Hey guys, I recently bought a donor Mach 1 and am currently swapping the 32v V8 into my 2000 GT(once a v6). Anyway I kind of got screwed on the engine and I'm having to rebuild it because of spun rod bearings. While I have the engine torn down I want to replace all I can since Im this far into it(budget friendly of course.) I've heard that the 03 heads have some cooling issues with the 7th and 8th cylinders in the far back and read that people are doing a cooling mod to free up flow in the back. They are basically removing to freeze plugs, one from each side and connecting the two via a kit you can buy online. I was wondering if anyone has done this or if it would benefit me since I have the engine out and all. I've heard the cooling issue is really only an issue with boosted applications so I wasn't sure if I should do it or not. Also, any other suggestions on parts to replace now would be appreciated. Thanks guys!
2000 Gt Mach 1 Engine Swap
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Saberstang
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All the 03-04 4V engines can possibly develop cooling issues and also the cylinder head tick issue too. If the rod bearings are damaged then however had that car before you over reved the 4V engine. The 03-04 4V cylinder head cooling mod is a good investment and cheap insurance and will suppress combustion chamber hot spot detonation. This mod does move more coolant through the cylinder heads and that is what everyone wants more cooling capacity. The goal is to get more air through the radiator. I would consider a upgraded three row radiator like a Fluidyne three row radiator to help lower your engine temperature. The Evenflow gen two looks to be the best cylinder head cooling mod for the 03-04 4V cylinder heads. Lethal Performance has the Evenflow gen 03-04 4V cylinder head cooling mod they can hook you up. If your cylinder heads will be removed it is a great chance to get your cylinder heads ported and polished. There are a lot of good/reputable cylinder head porting services out there if you search. You could check out Modular Motorsport Racing I am considering getting a set of 2V PI cylinder heads ported by them. Also a chance to install camshafts too. Your forged Cobra eight bolt crank can probably be inspected,cleaned up,and reused. Is this a manual or automatic 03 Mach 1 this 4V engine came out of? If it is a manual transmission 03 Mach 1 you have the forged Cobra eight crank which is nice. Seriously consider doing forged rods and pistons while everything is apart.
Thanks for the input man! Greatly appreciated. I will most likely buy the mod from one of the suppliers you listed then. Is the evenflow mod the one where you run a hose from your existing hoses to the back of the head or is it the one where you just run a hose from each cylinder head from the freeze plugs? Which one is better? Now that I found out the 4v had cooling issues it now makes sense why the previous owner had an extra auxiliary fan strapped to the front of the radiator.
Trust me, I really wanted to port and polish these heads, especially now that I have the whole thing torn apart. Perfect opportunity. I have heard many great things about the power these 4v heads can make with a good port but sadly I don't have the funds to do this, upgraded cams, or rods and pistons right now.(as listed in the post, "budget friendly" lol) The Mach was a 5spd so I do have the 8 bolt forged aluminum crank which was a must for me vs the autos cast one. I already had the crank turned and polished over along with a new set of main and rod bearings. Getting the rods reconditioned this week and then putting her back together hopefully by the end of the month. I need my car back and running lol it's my daily!
Trust me, I really wanted to port and polish these heads, especially now that I have the whole thing torn apart. Perfect opportunity. I have heard many great things about the power these 4v heads can make with a good port but sadly I don't have the funds to do this, upgraded cams, or rods and pistons right now.(as listed in the post, "budget friendly" lol) The Mach was a 5spd so I do have the 8 bolt forged aluminum crank which was a must for me vs the autos cast one. I already had the crank turned and polished over along with a new set of main and rod bearings. Getting the rods reconditioned this week and then putting her back together hopefully by the end of the month. I need my car back and running lol it's my daily!
