level will begin to rise & will overflow, let this happen. Once the air pocket is out & the level begins to drop, start pouring in the water or coolant...be ready, it'll take more than you expect it to . Stop when you're about 1" from the top. Add to your overflow if necessary, put the cap back on & look for leaks. Once you're certain you're leak-free, take it for a spin, watch your temp guage & run the heater. All done!

[5point_Slow]

Aftermarket springs will dramatically improve the look of your Stang, while giving it better road handling ability. For Project Sundance, we chose the Steeda Sport Springs. The springs drop the car 1.75" in the front, and 1" in the rear. By doing so, it gives the Stang a slightly angled look reminiscent of the muscle cars from long ago. This install is pretty straight forward, anyone with basic knowledge of cars and tools should be able to complete it in 4-5 hours. In short, if Spreadman can do it, so can you.

Note, torque figures given are from the official 1999 Ford Mustang Service Manual (Mustang GT).

Tools required:

Another warm body
Haynes manual ($11 at AutoZone)(for pictures)
10mm socket
15mm socket (deep well)
19mm socket (deep well)
1/2" socket
13/16" socket
ratchet extensions
ratchet
breaker bar
2 jack stands (although 4 are recommended)
1 hydraulic floor jack (if using 2 jack stands, get another jack, or use the one that came with the spare)
prybar (or REALLY big screwdriver)
small pliers
utility knife
small flathead screwdriver
rubber mallet
hammer
one wire coathanger
zip-ties
Red Loc-tite
PB Blaster (not really needed, but helps)
torque wrench (if you got one)

Preface:

It helps to have another person help. If using 2 jacks, it will come in handy. Also, grab a bucket or crate to sit on while working on the fronts. You’ll thank me for it. And TAKE YOUR TIME and do it right the first time. ;-)

OK, let’s get started.

REARS

1. Jack up the rear of the car, and place 2 jacks stands on the frame in front of the control arms. (see picture). Jack it up as high as it can go….again, you will thank yourself for doing it.

2. If you have 4 jack stands, jack up the differential about 5 inches and place the other jack stands under the axle housings. This will keep the differential from rotating up and down. If not, jack up the differential under the solid metal plate just in front of the pumpkin….and jack it up about 5 inches.

3. Remove the 4 bolts (1/2") that support the rear sway bar, and set it aside. There are 4 speed clips that the bolts anchor to on the bar, try not to lose them. You won’t, but I’m just warning you.

4. Now that you have the differential supported. Take the remaining jack and pre-load the right side, under the A-arm, jacking it up about 4-5 inches.

5. Remove the bolt supporting the A-arm to the axle housing (13/16"). It will help if you have a breaker bar for this….these were a little tough to get undone, but you can do it.

6. VERY SLOWLY, lower the A-arm until the spring falls out.

7. Transfer any rubber isolators to the new spring, and place the new spring in the A-arm (remembering which direction the pigtails were facing), jack up the A-arm and bolt back into place (13/16" : 111 ft-lbs). I recommend using red Loc-Tite on these bolts…just as a precaution. (NOTE) If you do not put jack stands under the axle housings, or use a jack in front of the pumpkin, the holes will not line up, the diff. Rotates from top to bottom…BE WARNED! As you try to line up the holes...you may have to jockey around the jacks to get it right.

8. Do the same thing to the left side…and re-install the rear sway bar (1/2" : 41 ft-lbs). (NOTE: if you have a torque wrench, use the specs found in the Haynes manual….if not, get them as tight as you can without stripping the bolts).

DONE WITH THE REARS!

FRONTS

1. Again, jack up the car as high as it will go, and place the jack stands under the frame (subframes), and remove wheel.

