Progress Thread Introducing Delilah the 93 LX coupe

Sooo, much progress has been made. the drivetrain is in the car, EFI runs well and is learning and getting better, BUT she was overheating pretty quickly. Initially I thought it was the head gaskets being backwards but after verifying (painfully) found that was not the case both head gaskets have the coolant passage opening to the rear of the block and FRONT is FRONT haha (I have to laugh because if I don't ill cry). What I did realize is that I failed to remove the ears off of the intake manifold gaskets coolant passage openings. I'm assuming this is the cause for my poor coolant flow and overheating. and yes I did check my thermostat before tearing everything apart.

SO my question to all of you is, Is my assumption correct that those ears were the cause of my cooling issues? Any input before i go and assemble her again would be greatly appreciated.
 
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I guess the 351 has 4 extra mounting point that split the cooling ports.
6BDFE7B0-DA06-4B9E-B6CF-C22BF9401EBA.jpeg

Vs the performance ones
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Yea I had the 351 gaskets I guess and like a momo i installed them, face palm. I ordered the bottom picture gaskets. It might have been a number of things honestly. I’m still perfecting the timing of the fitech system and the 351 gaskets weren’t helping. Come to think of it I’m pretty sure I have a vacuum leak somewhere.
 
Our cars are doppelgangers haha. I just came across your thread and wanted to say keep up the great work and please post some more progress pics! :nice:

Can you explain what you did for the door sag problem? I have rust behind the top hinges in both doors that the previous owner covered up with caulking/paint and know I'll need to deal with that when I finally get around to painting the car :rolleyes:
 
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Thanks man, I appreciate especially with the frustration I’ve been facing lately with the cooling issues.

So on my car the door side of the hinge had wallowed out. What I did to fix it was weld material into the hold test fitting the bushing along the way and then once it was a little too tight I used a Dremel to shape the hole and finally I used JB weld to fill any gaps or spots I couldn’t reach with the welder. Worked really well. The door shuts perfectly now.
 
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SUCCESS!!!! Woohoo. Cooling is sorted, she runs nicely now I just need this summit throttle cable bracket to come in Tuesday and she will be off on her maiden voyage. In the mean time I'll be tieing up the wiring harness and making my final adjustments. *Brownie points to myself for not being lazy and wiring up the factory oil pressure and coolant temp gauges.
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Awesome man! So did you swap the intake gaskets out and that's what fixed your cooling issue?

I'm not at all familiar with the GO EFI setup, are you planning on tuning it yourself?

yea i swapped it for the Performance gasket pictured above. also applied a liberal amount of Ultra gray to the end of the intake manifold where it "meets" the block. got the timing locked in and elevated the nose about 8 inches to ensure bleeding wasn't issue. A couple big burps laster and 45 mins idling she was holding steady between 170-180 in 100 degree South Carolina heat.

Timing wise minimally, fuel wise it is self learning so it'll tune just fine for this version of Delilah. The plan is to have her on giggle gas later on...
 
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Any suggestions on shorty headers before I go wasting my money? Turns out the 100 bucks for the Junk yard pair i got was wasted, they work but leak like crazy.

Side note 4 cylinder T5 with 3.73 is actually quite a bit of fun.
 
Haha, glad to hear you're getting some enjoyment out of the old 4-cyl! That'll make the swap even more satisfying since you can compare to how she drives now with the 4-banger :cool:

The only shorties I've ever used are BBK and they've been great. My last set I sprung for the ceramic coated version and loved em. Not much else I would go with BBK for to be honest but their headers have a pretty good reputation.

Oh, one thing I'd consider is getting a set of smaller-headed bolts for them. @a91what opened my eyes to this with his latest build and they make it SO much easier to install since you can actually fit sockets/wrenches around them. I don't know the details but I'm sure he'd be more than happy to share that info :)
 
I ended up grabbing a WC t5 rebuild kit locally. It's an 068 3.35 gearset along with all the bearings needed. only drawback is its missing first gear. From my research it should be a 34t PN:1352-080-030. I planned on buying that, 1-2 synchro set, a shifter bushing to replace the toasted one in my mustang, and the peel able shims to set end play. I have enough experience mechanically and enough stupidity to want to try this. What am I getting myself into, am I missing anything critical here, and is this possible? I know the 4cylinder trans is WC per the bearing cup and the casting numbers.

Anyone with t5 rebuild experience out there?
 
It's not bad at all. I've built more than I can count. Steel bearing retainer is a must....
 
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