Parts Question

How long until you get the heads? Ideally, yeah you'd want to do that all at once to save time and money (gaskets, etc).

To do the cam, you'll most likely be pulling the upper/lower, unless you get one of those $60 kits from Anderson Ford Motorsports (shown here in 'Crazy Fast Cam Swaps') to pull the lifters up, then the upper would come off and the lower could stay. So, if you did the cam, you'd obviously put the new Upper/Lower on, then I'd prob. do the TB. Since the MAF should be calibrated for the 30 lb. injectors and 30's might be a little big for that combo, I'd leave the MAF and Injectors out until you get the heads. You could probably go ahead and do the Ignition and coil too.

All told, unless it's gonna be over 6 months or so, I'd prob. just wait and do it all at once. No matter when you do it, though, take your time and don't break bolts and lose bolts, etc...Been there, done that. Label your stuff too. I take pictures just in case.

you should buy a complete gasket kit and pull it while you are all the way down there. There is only a couple more things that you have to un bolt... that way you could replace the rear main seal and the oil pan gasket... maybe even the oil pump and oil drive shaft. Thats what I would do... but if you don't like that idea I would hold off on everything except the MSD6AL and the blaster coil. I would also get a fuel pressure regulator if I were you but anyways, hold off on everything except the coil and ignition box.

SlowMotiion said:

Ok... I've been accumulating some parts over the past several months and have been waiting to get my heads so I could install everything all at once. Well, I think it's going to be a while before I ever see those heads, so I want to start installing what I've got. My question for you guys is, what all should I install now, and what should I leave out untill I get my heads. Here's what I've got:

Installed on the car: CAI/ shorty unequals/ off rd.h-pipe/ flowmasters/ pullies/ 255lph pump/ 3.73

Uninstalled parts: P&P Cobra upper and lower/ 70mm tb/ 73mm mas/ 30# injectors/ e-cam/ msd 6al/ blaster ss coil

Planning to buy: TFS TW Heads/ 1.6rr

Click to expand...

The 30# injectors are a bit large for an engine without forced induction or a dry NO2 kit.

Stock 19# injectors are good to 300- 320 flyheel HP, and 24# are good for the next step beyond that. Whatever size injectors you go with, make sure the MAF & injectors are matched, 24# injectors, 24# rated MAF.

Injectors are defintally too big. I would go with 24# at the max. This way you have room to upgrade later. I would also get a adjustable fuel regulator. That will come in handy. Otherwise like said i would only install the coil and MSD box now. Everything else can wait til you get the heads. Where are you getting them from that you are waiting?

SVT

wow, with that low a miles then I wouldn't replace the gaskets then, but I still think the 24's with the mass air will be good, but 30's would work. Good luck

Mileage alone is not indicative of gasket life. Many of the stock gaskets (paper and cork) degrade over time. With the age of the car, you should replace as much as you can when you go into it. If you're using a dry nitrous kit, 30's are probably good insurance, but your maf calibration will have to be spot on to work well without the nitrous. I'd replace all the coolant hoses and vacuum lines while you're doing the surgery - it's easier and MUCH quicker to just cut things off. Label everything with masking tape and a permanent marker. Do the ignition stuff now - wait on all the rest until you get your heads - do it all at once. Here's a piece I put together for someone else with a h/c/i install - a few 'tips' for when the time comes.

"Many balancers will go back on quite easily by hand, and then pulling it on with the bolt. Just be absolutely certain you can engage the keyway by hand before tightening with the bolt. If the balancer fit is too tight for that then use the install tool. It's impossible to predict how any particular balancer is gonna fit on a particular engine - you may need the install tool; you may not.

There's a very specific procedure for INSTALLING pedestal rocker arms on these cars. They are not adjustable per se. Go to www.cranecams.com and download the instructions for installing their 1.7 ratio Cobra style roller rockers - that's the proper way to install them. You may have to re-install them once you've cranked it and warmed everything up - that may help quiet them if they're noisy on the first crank up.

