Been A Long Time Coming....

[RAVAGE88]

I've eluded in posts prior to my hiatus over the last few months that I've been gathering parts to continue the building of "Chad.' So, over the last three weekends, huge chunks have changed from OEM to parts from high end suppliers. This has been no small task and for those that have done similar, you already know that challenges are presented along the way. First, the list of parts:

• Steeda Road Race K-Member
• Steeda Tension Links w/Spherical Bushings
• Steeda HD Adjustable Engine Mounts
• Boundary Pump OPGs
• Boundary Pump Billet Steel Backplate
• MMR CS Timing Gear
• MMR IMRC Lockouts
• MMR Billet Timing Chain Guides
• MMR Secondary Tensioner Bracket
• MMR Secondary Tensioners
• MMR Block/Bell Housing Braces
• MMR Billet Coolant Pump Pulley
  
  
  
  
• GT500 Primary Chain Tensioners
• Ford Performance High Flow Coolant Pump
• 2M Fabrications Premium LT Headers
• 2M Fabrications HF Cats for Premium LTHs
• 2M Fabrications Catless Mid Pipes for LTHs
• 2M Fabrications O2 Spacers
• Wengerd Tunes (93 and E85, cats and catless)
• AFS Ported 18+ GT IM
• AFS Ported 87mm Bullit TB
• AFS Port Matched TB Adapter

Of course, there's a host of new tools and having to deal with what it means to receive wrong/broken parts, but I'll say that Megan at Boundary was awesome to deal with and I'm sure everyone positioned to know, already know the quality of their OPGs and Billet Steel Backplate. MMR is seemingly aloof, but they always come through and their parts are incredible. The oddest bunch to deal with is 2M Fabrications, but as long as one reads their near biblical FAQs, things run smoothly. I was never challenged by having to speak to an actual person at 2M, but I imagine it could have been challenging. Having said that, their headers, mid pipes and O2 sensors are immaculately manufactured and the fit was perfect.

Ok, now for the things I didn't exactly consider prior to starting this phase of my build. Although the LTHs fit beautifully, I was uncomfortable with the small area of clearance for the A/C plumbing. So after a bit of contemplation and researching the experiences of guys here that have already been down this road, I deleted the A/C. This wasn't a difficult or sacrificial choice, as Chad is not a daily driver, but instead, a long-term project car that I'll be using for road course driving. Considering that, the upside is less weight and less parasitic loss.

Dealing with the removal and replacement of the K-Member was nothing more than nuts and bolts, adhering to a process, and taking our time (my Nephew is highly astute with a wrench). But of course, there are many torque-to-yield bolts and one-time-use nuts to purchase ahead of time (over $800 worth).

Pulling the front cover, removal of the timing chains, replacing OPGs, CS Timing Gear, tensioners and re-timing everything is no big deal. I have the Ford Shop Manual on CD-ROM, and building engines has been a family trade for generations.

Now, why do I have mid pipes with and without cats? Because curiosity killed the cat(s).... Actually, as I thought about what direction to go, and staying NA for now, I decided that it's not that difficult to gather a bit of data on the matter. Wengerd did tunes for both and I'll start with catless. I haven't fired it up yet because I'm still waiting for the IM, TB and Adapter to arrive from AFS. I'll post more as the final pieces come together.

MB

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[NGOT8R]

Great work! What are your thoughts on the MMR guides, tensioners and tensioner brackets? I ask because I remember reading a while back somewhere that the tensioners needed to be clearanced to fit properly.

Why Boundary OPGs and MMR CS gear? I thought the OPGs and CS gear were typically purchased as a set.

 

[RAVAGE88]

Great work! What are your thoughts on the MMR guides, tensioners and tensioner brackets? I ask because I remember reading a while back somewhere that the tensioners needed to be clearanced to fit properly.

Why Boundary OPGs and MMR CS gear? I thought the OPGs and CS gear were typically purchased as a set.

Thanks!! If you're asking about the secondary tensioners, what I have were plug and play and there's a night and day difference between the OEM guides and the highly precise fit of the MMR Billet Guides. They fit so precisely that I thought for a moment that I received the wrong parts. Also, with the MMR Secondary and GT500 Primary, there's absolutely no slop in the chains. Going the route of the inverted Secondary Tensioner Bracket is a must.

The Boundary OPGs are literally fine jewelry. I got them with the MartenWear and added the Billet Steel Backplate. It's a shame no one will ever see those parts. Can't really say why I opted for the MMR CS gear, but I found myself preferring it, but quite certain I could've been just as satisfied with the Boundary.

MB

 

[RAVAGE88]

A bit more progress today. The cat-less mid-pipes arrived, so I finished up the exhaust today. I'm liking the 2M Fabrications LTHs, Mid-pipes (with and w/o cats) and O2 Spacers. The quality and execution is on par (maybe better) with parts costing more than three times the price of the 2M.

