1993 Cobra Intake Swap on 1989 LX

[nikkodnp]

Hey SVTP,

I am about to do a 93' Cobra swap and I already have all these parts

Upper/Lower Cobra Intake
70mm BBK T/B
(TB, EGR, Thermostat, Valve Cover, Plenum, Fuel Injector O-Rings and PCV Grommet) Gaskets
PCV Filter
Intake Filter
Thermostat
Silicone Radiator Hoses
Chiltons Manual

The weird thing is that the manual has the torque specs but not the tool sizes.

My question is:
Do i need anything else for this install?
What size tools will I need for this install?

Thanks!
I'll keep this thread updated once i start this week.

 

[DMassey]

This swap is a piece of cake. It's been years since I've done it so I can't remember the bolt size, but it would be included in any run of the mill socket set. Make sure you have stuff to get the surfaces clean.

 

[nikkodnp]

All finished up!
All we tweaked was the bolts on the cobra upper for the TB as they werent the same size as the stock bolt threads.
In all as a first time engine project took 2 days and approx 13 man hours -- mostly because of surface cleaning and radiator hose swap.
Have yet to drive it but we tuned it to 13 degrees
Will post up pictures in a bit..

Anyone know a good site to convert to URL format?

 

[WHITESTRIPES]

The most important thing when doing an intake swap is the retorque on the lower. Especially if you have iron heads. Take your time with the retorque you don't want to do the job all over

 

[mustangmanjeff]

what else is done to the car? the intake is a nice mod. but you wont see much of a diffrence until u touch the heads, the heads are the biggest restriction on these cars stock. you have other basic bolt ons? post mod list etc. what your future plans/ mods? post some pics! sure it will feel more peppy

 

[nikkodnp]

So far I have had the intake on for about a week now,
I switched the throttle body to a 70mm BBK with new seals all around for the job.

Once i start the car and it warms up to operating temp, i can hear a whistle coming from somewhere on the block.
Not sure whether its a leaking hose line, PCV valve/grommet not being seated correctly, TB IAC, or if its the lower not torqued correctly as stated above. My brother is a mechanic and he used a portable impact to tighten the lower bolts and went over it multiple times. We used black silicone instead of rubber because it was suggested by someone who had already done the job.

The car feels quicker and definitely a bit louder after the swap and tune, although i feel as though i am not getting the full potential I want. Also it feels like i lost a little bit of low end torque and traded it for torque-ier feel above 2500.

Any comments?

I was thinking of either redoing the job, but will i need to purchase new gaskets again as they have already been compressed?
OR
I wait until i upgrade heads, which i'll probably have a shop to reinstall everything again. Price quotes?

 

[nikkodnp]

After doing some research i have found that BBK TB's are quite notorious for making whistling noises after going from stock.
One method is to dremel off the sharp edges on where the IAC is to remove the "turbulence". I will keep you all updated once i get time this weekend.
Hopefully this will solve the problem.

This is from BBK tech support Q&A:

Q. Why does my throttle body whistle? What can I do?

(part numbers affected include: 1501, 1503, 1514, 1517, 3501, 3502, 3503, 1534, 1536, 1537, 1539, 1540, 1542, 1543, 1544, 1522, 1523, 1524, 1715, 1700, 1701, 1703,1580, 1705, 1711, 17110, 1755, 1708, 1709, 1710, 1721, 1756, 1757, 1546, 1547, 1752, 1753, 1751, 1754, 1548, 1552, 1652, 1723, 1716)


A. Turbulence in the airflow stream can create a whistle. This can be created by sharp edges in the air intake system, most notably when a larger throttle body is used on a stock intake that has not been 'Port Matched.' The air along the outer edges of the air intake system and throttle body hits the "wall" of the smaller intake manifold, creating turbulence that can cause a noticeable whistle. Other trouble areas can be the small vacuum ports and the IAC (Idle Air Control) valve port which may empty into the main bore of the throttle body. If these edges are square enough at the entry point of the bore, it can create turbulence, and the air will whistle passed it (similar to blowing over the top of an empty cola bottle just right to get it to whistle).
BBK offers a 1 year manufacturers warranty against any defects in materials or workmanship. If you feel that the ports of your throttle body are creating a whistle, you can request an RGA number (Returned Goods Authorization number) and return it to us, at which time we will inspect your piece, and further hone as you may feel it to necessary. Alternatively, if you would rather keep possession of your throttle body, and you feel you are adept enough with simple hand tools, you may want to try and hone the ports yourself with fine grit sandpaper. Some customers are adept enough with a small drill or Dremel-type tool to lightly sand the edges down. Be aware though, that any irreparable damages done to the product on the customers behalf cannot be warranted by BBK. If you feel that you are not capable of the task or do not want to risk possible damage, BBK strongly urges you to send the part in under warranty. Be aware though, that further honing the throttle body will not cure any whistling issues if the problem actually lies elsewhere in the system, and if the added airflow of a larger-bore throttle body is only making the problem perceptible.

 

[DMassey]

just to give you another opinion... I believe you have it figured out. BBK throttle bodies are notorious for whistling.

 

[nikkodnp]

** UPDATE **
So ever since i installed my intake and noticed the torque feel in the higher RPM's i've been a little more rev happy now. ~ 2500+
Although this may have taken a toll on my heater core.. I've noticed fog on my right side windshield for some time after the swap but thought nothing of it. The other day after a drive i opened the hood and heard a hissing sound coming from the engine firewall under the heater core and saw coolant leaking out. This led my research to finding out that my heater core is most likely the culprit.

Word of advice, if you're going to get the power ban of the Cobra Intake after install, i recommend you also install a flow restrictor to add some insurance to your PITA heater core for a 20+ year old car.

My next step is to install a heater hose bypass for the heater core inlet and outlet tubes
http://www.autozone.com/cooling-heating-and-climate-control/hose-heater/dayco-hose-heater-/10284/ OR
http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/C.../Hose-Heater-62-x-75-/_/R-NBG10743_0117212520

 

[nikkodnp]

http://s1085.photobucket.com/user/nikkodnp/Cobra Intake Job/story

password: 123456

 

[nikkodnp]

Got the dremel out last weekend, everything's quiet and i can finally hear this baby purr

 

[nikkodnp]

NOTE**
There are timing marks on the harmonic balancer that you use to tune the engine by twisting the distributor.
There is ATDC and BTDC (after/before top dead center) be sure to set your timing BEFORE TDC
So the harmonic balancer is set up like this: ATDC -10 |||| 0 |||| 10 |||| 20 BTDC
(each " | " is 2*)