2. There are 4 bolts on the backside of the brake caliper….2 long ones towards the sides (do NOT remove these), and 2 small ones directly in back of the caliper (see illustration). Those 2 small ones hold the caliper onto the rotor assembly. Unbolt those (15mm) and remove the caliper. You might need to decompress the caliper a bit by squeezing it up top. Pull it off, and you will see a tiny hole on the caliper, bend the coat hanger so it pulls through, and hang the caliper by a nut in the wheel well. You’ll see it when you look. And make sure it doesn’t interfere with the lowering of the strut and spring. (you might have to get creative with zip ties for this.)

3. Remove the bolt that holds the brake hose bracket in place. (see picture) If you don’t, when you lower the suspension, it will pull/stretch/screw up your lines….and that would be bad. 10mm socket for this one. Once you unbolt it, you can just let it hang down.

4. Pre-load the suspension under the A-arm about 5 inches with the floor jack.

5. Sway bar (see picture). Unbolt the sway bar (15mm deep socket or open faced wrench). Remove the bolt and upper rubber bushing (remember which way the bushing was sitting).

6. Tie rod end (see picture). Remove the cotter pin from the nut using a flathead screwdriver and mallet to straighten it out. Use the pliers to get a good grip on it. Then remove the nut (19mm) and set aside. If it is a newer stang, you should be able to hammer the tie rod loose by hammering on the bolt. If the rotor guard is in the way, just bend it. But trust me….it seems like it won’t come loose….keep hammering. It will. Once you pop it loose, swing it out of the way.

7. Strut. Remove the 3 bolts on the strut tower to remove strut. (see picture) (15mm) Once you have removed the bolts, GENTLY lower the jack, guiding the strut down, making sure it doesn’t hit the inside of the wheel well. Now, there is a plastic/rubber lining in the wheel well. The strut may get caught up on it….just maneuver it around until it pops loose. I ended up jiggling it and pushing up on the liner to get it done. Keep lowering the jack until it won’t go down anymore, taking care to have your buddy hold the strut as it’s coming down. (you will hear a POP, that’s the sway bar coming off of the sway bar end…don’t freak. Now, the spring won’t pop out YET. Once the A-arm is all the way down, use a prybar to pop the spring out of the arm. Be careful, use a series of quick tugs and it should come out no problem.

It's possible for the strut to get hung up on the threads at the top. The first strut I did got bound somehow at the top. I giggled the strut, and it popped out and drop pretty violently. If it looks like the strut is not lowering as you lower the jack, giggle the strut before the jack is all the way down.

8. Remove the rubber isolators from the top and bottom and place them on the new springs (for the tops, I used zip-ties to keep them in place). Remember which way the pigtails are facing!!!! It will help if you spray some WD40 on the new spring to get the bottom isolator on (snake like sheath). Worked for me.

9. Now, place spring in a-arm (shouldn’t be too bad since the spring is shorter than the stocker). Have a friend hold the strut as you jack the suspension back up. Use one hand (while friend is holding strut) to jack the jack, and the other to guide the sway bar end into the sway bar. Carefully line up the holes of the strut to the tower (you may have to wrestle with the liner again….I found if you pull down on the strut to compress it, it helps). Once you got them lined up, jack it up and bolt in the strut. Don’t worry about the stock strut (C&C) plates, on the newer stangs, they should be riveted in, but since you will be in need of an alignment, I wouldn’t worry about them moving. The alignment shop is gonna move them for you. Bolt the strut back up at the top (15mm : 30 ft-lbs).

10. Re-install the sway bar bushing and bolt (15mm : 14 ft-lbs), then re-install the tie rod end to the tie rod (19mm : 41 ft-lbs). (don’t forget the cotter pin!)

11. Take the utility knife, and scrape very carefully along the edge of the rotor where the caliper goes. Remove any rust and metal burrs that would scrape the pads. Reinstall the calipers (you may need to press the pads into the calipers to get it to sit right). Once you get it started on the rotor, the rest is easy. Then, line up the caliper bolts on the rear, and bolt ‘em in (15mm : 85 ft-lbs). It helps if you are lying on your back from this one.

