Tech Tips

1. Air Injection: After I installed my '93 intake/TB combo, I had a slight pop/backfire out of the right exhaust pipe on deceleration. It was really apparent and annoying when revving the car in neutral. After some research, I figured out that it was the Smog pump forcing air into the exhaust making it backfire. Since I have an offroad H-pipe, there aren't any cats but I still have all of the other Smog equipment in its stock location, and functioning as such. To fix my problem, I removed the vacuum line that went to the Air diverter valve right after the Smog pump and plugged it. The diverter valve's purpose is to either send the smog air to the cat/heads, or into the atmosphere. With this new modification, the smog air is always being pumped into the atmosphere through the valve. My idle and throttle response has never been better. There are no backfires or pops. I now get a perfect rev when snapping the throttle. The car runs great when cold now too (it used to pop really bad).
2. Gutted Smog Pump: On 86-93 NA Mustangs you can just remove the Smog pump and get a shorter belt. But with a Powerdyne installed, you need the pump there for proper belt routing. A cheap way around a Smog pump eliminator pulley is to guts the stock smog pump. The pump itself is pretty easy to take apart (3 bolts in the back). Inside the pump is two offset graphite fins that ride on a double hump cam. Each revolution of the pump causes these fins to push the air out the outlet. Because of the end bearing in the housing you cannot remove these without a puller, so I just broke each one in half and pulled them out. Now my pump does not pump, it just spins the pulley and the small internal cam. (I have since removed all pollution valves and hoses).
3. 87-93(-95) E7 5.0 Mustang heads do not fit on an 86 block with stock flat-top pistons. At least not on my engine. As far as I know I have a stock cam and stock long block for that matter. I checked PV clearance with 92 E7 heads and came up with INT .000" and EXT .025". You should have around .100" on both to be safe. I checked the stock E6 heads and came up with around .150" on both. I'll be Flycutting my pistons soon (see NEWS).
4. Rebuild Traction Lok: If you have a one wheel peel I would suggest rebuilding the traction lock on any Mustang. I drove mine with a very bad one wheel peel for years. This really hurt me at the track. I could only do an idle street launch and best I received was a 13.8. I rebuilt the traction lock and now I launch a strong 500 rpms higher and best as of 5/25/00 is a 13.3 with a 2.10 60' time on bald Kelly Aquatreds. I rebuilt mine in the CPCPCPC pattern VS the stock CPPCPPC. I also shimmed it TIGHT. Basically it's locked. It does give a bit on pavement, but perfect for the track, no noise and I did it using two totally burnt up TLs. I've very satisfied with the results.