Once the heat exchanger and...
Once the heat exchanger and pump are in place, there is no more need to access the front of the car, so the bumper cap is reinstalled. If you're a belt-and-suspenders sort of guy, you might want to leave the bumper cap off until the end. This way any electrical or plumbing troubleshooting goes easily.
There was a bit of the dragster feel to the Bullitt thanks to its stone-stock suspension and standard brakes. Like all of the fairly massive positive-displacement superchargers, the Edelbrock added a bit of weight over the front axle. Thus, the Bullitt rears up under the big torque and settles down noticeably when you get off the power. The stock brakes aren't optimum for extended use with supercharger power either, but that's no mystery. We suggest upgraded brake pads, or better yet, larger front brakes to match a blower installation. A touch more spring rate would be good, too, but it's difficult to find a spring with a little more rate and no lowering.
Curiously, we noticed a distinct notch in the Bullitt's power delivery in Second gear. Up to 2,500 rpm the power was a hair flat, then it would switch on, charging powerfully up the tach. The pull in the other gears didn't have this notch in it, so it may be a Bullitt tuning issue or some other Ford artifact in the software. This is just the sort of thing that prototype and early production cars exhibit, so we'll bet it's gone by the time you read this. Edelbrock says none of its Mustang GT test cars have exhibited this notch.
All said, what a great street car. The combination of ample extra power delivered on demand is tough to beat.
 Back in the engine compartment,...  Back in the engine compartment, there is some work with the heater hoses. The lower hose on the firewall is replaced with an Edelbrock unit; furthermore, the lower hose is held captive by a bracket and tube assembly. This is removed from the car. As you can see, an extra set of hands helps access this crowded area. You may also notice the hood was removed from our subject car. This greatly aids access and isn't hard to do. |  A hacksaw or whiz wheel is...  A hacksaw or whiz wheel is used to cut the heater-hose bracket. This allows discarding some of the Ford assembly to accommodate the new Edelbrock hose routing. |  At the front of the engine...  At the front of the engine the only thing needing any work is the alternator. It's removed to change its pulley, and a new mounting bracket is installed. Here one of three bolts is being removed in preparation for installing the new alternator bracket. |
 Here's the new Edelbrock alternator...  Here's the new Edelbrock alternator bracket in place. It incorporates an idler pulley. |  Edelbrock uses the stock Ford...  Edelbrock uses the stock Ford tensioner, with a unique set of reinforcing plates. To fit the plates, a small bit of the tensioner casting must be sawn or ground off. Here the tiny block that was sawn off is visible on the rag. |  Here's the tensioner with...  Here's the tensioner with its new steel exoskeleton being installed. It's another place to print the Edelbrock script, it would seem. |
 When it came time to place...  When it came time to place the blower assembly, the Edelbrock techs called on the two biggest guys in the shop to do the heavy lifting. Two guys can handle this job, but three is better as there's always a hose or wire that needs pushed out of the way. The point is, you sure aren't going to lift this beast in place by yourself. |  Attention to detail makes...  Attention to detail makes the difference. As the supercharger is not dowel-pinned to the cylinder heads, there's a bit of allowable movement between the two. Peering down the fuel-injector holes and bumping the blower assembly for optimal alignment is a smart move. |  There are a few small bench...  There are a few small bench jobs in the E-Force install. Removing the stock fuel injectors and installing the Edelbrock squirters in the stock fuel rail is one of them. Once repopulated, the fuel rails can be dropped in place. There is a split in the middle of the upper manifold section that allows using the stock fuel-crossover hose. |
 Edelbrock reuses a spring...  Edelbrock reuses a spring and other small parts from the stock throttle body, so there is some bench work involved in partially disassembling the stock throttle body and finish-assembling the Edelbrock unit. |  Edelbrock uses a different...  Edelbrock uses a different alternator pulley, so the stock one--amazingly heavy--must be removed. This is done with this special splined tool, which is included in the kit. An air gun is a huge help in handling this hardware. |  Stock Ford airboxes are restrictive...  Stock Ford airboxes are restrictive to supercharged volumes of airflow. Some blower companies only replace them; Edelbrock has you cut out the bottom of the box, thus helping retain emission legality while gaining significant power. Edelbrock bought a brand-new Ford air filter box to use on the Bullitt shop car, as the Bullitt uses a cold-air kit that's incompatible with its supercharger. The actual cutting can be tough. A whiz wheel works fastest, but even it leaves a bit of hand work to do with a box cutter or even a chisel. Don't get carried away or you'll crack the airbox. |
 Once the alternator is reinstalled,...  Once the alternator is reinstalled, the throttle body can be fitted. It's a simple bolt-on affair. Of course, there are several small hose and wire fittings to attend to such as the injector wiring, the fuel supply line, manifold pressure sending unit, charge cooler hoses, and so on. Most are duck soup, but there are a few at the front left corner of the blower that'll have you wishing for long fingers in this crowded corner of the supercharger assembly. |  Before the alternator is reinstalled,...  Before the alternator is reinstalled, the new serpentine belt must be dropped into place. This is typical of the current crop of positive-displacement superchargers, as the reversed alternator covers up the belt access. |  The upper radiator hose is...  The upper radiator hose is reused, but it's shortened at one end to fit the slightly relocated water neck position. |
 Fitting the air intake plumbing...  Fitting the air intake plumbing is the usual mud-wrestling session. The big silicone hose is the final piece as it's flexible. |  Signature pieces of the E-Force...  Signature pieces of the E-Force are the coil covers. Commonly thought to be plastic, these two covers are cast-aluminum. Edelbrock does own its foundry, after all. You can run them or omit them as your taste dictates. They are purely cosmetic and attach with a total of four bolts. |  When filling the charge-cooling...  When filling the charge-cooling system, you need to use antifreeze for both freezing and corrosion protection. In warmer climates, a relatively light load of antifreeze is sufficient as water cools better than glycol. |