Saberstang
Active Member
The Even Flow 2nd Generation cooling kit consists of a precision machined aluminum fitting, a custom made aluminum coolant "T" which is installed into the upper radiator hose,and 1/2 inch heater hose,with adapters to connect the two.The aluminum fitting is installed in the rear coolant jacket of the drivers side cylinder head.This fitting allows hot coolant to circulate from the driver's side rear head directly to the upper radiator hose for circulation through the radiator once the thermostat has opened. This coolant jacket is located directly behind the last intake manifold runner on the driver's side and has a freeze out plug installed from the factory. Once the modification is installed both cylinder heads will be flowing coolant through a restriction averaging.350, thus maintaining equal coolant flow through both cylinder heads. If you talk to Lethal Performance about their Even Flow 2nd Generation cooling kit they will also tell you it is by far the best 4V cylinder head cooling kit out there and I agree. One of the key things is to keep the coolant temperature in check. Running a auxiliary fan/s is always a great idea. Check and inspect the cylinder heads for any damage. Also inspect the integrity of the connecting rods to make sure they are reusable since you say rod bearing/s were damaged. I have seen more times than not connecting rods damaged from rod bearing/s being destroyed. One budget mod you could do is install longtube headers or mid length headers since your 4V engine will be out perfect time to do it. The Mac longtube headers are pretty "budget friendly" just make sure you get them in ceramic coated so they will last.
So the fitting has to be put into the rad hose via making a hole in the hose or through the pre existing opening. Seems more complicated than the first LDC kit but I guess if it works better, why not? I also bought a new Ford Performance high volume oil pump. I've heard from quite a few forums how the stock oil pump on these cars are problematic, don't know how true it is. Ya actually the 4v had quite a few bolt on mods come with it including some BBK long tubes which is nice! They don't look in the best condition tho visually. A lot of surface rust and looks like the coating on them(whatever it was) peeled off. Would the easiest way to install them then is with the engine?
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So the fitting has to be put into the rad hose via making a hole in the hose or through the pre existing opening. Seems more complicated than the first LDC kit but I guess if it works better, why not? Ya actually the 4v had quite a few bolt on mods come with it including some BBK long tubes which is nice! They don't look in the best condition tho visually. A lot of surface rust and looks like the coating on them(whatever it was) peeled off. Would the easiest way to install them then is with the engine?
Saberstang
Active Member
The best method doing longtube header installation is with your whole front k member,steering rack,etc. removed from your car on a engine hoist with jack/s on the bottom of it with blocks of wood to hold up your engine for extra insurance in case your jack/s loose pressure.Also with your car secured on jack stands. I hope you have a friend or good helper with a case of beer on hand. You will need a lot of different tools and sockets to remove/replace everything. I would definitely recoat your BBK longtube headers before you install them. I believe they came silver ceramic coated. Talk to your local shops to see about ceramic or silver ceramic coating them before you install them to help with corrosion,rust,and discoloration overtime. Good luck with your install though.
Ok so I was looking at my heads today and I recall reading somewhere the early-very end of 2003 models came with the 4 thread spark plug heads. The 4v that came out of the Mach I bought has a manufacturing date of 06 of 2003 so with that being said I should have the 4 thread heads. I was very surprised to find out I didn't and had the 9 thread spark plug heads, which I'm pretty happy about. I was aware that in mid November of 2003 is when Ford changed the thread count and actual head itself to fix the common head tick in the 03 model Mach 1s and that they marked these new revised heads with a blue spray painted mark on the driver side. I do not see this mark at all on my heads so I am confused if I have the revised heads or not because of the 9 threads. But then I found this tag strapped to the lower part of my block. It's a tag from Ford that has some serial codes and a "remanufacture" date of 2008? I was thinking maybe under warranty the guy that had the car before me got his heads replaced with the newer revised heads and that's why I have the 9 thread count? Just a thought, anyone have any more info on this? Thanks
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Saberstang
Active Member
It is possible the owner of the vehicle before you may have had the cylinder head/s replaced at one time maybe under warranty. Not all the 03-04 Mach 1 cars had the cylinder head ticking issue. To find out for sure the part number on the side of the cylinder head in your pic is indeed a Ford part number. If you go to a Ford dealership parts department with the part number they can tell you for sure if it is the revised 4V cylinder heads or not.