Once the exhaust was in, I got the wheels back on it, roughed in the front end toe, and lowered to curb so I can torque the lateral links tomorrow. A bit more finer detail work to do tomorrow as I wait for the IM, TB and Adapter plate to arrive. Sitting on the blocks, the suspension hasn't settled, but I can see a bit of a difference with the Steeda K-Member.

MB

 

[RAVAGE88]

As much as I'm liking the Steeda Road Race K-Member, its to be expected that it's quite minimalistic. In other words, the "stuff" that attached to the front features of the OEM K-Member has no accommodations on the Steeda K-Member. According to Steeda, they zip tie various things in place, which I've never been able to bring myself to do.

Because this car is a long-term racing project, I originally thought I'd remove the lower Active Grille Shutter, but upon closer inspection, there are no upper and lower units, but instead, it's all one piece with a linkage between the upper shutters and lower shutters. This meant there had to be a better way to adhere the lower part of the assembly so it wouldn't flop around. Simple enough with a few 6-32 SS screws and expansion nuts. Now it's quite solid and no zip ties.

The other pieces that could have been zip tie fodder were the plastic piece on the right side of the radiator that protected the A/C plumbing to the condenser, which I removed completely, and the "scoop" that gathers air through the grille and channels it into the air box. This "scoop" piece also doubled as the protective "sleeve" around the dryer for the A/C.

Since I deleted the A/C, no more dryer, so this piece had some serious flop potential. So I cut off the portion below the point where a Christmas tree fastener loosely held it to the body of the car. I drilled a hole through the Christmas tree (its molded as part of the piece) and used the hollow Christmas tree to center the piece in the hole, then put a 6mm bolt through the hollow Christmas tree and a Nyloc nut on the other side. I replaced the (removable) Christmas tree fastener behind the grille with a larger one and the "scoop" is now mounted solid, but with enough play that everything will line up once the CAI goes back in.

Just more detail work as I continue to wait for the intake, throttle body and adapter plate to arrive from AFS.

This is what the Active Grille Shutter Assembly looks like:
https://a-premium.com/product/Activ...e=1&gbraid=0AAAAAo5iiwlrPlrW4YVhiJHx4-xmbpapv

MB

 

[K4fxd]

Every dedicated race car I've ever owned was and is filled with zip ties. Makes repairs easier and fast if in the pits.

Your set up looks nice.

 

[RAVAGE88]

Every dedicated race car I've ever owned was and is filled with zip ties. Makes repairs easier and fast if in the pits.

Your set up looks nice.

I get it Dude, and you’re not wrong. What I really want to do, is remove that silly thing, which I’ll do when I make more changes in another few months.

MB

 

[K4fxd]

I get it Dude, and you’re not wrong.

Wasn't being critical, just gave a reason why I use zip ties.

I'll say again, your car is looking nice.

 

[RAVAGE88]

Wasn't being critical, just gave a reason why I use zip ties.

I'll say again, your car is looking nice.

Thanks, and I didn't in any way take it critically and appreciate you chiming in. I've seen lots of zip ties and you're dead on about the pit expedience. For the shutter box, if they're closed, that's a lot of force pushing on that thing, so I figured I'd use screws for the time being until the front end comes off to put in the new grilles. That's an ideal time to remove the shutter box.

And believe me, there will be zip ties securing the rear most holes in the belly pan to the forward cross bar on the Steeda K-Member. That's something I can see needing to come down quickly.

MB

 

[BossBaby]

Looks a lot like professionals accomplished these tasks!

 

[RAVAGE88]

@K4fxd Nevermind Dude, my OCD got the better of me. The silly thing is out and the new grilles are ordered. I was starting to have nervous twitches.

I also see where this thing is prone to rust, will have to deal with that while it's apart.

MB

 

[RAVAGE88]

Looks a lot like professionals accomplished these tasks!

This was a rather heavy lift as the tackling of numerous large chunks occurred all at the same time. All that said though, everything went smoothly, although there are unexpected things that pop up. Having the Ford Shop Manual for my year Mustang (on CD-ROM) is a must for anyone doing this kind of work.

I see you're in Alabama....whereabouts? I'm in Enterprise.

MB

 

[RAVAGE88]

Quite a bit of progress today....

MB

 

[BossBaby]

This was a rather heavy lift as the tackling of numerous large chunks occurred all at the same time. All that said though, everything went smoothly, although there are unexpected things that pop up. Having the Ford Shop Manual for my year Mustang (on CD-ROM) is a must for anyone doing this kind of work.

I see you're in Alabama....whereabouts? I'm in Enterprise.

MB

I’m in Mobile… I’ve got a decent looking and performing Ruby Red F150 that identifies as a mustang!

 

[RAVAGE88]

I’m in Mobile… I’ve got a decent looking and performing Ruby Red F150 that identifies as a mustang!

Ah, I see....I think I know you.... You're friends with Fred and Ethyl?

MB

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