Black Jack: The show must go on... Installing the TMOSS GT40 Lower
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85GTStangGuy
Advanced Member
Truthfully, I wasn't sure myself, so I put in the effort and did some research.
Turns out they're measured in fractals (who knew?) using the altezznicity scale.... which is, of course, based on the ancient Roman god of bad light, Altezzius. There you go.... now we're all a little smarter.
- Jul 12, 2017
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Nice. I run a pretty large collision repair shop and USAA is one of our biggest partners. They shouldnt jack around with you.
That's a Steeda wing on there right??
www.steeda.com
Steeda Mustang Rear Aero Spoiler (1979-1993)
Steeda's trademark rear spoiler is the best blend of functional aerodynamics and distinctive styling. This unique spoiler extends the rear airfoil by several inches to trap high pressure air over the rear decklid, increasing stability and control.
www.steeda.com
85GTStangGuy
Advanced Member
For some reason, I thought he had a Saleen wing on it.... I could easily be confusing it with someone else's ride though. I am not very knowledgeable about aero Fox wings and spoilers though.
Also, I consider the Steeda to be a spoiler (no opening under it.... is continuous with the hatchback surface) vs a wing (with an opening under it). I know a lot of people probably use the terms interchangeably, but that may just be the inner engineer in me coming out.
Was a saleen. Hate the whale tail. Found a GT spoiler locally. Rattle canned it with a buddy's help and slapped it on there.
That Steeda wing is cool, better than a Saleen IMO, but the Cobra is my favorite on a hatch.
Although, I'd really hoped to get a dyno or test n tune run to gauge what I might have picked up from the pullies & E-fan and a baseline before the ported GT40 lower, the accident on Wednesday threw a wrench into that plan. But, the show must go on. So, here's how my weekend is shaping up, so far:
I hope to have the lower back on, tonight so I can let the silicone set. I hope the alignment is good. Gotta select the gaskets (1250 or 1250 S3 on the shelf) & trim them, set the intake up and check alignment with the bore scope, and then torque it down tonight. Will do the rest tomorrow.
I'm bothered by the amount of oil I see in the intake and some buildup on the backs of the valves. I need to rethink the PCV system. I've seen a design that apparently allows oil to drain back into the lower that I might copy, but for now, it's going back together, as is. Makes me wonder is this is what's killing O2 sensors. Before I go to the next combo, which I anticipate by the end of the year, I will address this issue.
Cooling system is fine:
Yesterday, in 90* weather, the engine temps were better at idle than they ever were with the stock fan and pullies. So, unless something goes wrong in even hotter weather, it looks like the U/D pullies will stay.
Note for my own future reference: the belt size with the U/Ds is 82.4".
I hope to have the lower back on, tonight so I can let the silicone set. I hope the alignment is good. Gotta select the gaskets (1250 or 1250 S3 on the shelf) & trim them, set the intake up and check alignment with the bore scope, and then torque it down tonight. Will do the rest tomorrow.
I'm bothered by the amount of oil I see in the intake and some buildup on the backs of the valves. I need to rethink the PCV system. I've seen a design that apparently allows oil to drain back into the lower that I might copy, but for now, it's going back together, as is. Makes me wonder is this is what's killing O2 sensors. Before I go to the next combo, which I anticipate by the end of the year, I will address this issue.
Cooling system is fine:
Yesterday, in 90* weather, the engine temps were better at idle than they ever were with the stock fan and pullies. So, unless something goes wrong in even hotter weather, it looks like the U/D pullies will stay.
Note for my own future reference: the belt size with the U/Ds is 82.4".
Somebody on this forum was looking for a set of these a couple/few weeks ago. He wanted a set pretty bad. I gladly broke the news to him that nobody made them anymore. Might be a new home for those.The good news is that I have spare tail lights:
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Fox - Help finding these taillights
I seen these taillights on a photo and i really like them but i can’t find them anywhere. Does anyone know what they are and where i could find them?
stangnet.com
I got where I wanted to be for the night. It's too pretty for Black Jack's engine bay. Maybe I should take it back out!!! 
Took a little longer than I wanted, but I stopped to talk to TMOSS. Got to play with my new toy that I specifically got for this project. I wanted to see inside of the ports in order to align from top to bottom & had a .060 gasket (1250), and a .065 gasket (1250S3) on hand to adjust as needed.
Here's what I saw after the final torque down:
I thought top to bottom port alignment looked pretty good, and decided to stick with the standard Felpro-1250. But, left to right wasn't perfect. After talking to TMOSS, I think what's going on here is that the GT40X heads have ports that aren't spot on with a 1250 gasket, whereas the intake is pretty much perfect. The interesting thing to me, anal retentive as I am, is that even tweaking the intake forward or backwards in the bolt holes a bit can't improve from here, as the offset is the opposite direction on each side.
For what it's worth, I threw on my original intake back on to look at the alignment, which I still have because I bought one from the marketplace that Matt (TMOSS's son) ported. The original intake has no offset from the heads, but on the other hand, I'm positive that's because the ports on the original unported intake are smaller than the gasket & GT40X head. So, I slapped it together and will run it. Looking forward to testing it out.