12. Bolt the brake hose retainer bolt back into place. (10mm)

13. Recheck to make sure everything is tight and secure. Stand up, stretch, drink a beer (better make that a couple). And go do the same to the other side!

My Dad and I performed this task in 4 hours…learning as we went. If my pictures aren’t helpful enough…look in the Haynes manual…they have great pictures, but I think mine will get you through the hard parts. If you have any questions, e-mail me at Spreadman@StangNet.com.

It took me about 4 hours as well. smokyburnout@stangnet.com.

You will need to wait 2-3 days for the springs to settle, then go get an alignment. Trust me....you'll need one.

Good luck!!!!

[5point_Slow]

4.6 gt/cobra pulley install

Tools needed
-----------------
- ratchet
- ratchet extensions
- 10mm, 11mm, 18mm sockets plus others
- torque wrench
- breaker bar or impact wrench
- harmonic balancer puller tool (place deposit at O'Reilly or AutoZone, get $ back when done)
- 3/4" drive ratchet OR massive screwdriver
- Loc-tite Red
- high temperature silicon RTV sealer (ultra black OEM)
- floor jack and 2 jack stands (optional)
- a helper (optional)

1.) Disconnect the negative battery terminal. Just a preventative measurement.

2.) Put the car into first gear if manual, park if automatic, set parking brake.

3.) Begin by removing the Degas container's three bolts and washers. They secure the overflow container for the radiator to the fan as well as a pedestal in back.

4.) Position a catch pan of some sort beneath the driver's side headlight, underneath the radiator's bottom corner.

5.) On the Degas container there is a small hose running from the container into one of the main radiator lines. Using a pair of pliers, squeeze the hose clamp tabs towards each other and gently rock the clamp away from the fitting. Remove the hose, and be prepared for a bit of coolant to seep out of the plastic nipple. * you may want to stuff a rag or towel into the crack where the nipple leaks coolant, or let the catch pan do it.

6.) grasp the Degas container by the left and right sides as if handling a package. Rotate one side of the container under the other so it rotates away from the pulley area, giving you clean access to the pulley system. On my 4.6L GT there was a plastic tab which conveniently held the overflow container away from the work area without stretching hose lines.

7.) Using a 10mm socket, loosen the water pump pulley from the water pump. It is helpful to have an assistant put counterforce on an opposing bolt with another 10mm socket tightening while you are loosening. When your bolt breaks loose, stop and repeat for the rest. Leave the pulley on with the bolts slightly broken.

8.) Remove the accessory belt. Using a 3/4" ratchet (one of the biggies), put the bare ratchet into the belt tensioner's hole and turn the handle in the direction indicated by the tensioner pulley. The pulley will move away from the belt, allowing you to slip it off the top of the alternator pulley at the top of the engine. Once it is off the alternator, the belt will have plenty of slack and you can remove it from the rest. ALTERNATE METHOD: if you do not own a huge 3/4" ratchet, you can put a massive flathead screwdriver into the tensioner hole and lean into it, pressing the tensioner down and away, pulsating on the tensioner. An assistant will be able to barely and laboriously remove the belt from the alternator pulley.

9.) If you are using the alternator pulley from the new set, remove the alternator nut with an impact wrench. If you do not have one, it will not come off. Either use the stock one as I did, or unbolt the alternator, drive to your neighborhood garage, and ask them politely to install the underdrive.

10.) Remove the water pump pulley and set it aside.

11.) Now remove the crank pulley. This is what you ate your Wheaties for this morning. Use a 18mm socket on this bolt. It is NOT cross-threaded, it is conventionally threaded, just takes brute force to get it off. A long pipe or breaker bar should afford you the leverage you need to break the nut. After that, its all downhill. Remove the bolt and set it aside, retaining the large washer.

12.) Pull the crank pulley off the crankshaft using the puller tool. It is very simple to use and all the bolts you need will be in the box you rented it from. If there are not any bolts, use the ones in your pulley set temporarily. This is hard to describe how to use but it is very simple you will figure it out. The puller tool serves one function: to pull circular objects off their center bolt by applying perfect equal force to all three sides.

