Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums  

that is a jaw dropping engine bay!!!! very nice work looks factory. clean not butchered

I can't stand the non-lockup converter my red car has. I wish I hadn't let Dirty Dog convince me otherwise. I mean I do generally cruise at 75-80 on the highway but that's about 2700-2800 rpm anyway. It's a 3000 rpm converter so it's not quite stalled. The thing absolutely drinks gas :hick:

Yes, I know, the 2-3 shift has a reverse of direction in addition to a big ratio change. As they explained to me. Yaaaaknow what I say? What Bill O'Reilly once said: "F*** IT! WE'LL DO IT LIVE!!!!" Most of the time I let off the gas during upshifts anyway. I developed it years ago as an overkill habit. So there LOL.

When I got home last night and looked at the pictures, it does look like my Trick Flow setup I had as far as the proximity of the intake to the distributor. Just cut a section from the back of the boot (I have extras if you need one, just shoot me your address and I'll send one), and it'll fit. I always thought that helped to clean up the look of the engine.

Really? At 75mph the car still gets ~23mpg even though it's a couple hundred RPM below stall speed. Driving my Mark VII with the stock converter that locks up in 3rd there is a noticeable drop off in acceleration vs. the non-lockup converter. I actually prefer the non-lockup converter as far as drive feel goes. I can also care less how much 93 octane Shell my Thunderbird drinks. I've got a Focus to drive every day and get good mileage with.

I do LOVE being able to flash the thing at any time and get a nudge forward...I've done little highway with it but I know the digital readout doesn't stay above 20 much under any cirspoogestances. I'll have to test it more. And there are other things not guaranteed too...O2 sensors, the fact that I have a 160 degree stat, EGR vac line plugged off, etc.

The thing is I'm pondering taking it to Mustang week in SC with my friends since I grenaded the other cat. The one guy....*might*...take his newly acquired Terminator. With a 3k RPM'd 4R70W, Whipple 2.9, etc...thing gets 95 miles to a tank right now. Mustang Magic in LI dyno'd it at 576 RWHP. They declared it to be in good health. So it could always be worse!! I'm just so used to fuel, comparatively, lasting days and days and days in the black car.

That would be less then 6mpg, that's absolutely ridiculous. For my daily commute, i would have to fill up twice to pick my kids up from daycare.

I can only assume the black car's heart failure was due to me just slapping the adjustable roller rockers back in during the end of winter 2014, and not adjusting them. What else would cause a broken spring...? The red car's engine has been together as it sits since spring 2012. Bottom end has never been taken apart, and the entire top end is still all factory Ford parts. All H.O. items (intake ported of course) except for the heads. So "I do not antite any issues with this event". Ha.

Look fairly snug on the air tube and strut brace. No contact when the engine is revved?

, looks sharp.


Next step...forced induction? :D

With the departure of 100% stock looking parts, your wallets the limit now ;). I always feel terrible about my engine bay after seeing yours, it looks good.

Thanks to Vinnie for the suggestion of tpuppies a little off the back of the distributor boot to make it fit. I removed about 1/4" form the bottom rear of the boot and it fits again :). I also touched up all the A/C lines I scratched when swapping the intake on.

Awesome. Glad it worked. I'm with you, the engine looks better with the boot. Once the flooding stops here, Ill be back to cleaning and detailing.