All we can say is, it's about time. Even though Editor Turner is theonly 5.0&SF staff member with a mod-motor Mustang (we won't countJohnson's Roadkill project until the Cobra engine is in the car), it hasalways been frustrating for us to tell modular owners all they can do isbolt on a blower, slap on some CNC-ported PI heads with cams, or build a5.0 modular stroker to make power. While there's nothing wrong withthese actions, there's probably a fair share of our readership workingpaycheck to paycheck--like us--or living at home with their mom and dad.For modular owners who fall into these categories, the $139 Trick Flow4.6 Upper Intake Elbow is perfect.
Made from cast aluminum and machined to accept all stock sensors andhardware, the Trick Flow elbow is probably one of the easiest upgradesfor a modular engine. The part actually makes power and will help withfuture upgrades as well. Simply remove a few hoses and wiringconnections, remove four bolts to yank the stocker off, bolt down theTrick Flow elbow, swap over the sensors and throttle body, and you'redone. You don't even have to pull the inlet hose off the throttle bodyif you don't want to!
As we said, it's about time, and we look forward to more power-makingbudget parts for the 4.6 owners out there. Bring it on!
The Trick Flow 4.6 upper intake elbow comes out of the box with a newthrottle-body gasket (not shown), a throttle-body support strap, andvarious hose fittings to hook up the stock emission lines. The TrickFlow elbow accepts all your Mustang's stock hardware--the EGR, the IAC,the throttle-cable bracket, and so on--for an easy installation. |
The throttle body inlet on the Trick Flow elbow is generously sized at75mm to accept stock or aftermarket throttle bodies. The elbow's airflowpath is clean, and we couldn't find any evidence of casting flash oraluminum chips from the CNC thread-tapping operations--overall a qualityproduct. |
The casting's parting line is ground down for a nicer look on theoutside. The elbow is available in natural aluminum (shown here), andsilver or black powdercoat options. |
Depending upon the year of your Mustang, the PCV hose can be one of twosizes. Trick Flow has you covered by supplying both fittings, so there'sno need to double-check part numbers or hunt down the different fitting.Now that's thinking things through. |
Testing guru Rick Anderson at Anderson Ford Motorsport [(888) 715-6487;www.andersonfordmotorsport. com] had a Trick Flow elbow shipped to him,and he shared his results with us. Normally, we don't have room for dynonumbers in Tech Inspection, but we dropped a picture or two so we couldshare Rick's results with you. These numbers come from his newesttestbed, his black '00 GT. The Trick Flow elbow provided peak gains of7.3 hp and 2.6 lb-ft of torque. Click the picture above for spec numbers. |