13.) Now the 2 main pulleys are off - water pump and crank. The next step is to bolt the underdrive crank and the stock crank together. Why? Because the stock crank pulley acts as a dampener and is needed to smooth out crankshaft operation, that's why. Use the three bolts included in your kit to sandwich the pulleys together. Use loc-tite here. Tighten WELL.

14.) Using your ultra black gasket sealer, put a dab in the notch key area of the underdrive pulley so when you install it no oil can get out.

15.) Now slide the 2-pulley array onto the crankshaft, underdrive first. Gently work it inward as much as you can. Then insert the new longer crank bolt with your stock old washer. Use this to further draw the assembly onto the crankshaft. Torque to 60-65 ft/lbs (tight).

16.) Install the new water pump pulley and secure it using the stock bolts. Torque to ~ 20 ft/lbs.

17.) reinstall the belt. Make sure it goes on the underdrive crank pulley, not the stock crank pulley which is also right there.

18.) Position the Degas container back where it goes and bolt it down.

19.) Re-attach the small radiator hose to the Degas container.

20.) Start the car and let it idle, observing the pulleys and belt. Watch for any loose bolts on the sandwiched pulleys or a pulley spinning out of round. If everything is OK and the belt is no slipping, go ahead and take a spin. Your radiator lost a little bit of coolant, so top it off with some water.

That's it. Be sure to re-torque the crank pulley bolt and water pump bolts a couple days afterwards to make sure they are holding their torque. Enjoy your 5 horsepower improvement!

[5point_Slow]

Fuel Injector Upgrade Install

Installation:

Upgrading your fuel injectors is a fairly simple task. Start by removing the intake tube from the throttle
body to the Mass Air Sensor. It should be held together by either a clamp or screw bracket. Remove the
wiring harnesses from the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) and Exhaust Gas Relief (EGR) valve. Also take
off the vacuum hoses from the EGR and vacuum source behind the EGR.

Using a socket wrench, unbolt the intake bolts. In our case, we used a 1994 Mustang Cobra so there were 6
bolts. Reach behind the intake and unplug the Positive Crankcase Valve (PCV) from the lower intake.
There should be at least one small vacuum line coming from the upper intake, so unplug it as well.
Remove the upper intake and set it aside.

Your fuel rails are held to the lower intake by 4 bolts, 2 on each side. Remove them and lift off the fuel
rail. Remove each of the eight fuel injectors and set them aside. Fuel will leak out, so clean up the excess
fuel with a clean rag. Your new fuel injectors should be lubed. Using oil or Petroleum Jelly will crack the
O-ring seals over time, so we used a water based KY Jelly. Lightly rub each injector's seal with the
lubricant.

Gently place each injector into the fuel rail by twisting it back and forth until it snaps it. After all eight
have been inserted, lower the fuel rail into position and lightly push each injector into its hole. They should
pop into place. Bolt the fuel rail back into place. A new plenum gasket is needed. Place it on the lower
intake. Be careful when aligning the gasket, as it needs to be aligned perfectly. Gently place the intake
plenum onto the lower intake, without moving the plenum gasket, and bolt it down as well. Reconnect all
vacuum lines and electronics.

Remove the negative battery cable and open your driver's side door to drain the energy out of the system's
reserves. This will reset the EEC and allow it to re-learn your new changes. After 10 minutes reconnect
the negative cable to the battery.

Your Mass Air Flow sensor will also need to be replaced with one that is properly calibrated for your
injectors. We installed a Pro-M 80mm in the fender-well. If you have an Fuel Management Unit (FMU)
you will need to calibrate that as well.

Good Luck!

