Ricardo and Chris loosen the bolts and dislodge only the upper intake manifold. The lower plenum remains in place, but fuel injectors can also be taken out at this time, as HP-provided 42-pounders will be installed when everything comes together. The intake is removed with the Jamex strut-tower brace still intact. HP Performance prefers that this piece be ditched prior to installing the Fox system. Ricardo's brace was reluctant, so improvisation was necessary.
The engine must undergo a partial disassembly with most of its top pieces coming off in order to accommodate the new turbo components. After removing the stock clutch fan and shroud, the fan bolts are used to resecure the water-pump pulley.
Did we mention that HP's turbo kit doesn't affect any of a Mustang's factory accessories except the clutch fan? There's no sacrificing cold A/C for the sake of having turbo power. Jimmy bends the stock A/C hard line slightly. The turbo-charger assembly sits in the front-most corner of the engine compartment's passenger side. The hard line is tweaked just enough to allow the necessary clearance without compromising its factory appearance. A/C lines can remain connected during this installation process because there's no need to discharge the system.
If oil is the lifeblood of a turbo system, exhaust is its lifegas. Our test 'Stang's X-shape crossover and short-tube headers are taken out and discarded. The all-inclusive turbo system provides more-than-suitable replacements in its 131/44-inch headers with 3-inch collectors, a 3.5-inch down-pipe, and the new 3-inch, Y-shaped tube that mates cleanly with most after-catalytic muffler systems.
In turbocharger parlance, the "hot side" refers to all the exhaust-related portions of a turbo system-headers, crossover, and down-pipe. HP's mild steel headers and tubing carries a limited lifetime warranty and the ceramic coating is protected for three years. The company prefers to use mild steel for high-heat applications such as this. Steel can withstand thousands of heat cycles and is much less susceptible to cracking than stainless steel.
New 42-lb/hr fuel injectors are provided and will feed a more-than-sufficient amount of fuel to the 5.0 in Ricardo's GT.