Build Thread Want To Blow 5 Years And $50k On A Foxbody? Step By Step Instructions Inside!

[CarMichael Angelo]

You're not the first to recommend a re-torque, but cometic insists on not re-torquing the heads. They also insist on no spray rtv either, but many people claim it's necessary. It's amazing how much the mileage varies when it comes to these gaskets.

Let me ask you, Nick. Why not torque to 110 now? I'm asking out of pure laziness because I only have the headers bolted up to the heads, and not the rest of the turbo kit. It wouldn't be a big deal to pull the valve covers and headers to tighten things down more. I'm just concerned that if I'm getting a water leak with just gravity, I'll have more issues when the cooling system is pressurized. I can re-torque and pressure test the cooling system to see how it does before firing the car up.

I'm w/ Nick on the heat cycle thing, and I cannot see how retorquing after that would be a bad thing. (Cometic advising against, or telling you that it's not necessary?) if it's the latter, I'd consider it a necessary one time evil, and be done w/ it.

I hear you on your concern that you're only half way re-assembled, and better to deal w/ it now by a do-over, but really? If it fixes it to heat cycle and retorque, or to go backwards and pull it apart and seal the suspected areas, how much time difference is actually involved?

PITA factor excluded

 

[RacEoHolic330]

PITA factor excluded, it's all in the same. It does make sense to just keep pressing on and see what happens. The idea of having to take the entire hotside apart just to torque the heads is not exactly a pleasing thought. I've done it enough that it's not the end of the world, but it still sucks!

So, would you recommend getting the engine to operating temp in the garage, letting it cool, and then torque to 110 right after that? Or should I be going for a short drive?

 

[84Ttop]

Run time in the garage is sufficient. I usually run mine up to operating temp, cool it down and retorque without leaving the lift

 

[RacEoHolic330]

I can just imagine the conversation with my girlfriend.

Her: I heard the car running in the garage. I guess everything is working now?
Me: Yup. Runs great. I'll be in the garage for the next 3 hours taking things apart and putting them back together.
Her: Why? The car is running fine, isn't it?
Me: Yes, but I'm a masochistic son of a b*tch and I hate myself.

 

[84Ttop]

Conversation with my girlfriend:

Her: Was that the car running in the garage?
Me: Yep
Her: Does this mean we can go out to dinner since the car is finally done?
Me: Nope, maybe next week after we destroy the car at the track this weekend
Her: Why would you destroy it at the track? It finally looks pretty again
Me: Because enough is never enough, I enjoy torturing myself and my wallet, I'll never learn... Dinner is on you next week by the way I'm tapped out

 

[RacEoHolic330]

Hahah. The struggle is real.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Huh, My conversation usually goes like:

Her: What was all that noise you were making in the garage?
Me: The freakin' head gasket leaks.
Her: That's not what was making all the noise, You were.
Me: That's BECAUSE the freakin' head gasket leaks!
Her: How you consider this "fun" is beyond me.
Me: This is all part of the "game"
Her: Well get your game playin ass into the bathroom, and take a shower, I'm hungry.

 

[RacEoHolic330]

Calm down Mike and go have a nice dinner with your wife.

 

[squeak93]

I feel all of you guys have been listening in on conversations I have with my wife after a less than desirable result comes out of the garage.

 

[84Ttop]

The girlfriend proposed a new Facebook group last night for "Women of Car Guys". I can only imagine the round table discussion that they would have if they all were to get together...

Sorry for derailing your thread Scott

 

[RacEoHolic330]

Hah! It better be a closed group. I can only imagine the conversations going on in there.

 

[A5literMan]

The girlfriend proposed a new Facebook group last night for "Women of Car Guys". I can only imagine the round table discussion that they would have if they all were to get together...

Sorry for derailing your thread Scott

In my experience it would just be another place they would get together to talk about wine and laugh at us.

 

[Noobz347]

Wait, I wanna play:

Me: I need to roll it out, pump the fuel out of the tank and put new fuel in it.
Her: rolleyes
Me: Sure would be great to pickup control arms and shocks this year.
Her: rolleyes
Me: Godamn it's nice outside. Need to get the Mustang put back together and go ride!
Her: Honey do list starts here/


































/honey do list ends/
rolleyes

 

[FoxMustangLvr]

Me too, me too!

me: I need just a few more parts to get the Mustang running, can't wait!
her: How long have you had that thing and it still doesn't run?
me: It should be this month If I can just find time to work on it
her: shouldn't you be finishing the tile trim in the bathroom?
me: I'll do that this summer
her: I'd rather you remove those bushes and shrubs and put grass there
me: Just ordered parts, no money for anything else until my next paycheck
her: how much money do you spend on that dang thing?!
me: less that I spend on the kids, more than I spend on you
her:

This conversation repeats like Bill Murray in Ground Hogs Day.

 

[mikestang63]

Me: Here; Take the credit card
Her:Thanks

Wait, there's supposed to be more?

 

[LarsD]

I busted my ass and paid our house off eleven years early. Wife doesn't give me any trouble about money.

 

[stangboy]

Wait, I wanna play:

Me: I need to roll it out, pump the fuel out of the tank and put new fuel in it.
Her: rolleyes
Me: Sure would be great to pickup control arms and shocks this year.
Her: rolleyes
Me: Godamn it's nice outside. Need to get the Mustang put back together and go ride!
Her: Honey do list starts here/


































/honey do list ends/
rolleyes

This is pretty much how it goes with my wife too. lol

 

[Prime Lord]

Ahh....the struggle of the non-functioning Mustang owner.

This is all real life though.

My wife has stopped asking questions. Probably in my best interest because I doubt she would like the answers. I was out in the garage a few weeks back, and she came out and asked what I was doing and I just stared at her w/ greasy gloves and black soot all over my arms not saying a word. She responded with "Whatever, just let me know when this thing can take us to dinner."

 

[LarsD]

"Whatever, just let me know when this thing can take us to dinner."

lol

 

[89oem]

Took the wife by to see the car at the body shop, showed her the painted fenders, hood etc, showed her the coyote in the engine bay and get, that looks nice

She sees the SC wheels I got and says.... Those wheels look great, now I know why you did it..... girls

Then later I hear her telling my daughter how cool everything looks and she cant wait to go for a ride and I feel like I'm the guy in the chair