[5point_Slow]

Radiator install.
The radiator is a crucial part of your engine’s cooling system. When planning to build a motor, replacing the stock radiator should be seriously considered. Keeping your motor cool can save unnecessary wear and tear and reduce pinging. The Steeda radiator is more than 3 time as thick as the stock Cobra radiator, plus it has 3 cores compared to the Cobra’s 2-cores.
Replacing a radiator is a fairly simple task and requires less than an hour and half. Start by emptying the fluid from the radiator. Place a drain pain under the passenger side of the radiator. There is a plastic wing nut located near the bottom of radiator on the passenger side. Loosen the wing nut and allow the fluid to drain. In order to completely remove all of the fluid remove the radiator cap. For the second step, remove the sheet of plastic covering your radiator, by removing the plastic plugs that hold it in place. These can be a bit tricky to remove if you have not done it before. A screwdriver and a pair of pliers can aid you in this task. Next, take off the two bolts holding your overflow bottle into place. On 94-98 models there is another bolt holding the overflow bottle to the bottle mount. The bottle can be removed by a slight tug upward. Be sure to disconnect the rubber line running to the radiator neck. Set the overflow bottle aside. Loosen and remove the bolt to the radiator bracket located to the left of the overflow bottle mount. If you have an electric fan, remove the wiring harness from the fan.
The upper radiator hose needs to come off next. Loosen the two screw clamps located on each end of the hose. Once loose, pull off the hose and set it aside. Move the drain pan for your coolant under the lower radiator hose located on the driver’s side of the radiator. The clamp holding the lower hose to the radiator requires some pliers to grasp and squeeze the clamp. Move the clamp to a different part of the hose to allow for the removal of the hose. Be careful, as some coolant will spill out of the radiator where the lower hose was attached.
To remove the electric fan, if you have one, remove the 2 bolts on the driver’s side, which attach the fan to the radiator. Now the only thing holding the radiator in place are two bolts located above your driver’s side headlight. They are hidden so it may take some searching to find them. After their removal the radiator can be lifted straight out. Before you put in the new radiator, be sure to remove any plastic plugs or tape covering the openings.
The radiator has two metal ‘feet’ that slide into the rubber mountings on the bottom of your frame. Take special care to be sure that the feet are properly seated in the mounts. Insert and tighten the two bolts removed from above the headlight. Attach your fan shroud and bolt it into place. Add the radiator bracket on the left-hand side and tighten down. The overflow bottle can be inserted next… it may require a hard push to get it to snap into place. Once in place, bolt it to the mount, and attach the mount to your frame. On the Cobra there are 2 places on the overflow bottle mount to bolt it to the frame. We chose to use the holes closest to the overflow bottle to make sure that it was tight and secure. We didn’t want the bottle to come loose at a run at the drag strip and get caught in the belts! Inspect your upper and lower radiator hoses for possible cracks or small holes that can cause a leak after re-installing them. Your clamps may also be worn and may need to be replaced. Install the upper and lower radiator hoses and tighten down the clamps on both sides. Use Teflon tape on the new wing nut supplied with the new radiator and screw into place. In order to attach the rubber hose from your overflow bottle to the radiator neck, use the supplied npt plug and use a wrench or ratchet to tighten. Don’t forget to wrap it a couple of times with Teflon tape as well. DO NOT over-tighten the npt plug as it may strip the bung in the radiator neck!!! Reconnect the harness to your fan. Double-check everything! Make sure all of your hoses are properly installed and secured.
To fill the radiator, first start the motor and then pour anti-freeze into the radiator using a funnel. Turn your heater on to high and run at full blast. This will help remove any air bubbles trapped in your coolant system. Keep in mind that the new radiator will hold more fluid than the stock one. Once the radiator is full, allow the motor to warm up to operating temperature. As the motor warms up the fluid in the radiator will rise so be careful not to let it overflow. If necessary give the upper radiator hose a few squeezes to be sure all the air pockets get pushed out the system. Carefully install the radiator cap and secure it. Use a rag to protect your hand because the cap will heat up rather quickly.

[5point_Slow]

Electronic Engine Control self test for Ford vehicles with EEC IV (http://www.dalidesign.com/hbook/eectest.html#TSTS)