All the silicone, including the T-stat housing is on and setting overnight. I'm ready for bed, and am looking forward to finishing up, tomorrow.
Took a little longer than I wanted, but I stopped to talk to TMOSS. Got to play with my new toy that I specifically got for this project. I wanted to see inside of the ports in order to align from top to bottom & had a .060 gasket (1250), and a .065 gasket (1250S3) on hand to adjust as needed.
Here's what I saw after the final torque down:
I thought top to bottom port alignment looked pretty good, and decided to stick with the standard Felpro-1250. But, left to right wasn't perfect. After talking to TMOSS, I think what's going on here is that the GT40X heads have ports that aren't spot on with a 1250 gasket, whereas the intake is pretty much perfect. The interesting thing to me, anal retentive as I am, is that even tweaking the intake forward or backwards in the bolt holes a bit can't improve from here, as the offset is the opposite direction on each side.
For what it's worth, I threw on my original intake back on to look at the alignment, which I still have because I bought one from the marketplace that Matt (TMOSS's son) ported. The original intake has no offset from the heads, but on the other hand, I'm positive that's because the ports on the original unported intake are smaller than the gasket & GT40X head. So, I slapped it together and will run it. Looking forward to testing it out.
All the silicone, including the T-stat housing is on and setting overnight. I'm ready for bed, and am looking forward to finishing up, tomorrow.
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WhiteCobra95
Mod Dude
- May 2, 2006
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I can't wait to hear your feedback on the intake swap. Hopefully it's a really noticeable seat-of-the-pants bump in torque throughout the rpm range.
Jims machine shop had this guy on to help them with some headwork.... This video shows and talks about porting intakes...
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0cTnPNEt6E&pp=ygURamltcyBtYWNoaW5lIHNob3A%3D
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0cTnPNEt6E&pp=ygURamltcyBtYWNoaW5lIHNob3A%3D
Nice video. I'd screw that up. Yeah, that lays out what I suspected. It's probably not unlocking all the potential with the "step" misalignment to the head, but I'll bet it still picks up decently over the stocker.
On the next combo, I already had Matt port the intake. If it is also not aligned, I think there's actually someone around here who can clean up the port match a little better, and can actually do the head to intake alignment together, as opposed to just the intake. I'm going to look to build that motor on a stand over time and so I won't be trying to put the car back together in a weekend. That said, I have a feelin that the 11R 170s are going to better match the gasket than the X heads do.
On the next combo, I already had Matt port the intake. If it is also not aligned, I think there's actually someone around here who can clean up the port match a little better, and can actually do the head to intake alignment together, as opposed to just the intake. I'm going to look to build that motor on a stand over time and so I won't be trying to put the car back together in a weekend. That said, I have a feelin that the 11R 170s are going to better match the gasket than the X heads do.
Here is the video before the one above about Trick Flow heads...
The first five minutes is at TF and their manufacturing process, but the remainder is the same guy showing how he does things... Way beyond what I want in an engine, but I found it pretty interesting and to me it looks like a lot of the " basics " are covered even though these are mopar heads..
If I was anywhere near Jims, that is where I would take my machine work...
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXcCbH-8rwg&pp=ygUXamltcyBtYWNoaW5lIHNob3AgaGVhZHM%3D
The first five minutes is at TF and their manufacturing process, but the remainder is the same guy showing how he does things... Way beyond what I want in an engine, but I found it pretty interesting and to me it looks like a lot of the " basics " are covered even though these are mopar heads..
If I was anywhere near Jims, that is where I would take my machine work...
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXcCbH-8rwg&pp=ygUXamltcyBtYWNoaW5lIHNob3AgaGVhZHM%3D
It's just a box that someone sold me some LX tails in. I would never have purchased the 'Euros'.Somebody on this forum was looking for a set of these a couple/few weeks ago. He wanted a set pretty bad. I gladly broke the news to him that nobody made them anymore. Might be a new home for those.
I figured you had 'obtained' them as part of some other trade. It's happened to me.
It's all back together again. Another change is that I removed the 1" phenolic spacer. I'll bet it was added because the vacuum port on the bottom of the upper manifold was hitting a couple injectors until I oriented them just right.
The test drive gave me a scare, because temps went from normal to pegging out the gauge the next time I looked. Pretty sure it was an air pocket. I should know better than to drive before burping the system, but I guess I was excited. When I got it home, I idled it and got the T-stat to open, and added about 1/2 - 1 gallon. Now, it's driving great.
I honestly can't say I feel a difference. Maybe it's hanging on a bit longer at the top end. But, I really wouldn't expect to feel 10-20 hp. We'll find out at the track or dyno. Hopefully, I can avoid another collision and make it to the test n tune on Wednesday.
Ps. Oil change @ 65,700 miles on the odometer.
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I did make one mistake. I forgot to plug the EGR crossover ports at the lower intake. Since my EGR is blocked off, I hope it will be fine without the plugs. I reckon the intake will get hotter under normal conditions, but there's likely not going to be a noticeable impact. Please tell me if you feel strongly otherwise. I don't relish the idea of going back through this again soon, but I'd do it if it were a necessity.
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