2010 Ford Mustang GT Bolt-Ons - Three On Three

There is a stud-bolt at 1 o'clock on the alternator ear that needs to be changed to a conventional bolt. The stud won't quite clear the new larger water-pump pulley.

With no bolt holes in its face, the S197 harmonic damper requires a puller that grasps around the inner ring. Commonly called a cone or Chrysler-type puller, this three-finger unit makes quick work of dragging the damper off the cranksnout.

Following Steeda's directions, Ricardo uses antiseize on the harmonic damper's bore to aid installation. Avoid galling the crankshaft during damper installation as the repair is no fun at all.

Completely new for 2010, the Mustang GT airbox is similar to the previous designs but differs in detail. Ford moved the power-steering-pump reservoir from the radiator to the engine to allow a more gentle curve, plus fitting the sound tube from the inlet to the cockpit. The approximately 1-inch-diameter Induction Sound Tube is clearly visible here.

Flip the stock '10 airbox lid upside down and Ford's attention to detail is clearly visible in the radiusing of the air exit. The matte-gray area on the bottom of the lid is the infamous hydrocarbon trap. It looks like a simple piece of paper.

Similarly, antiseize on the washer under the harmonic-damper bolt avoids galling and reduces installation effort. Steeda supplies a longer starter bolt to get the damper started.

Besides the main airbox, the stock intake system uses a short snorkel. It takes a bit of fiddling to get it unfastened and pulled free, but it's no big deal.

As always, the C&L mass air housing reuses the stock Ford electronics. Swapping the meter element from the Ford housing to the C&L is a simple two-screw job.

C&L's cold-air intake supports the Induction Sound Tube. Hooking the IST up is a quick screwdriver job.

Tuning with the Diablo Predator is quick and intuitive. Downloading pre-packaged tunes from C&L requires just a couple pushes of the button. The Predator also allows limited custom tuning with either richer or leaner mixtures, plus adding or subtracting ignition timing. Some datalogging is also available, so it can come in pretty handy. As you can see in our dyno numbers, we tried the tune by itself and with the new C&L inlet hardware.

Shown here on the dyno with a few extra wires hooked up, our bolt-on '10 is looking sharp. The C&L is the only visible bolt-on save for the Steeda exhaust tips, and with the Induction Sound Tube intact, it looks pro. The open-element air filter lets out satisfying amounts of induction noise on its own, and should provide ample airflow for future modifications.