Those who have installed a Vortech/Paxton

[BaXTeR3221]

Hey guys,

I just ordered the mongoose kit for my car, everything should be here next week and will be installed that weekend. The only thing things i still need are the punch and the tap for the oil pan.

Now i've never punched or tapped anything before. I've done all the other steps involved in the installing the supercharger so I don't think anything else will be a problem.

What I'm looking for is some advice as well as EXACTLY what tap and punch I'm going to need. I know its 3/8 NPT, but i've seen mixed reviews about whether it is 16 or 18 and i honestly have no idea what that number refers to. If anyone can find a link to one, that would be great.

Any other advice you guys have would be great, everyone always says it's easy after you do it, but I have no idea what to expect.

 

[DaNd4Speed]

I guess you're keeping your car a little longer Joe? Congrats on getting the Goose!

The -16, and the -18 are the number of threads per inch. I believe the 3/8 NPT is only offered as a -16. Just take your time punching and tapping the oil pan. I used 2 size punches, a small tapered sized one to get the hole started, then the larger sized one to roll the hole open further.

And the only other advise I can give is this: treat the brass oil feed fittings very gently! Do not overtighten. I snapped both my oil feed to the blower, and my oil drain to the filter mount. Don't rush it, and you should be good to go. Good luck!

 

[BaXTeR3221]

Thanks Marc!

I don't know how much longer I'm keeping this car, so it might not have been the most responsible purchase, but it will be a fun summer!

Where did you pick up your tap or was it something you already had?

Also, how is your car running with the Vortech?

 

[stangman]

I guess you're keeping your car a little longer Joe? Congrats on getting the Goose!

The -16, and the -18 are the number of threads per inch. I believe the 3/8 NPT is only offered as a -16. Just take your time punching and tapping the oil pan. I used 2 size punches, a small tapered sized one to get the hole started, then the larger sized one to roll the hole open further.

And the only other advise I can give is this: treat the brass oil feed fittings very gently! Do not overtighten. I snapped both my oil feed to the blower, and my oil drain to the filter mount. Don't rush it, and you should be good to go. Good luck!

i did the exact same thing

 

[DaNd4Speed]

Thanks Marc!

I don't know how much longer I'm keeping this car, so it might not have been the most responsible purchase, but it will be a fun summer!

Where did you pick up your tap or was it something you already had?

Also, how is your car running with the Vortech?

Car is running great. I'll tell you, I can never go back to N/A with this car! I regret waiting so long to do this. I took it out of winter storage last week, thinking we were done with the snow..WRONG!!. But other than that, car is running like a champ. I have an '01 Cobra bumper that I'll be installing once it get's nicer, then hopefully I'll get myself some nice deep dish 17X10.5 Mach's on the back so I can hook up a little better on the street.

I borrowed the punch and tap from my old company. If I still was working there, I would have lended them to you. You can probably find these items at most hardware stores or places like Best plumbing I would think.

Hey if you get into any snags with the install, let me know. I could always make a trip over if you get in over your head!

 

[the98stang]

The 9/16" punch is damn near impossible to find. So I just bought a tappered punch. You can mark the punch at 9/16", and stop punching when you reach that point. Be sure to run lots of oil through the car after you punch/tap to get all of the metal pieces out.

 

[ctstanger]

When I did it I couldn't find it anywhere either and even had a hard time online.

I finally did find it at Napa.

I also started with a smaller tap to get it started, plus also because the larger tape had a the tip cut off, then finished tapping it with the bigger one.

 

[BaXTeR3221]

I think a friend of mine has a punch I can borrow so thats good. I'll have to swing by Napa one of these days and see if they have the tap. Anything special i need to know about actually tapping the hole?

 

[stangman]

I think a friend of mine has a punch I can borrow so thats good. I'll have to swing by Napa one of these days and see if they have the tap. Anything special i need to know about actually tapping the hole?

just dip the tap in grease so no shavings get in the oil. i also put a magnet directly under the hole hole on thepan for a just in case, so i could try & bring any metal shards out that way. the grease did thejob just fine though

 

[ctstanger]

I remember when I was doing it, it was taking me forever! You have very short area to do the hammering, so I couldn't hit it that hard. I was really babying it too, finally made it over to the larger tap, and took a quick break. I went inside and one of my buddies took over. By the time I was back out (only minutes later), it was done!?! My jaw dropped because I was barely half way done when I left!?! They were laughing saying I was babying it too much because it was my car.

Fitting when in fine, no leaks.

 

[BaXTeR3221]

Did you guys use anything as a sealer? I was thinking about using some jb weld, but i think there might come a day when i want to take the fitting out.

Any other ideas?

 

[BennyBlown2v]

Did you guys use anything as a sealer? I was thinking about using some jb weld, but i think there might come a day when i want to take the fitting out.

Any other ideas?

I use JB weld, it works fine. It's removable also, you just need a chisel/screw driver and a hammer and it'll crack pretty easy. Next time I drop my K-member I'm going to be dropping the oil pan and removing the fitting and brazing it on, or a canton 7qt with the fitting already in there

 

[stangman]

Did you guys use anything as a sealer? I was thinking about using some jb weld, but i think there might come a day when i want to take the fitting out.

Any other ideas?

i just use basic black RTV