yeah this is a little off topic but i was looking at the car the other day and realized how pointless the fake rear brake vents are. so i decided to get rid of them. how do ya'll think it looks?

 

Not bad, how'd you patch up the holes?

 

used some sheet metal i had around the shop. cut some of the metal behind the vents and made some relief cuts so i could bend it closer to the surface for a better weld.

relief cuts.


patch panel

 

well my goddamn adapter plates keep leaking no matter what i do to seal them up, so i'm gonna let the car sit for a while and save up for the Harball'r. Is it a direct swap or do i need to modify anything to make it work? i'm strapped for $

anyone wanna buy a Nikon D40? lol

 

Where are they leaking from?

 

havent looked super close but i drove from SD to knotts berry farm (90mi or so each way) on sunday and when i got home 1/2 my coolant res was empty. I dont have white smoke in the tailpipes, and there was some coolant puddling in the valley. I am gonna investigate more this weekend, im swamped with school and work during the week. I was also told it might be the heater core?? i have no idea what that is lol

 

Looks good. I never liked the vents on that body style.

 

No, not the heater core, otherwise you would have coolant inside the car. If you get a chance, you a flashlight and look in the valley....You should be able to get a general idea where the leak is. I tend to use a little rtv to when doing the intake areas, as I do not fully trust the gaskets.

 

Your adapter plates may not be completely flat. You can always take them to a machine shop for them to ba made truly flat. That would help a lot in getting them to seal properly. They would probably only have to take a light cut across the faces to true them up. That would cost you a whole lot less than waiting for the HPS and letting the car sit. But ultimately you will want to get the HPS eventually anyway... it makes a world of difference.

 

WHAOOO!!!! Got mail from Summit today! DAMN! That was fast...ordered the parts Monday :O So I might be able to start the car Saturday if I am lucky!

 

BTW...Anyone recommend a good tuner with experience tuning for this motor swap? Using a XCal2.

 

Dont like the sound of that considering I plan on runnin adapter plates!

Btw, what are you guys running for oil pans? Just the 4.6 one or what?

 

Ya. Stock 4.6 pan...

 

Are you having issues with the 5.4 crank hitting the bottom of the pan or no?

 

I'll have to make you order it and tell me what the fitting sizes are.

It'll swap right in. You'll need to hit Lowes for a couple brass fittings but they're like a dollar each. Your stock fuel rails should be able to stretch between the sides. If not, you can always cut the crossover hoses and use a couple brass barb-barb fittings and hose clamps to get the thing up on the cheap.

You didn't put the RTV on the little hole well enough. It's almost certainly leaking from there. I had problems with coolant leaks with plates too. Worse yet, with reichard plates. They're a band-aid. Not a solution. I begged HPS for the intkae for a reason. It's really inexpensive and should probably make a big difference on the dyno with tuning.

Rick at amazon racing. Does great tunes for 5.4 stangs.

stock 4.6 pan. Beat the 2 baffles in front down a little to clear the crank throw.

I would seriously reconsider your plans on adapter plates.

see above.

 

I am seriously reconsidering. LOL. I really dont want to run the risk, plus the extra HP. Good thing I havent ordered the plates yet. Maybe I can get my money back out of the PI intake. I have 24lb injectors on the way though. Will I need anything special for the hardballer intake?

 

Red, you got a email addy for him? How much does he usually charge?

 

Hi im new to this forum and instead of reading all 224 pages in this thread i have a question about the 5.4 swap... My brother just rolled his 99 expidtion with a 5.4 modualr motor i have a 97 dohc cobra now if i take just the block and swap my heads intake and fuel rails how hard would this swap be?

 

You sure its the plates and not the o-rings where the metal coolant tube slides on under the alternator? My low mile '05 3v has a little weep there, gonna re-o-ring and put a bunch of vaseline on the fitting to help it seal before I put the motor in....

 

i'll check that but i replaced had a brand new bare block so everything is new.

 

okay r3d, ive got this FPR on its way to me. it doesnt say what size fittings fit on the site. lhttp://www.americanmuscle.com/kirban...tor-94-98.html

 

Nice work on the brake ducts, it'll look alot cleaner without em, might have to borrow the idea

I hate to break it to you but thats to replace the stock regulator that mounts on the stock rail. So when you use aftermarket rails... you'll need a universal type regulator for fuel injection (not the low pressure ones for carbs) theres a bunch to chose from on summit. I was kinda thinkin about this one
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

I'll probably get a fuel rail setup too if those headers dont drop soon.

 

Well I dont know what you used for the heater tube but my 4.6 had a hose/clamp on that but the 5.4 had the O-rings and the tube just bolted in place. So mixing and matching, I would think, could result in a leak.

 

Thanks, I really like how it looks without them too. its really clean and slick.
by all means steal the idea, fine with me. Fuel situation.. if you click the links r3d had previously posted (see above) its the same kind that bolts to the fuel rails as well. so i just kinda went with that. to be honest, my knowledge is very poor on the fuel system. so im not sure exactly, just pretty much buying what im told i'll need. it says adjustable from 30-100 psi, not sure if thats the range we'll be running or what.

 

Well take a look at the second FPR he posted, its more along the lines of what you'll need.

 

got my hood on.......

hide the beast within......

 

well crap. wonder if there is any way to make the other work.

man that looks sharp!!

 

hey welcome. i have a 96 cobra and am doing the same swap right now its not too difficult. you need to have your intake widened. mmr does it for $700, mines there right now. Its a straight forward swap. Im only 19 and doing it on my own pretty much.

things you will need however to make it work
navi timing cover
5.4 primary chains
reuse your 4.6 oil pan and beat down the baffles in front
you will also need to cut and widen your coolant crossover tube. you could probably get by with cutting it and using a piece of hose inbetween.
and modify your h-pipe to make it fit.
everything else just transfers on. they are the same block, the 5.4 just has a taller deck height to accomodate for the longer stroke.

if you need anything just ask. the guys on here know their stuff. keep me updated on your progress ill do the same

 

hrm i might not know what your talking about then. pics?

 

hey check this out. someone that has already finished the swap with a cobra topend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtqWda14STc