Be sure to prime the oil system through the distributor hole. Autozone will loan you a tool for that as well. You'll probably also need fuel line disconnect tools - AutoZone will sell you those for a few bucks.

If the hoses/belts/t'stat haven't been replaced within the last year or so, it's easiest and preferred to simply buy new hoses/clamps/t'stat/belt and put them in. Also makes disassembly much easier -- just cut the hoses off. This includes vacuum hoses. And be sure the orings on the injectors are new and lubed on both ends.

Don't trust your memory - unless you've worked on these engines a lot, use masking tape and a permanent marker to mark every connection (elec, vacuum, coolant, fuel) as you disassemble. It will make reassembly MUCH easier.

Keep everything as clean as you can. Plan on an oil/filter change -- some coolant almost always gets into the pan. Change the oil (use an inexpensive oil) before you prime/crank the car, but leave the old filter in -- it will catch any post assembly debris. AFter the first few heat cycles, change the oil again with the good stuff, and then put a new filter on it.

There is a specific counter-intuitive pattern for tightening the lower intake bolts. Use it (manual). Ignore any counsel from head or manifold companies to the contrary --- ABSOLUTELY use a torque wrench on the lower and upper intake. Take them to torque in at least 3 increments; no more than 18-20 ft-lbs. on the lower; NO MORE than 10 ft-lbs. on the upper.

Go to a hardware store with one of the valve cover, header, lower intake, and upper intake (short ) bolts. Buy bolts of similar length and the same dia/pitch threads as follows - 2 header, 2 valve cover, 2 upper intake (short bolts) and 4 lower intake. Cut the heads off of these and screw them in as studs/temporary dowels. They'll hold gaskets in place and allow you to place the components perfectly without moving the gaskets out of alignment - particularly helpful if you're working alone on headers, upper and lower intake. Once you've 'stuck' the part, put a few of the 'real' bolts in to hold it, then remove the studs, and put the rest of the bolts in. That tip is a real time saver and insures a quality job with gaskets.

Be sure to cover openings so stuff doesn't fall where you can't reach it. Intake/exhaust ports; the front of the oil pan when the front cover is removed; the distributor hole -- all of these are 'magnets' for stuff you don't want in them.

The shop vac is your friend to clean up any gasket scrapings.

Be sure to degree the cam (indexed timing chain, degree wheel, dial indicator required). DO NOT use a dot to dot install - degreeing will not only teach you volumes about how your engine works, it will guarantee correct cam timing removing that as a variable if the engine's not running right when you crank it. Furthermore - you'll need the dial indicator and degree wheel to check p to v clearance. NO ONE CAN TELL YOU IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH CLEARANCE on your engine. You must measure - especially with new heads/cam. Don't guess - measure - know.

If you rotate the engine to where the ignition timing pointer is pointing to tdc and the rotor is pointing to the #1 cylinder (pop the dist. cap) - use a Sharpie marker to mark 1) the dist. housing - align it with a mark on the block, and 2) the point on the housing where the rotor is pointing. When you get ready to put it back together, simply rotate the engine to tdc at the beginning of the power stroke - and insert the distributor so the housing/block marks match, and the rotor is pointing at the mark on the housing. You'll be back to where ever you had the timing before - and the car should start. Then time it with a light. It'll want more advance with the cam - try starting around 14-16 btdc.

Front cover is a chore for most - I had a hard time with mine. You may have to cut the oil pan gasket and replace just the pieces under cover. Use a dab of rtv at any place where you have 3 surfaces coming together in different planes - front cover/pan/block and lower intake/head/block. On paper gaskets use Permatex Hylomar gasket dressing (not rtv); on rubber gaskets (and injector o-rings) just use a little light grease to keep them from binding. On head gaskets and any graphite impregnated gaskets (sometimes lower/upper intake and exhaust) install them dry. On your headers, check the flange for straightness/true with a straight edge. If they're warped, getting them to reseal can be near impossible. While you're working on it, have a machine shop mill the flange to re-true it. It'll seal like a champ.

Most of all, take your time and have fun. Good luck."