Here are the key areas on...
Here are the key areas on the manifold that required grinding to correct our isolated problem. In the event you encounter the same issue, note that excessive gouging is not necessary. While there is ample material on the intake, all it takes is a small amount of cleanup in the shiny areas. The bigger deal is making sure the distributor bore and any other openings in the engine are fully sealed with several layers of tape.
Similarly, the base of the...
Similarly, the base of the distributor housing only needs a small amount of massaging to totally fix the clearance problem. Again, use generous amounts of tape to protect the part from flying metal shavings.
T-top coupe's 700-plus lb-ft...
T-top coupe's 700-plus lb-ft of torque is managed by Precision Industries' Stallion torque converter with a 3,500 stall. We returned the unit to Precision for inspection (it checked out fine) and relining. A quart of TCI's Max Shift II synthetic transmission fluid is added to the converter before it is installed on the transmission.
Sean "The Torch" Maciel (right)...
Sean "The Torch" Maciel (right) and Saul "The Surgeon" Gutierrez remove the Cervini's cowl hood from Project T-top Coupe. We don't know if this is the end yet for the 2.5-inch cowl, but one thing's for sure--something has to be done in order to fully cover the new engine's intercooler setup.
Have you ever known that something really isn’t going to work the way you want it to, but still hold on to a small hope that some way, somehow, a fix will arise at the 11th hour to make the impossible a doable deal?
That was the position we found ourselves in both before and after installing the new Paxton-blown/Mondo-intercooled engine in our project Pony. Sure, we knew that the ’cooler would raise the engine’s overall height considerably. But despite this knowledge, our intent is to try and maintain some semblance of the clean look that the T-top ’Stang had with its Cervini’s 2.5-inch cowl hood.
All roads currently point toward us turning Chris Kephart loose with the fiberglass cutter and letting him modify the Cervini’s piece in as clean a manner as possible for the necessary clearance (see Option A photo). However, at the risk of making our street Mustang appear more racy, we’re also flirting with the idea of bolting on Team Z Motorsports’ all-new 6-inch cowl hood for pre-’87 Fox bodies (see Option B).
Yes, we knew going in that this was going to be a problem. While we’ll certainly get it resolved at some point, we welcome you to dial up our website, www.50mustangandsuperfords.com, and use the message board to give us your thoughts on which way we should go to address this issue.
Even with a 3/4-inch engine...
Even with a 3/4-inch engine drop, the Vortech Mondo (Igloo) intercooler stands approximately 6 inches above the hood ledge on the coupe's fenders.
Let's call this hood-mod possibility...
Let's call this hood-mod possibility Option A. We've got our friend Chris Kephart on standby for making a similar (but much cleaner) opening in the Mustang's existing hood.
Option B for solving our hood...
Option B for solving our hood dilemma is to use a 6-inch cowl hood, like this new piece from Team Z Motorsports.