1990 Mustang First Start - AFR heads, TFS cam, RPM II intake

Matthew takes you through the first start on the freshly redone 5.0 in the 1990 Convertible. Engine upgrades include AFR 165 heads, a Trick Flow Stage 2 cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM II intake, long tubes, Flowmaster FlowFX exhaust, and a Western Motorsports big tube intake. Stay tuned for a followup video profiling the finished version of this car.
First Start videos on this channel show bone fide first ever startups and are not staged to appear easier or smoother than they really are. The idea is to give you some insight into the things that you should expect and be watching for when starting your own project for the first time.

[@KASLCustoms]

Well done Mathew - very satisfying to see/hear all that hard work pay off during the first fire 👏

[@tecmotiondyno]

Yeah, after a few little adjustments it settled down and ran great right away. And that is basically an EVERYTHING changed project!

[@kevinkillian2165]

Really appreciate you sharing this experience. I'm getting very close to this point with my Fox Body project after it having been apart for quite some time. Great to see the challenges after the parts are all back together and prior to startup. Much success to you!

[@tecmotiondyno]

Thanks for watching

[@markweber7275]

Slow & methodical with great explanations. Matthew enjoy your videos. Really helps us weekend mechanics👌👌👌

[@tecmotiondyno]

Thanks for watching and for your support!

[@bambamclips5318]

Love the convertibles. Good job

[@tecmotiondyno]

I had another 90 convertible on the Dyno just the other day - same color but the top was replaced with a black one. In a world where people are crazy for the coupes, it’s interesting to remember that the GT Convertible was the king of the Mustang world when the Foxbodies were contemporary!

[@24theMoney]

My car has the same "Viper" alarm, always goes off when the battery is reconnected. I usually stuff the siren with a rag to keep the neighbors happy.

[@tecmotiondyno]

These days they are more annoying than functional since most guys keep these cars inside!

[@cobramike13bravo63]

Beautiful Gt convertible and sounds great. That denim jacket is due an oil change.

[@tecmotiondyno]

My greasy jean jacket gets dirty again as soon as I wash it, but it does help keep some of the dirt off me and my shirt! Thanks for watching!

[@rbatts9163]

Great work Mathew ! She sounds 👌🏻😎😎

[@BrailsfordsRides]

I need to play with the timing of my car, she sounds great Sir

[@tecmotiondyno]

I have done these starts and been very close on the timing but for whatever reason I was way out on this one. Once I got decent base timing and got the throttle stop opened a little more, it ran pretty clean. I have footage with an owner interview, a good look at the finished car, Dyno, and Dyno comparison for the project that I will edit into a profile video that will be coming soon, so stay tuned for that.

[@jimmymccormick142]

Great video Ford powered forever baby sounds good and strong

[@tecmotiondyno]

This car worked out really well. Thanks for watching!

[@krisf5247]

Sounds great Mathew!👍🏻

[@tecmotiondyno]

Yeah, I really liked the FlowFX choice, especially for a ragtop. It is a classic sound but not as loud or insistent as the American Thunder system, and with the top down it will be a way better choice I think. Stay tuned for a coming video with a good walk-around look at the sound and some wide open on the Dyno!

[@MidwestCoupe]

how is this channel not blowing up??? Such great content. (I'm a bit bias i own a fox 😁)

[@tecmotiondyno]

Pass it around to your friends and help me get the word out! Thanks for watching!

[@coryman4245]

Nice Mark 7 back there. Looks like my 92 LSC

[@tecmotiondyno]

It’s a 90 LSC. Lots of work done to it. There’s a profile video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4Koq6mtmrF0ick

[@coryman4245]

@@tecmotiondyno very nice. You just don't see many Mark 7s around or at least I don't here in Tampa. I have a 351w and manual c4 and tube k member and a arms and various other goodies from my last mustang set aside for my 92 LSC. I need to replace window sweeps and door and trunk weather strip on the car. But I'm trying to wrap up a motor for my old f150 right now. Don't have the time or money to do them all at once 😆

[@gabrielvera5349]

Good stuff brother, thanks for the info 👊

[@tecmotiondyno]

Thanks for watching!

[@chasinlos415]

Was there any PTV clearance issues running AFR heads with the TF stage 2 cam? Is it still a stock bottom end? Did the pistons need to be fly cut? Good content keep up the good work!

[@tecmotiondyno]

The cam was installed straight up, 1011-2 head gaskets, stock bottom end. This video shows the P/V check I did on this setup: Foxbody Mustang Piston to Valve Clearance and Pushrod Length Checks kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHO3coWEr5tjjq8

[@mikelomond5372]

Great video! I’m in the process of starting my new build soon and you have highlighted some good things to check before start up, thanks! When you ran the fuel pump did you jump the fuel pump relay? Or did you jump it at the diagnostic port?

[@tecmotiondyno]

I have aftermarket wiring and a big pump in this car so I jumped it at the aftermarket relay to do a fuel system pressure check/leak check before final assembly.

[@poisnd1]

Static timing set at 13-14 degrees…that cam needs more advance on the crank than OEM.

[@tecmotiondyno]

All the timing is added in the software, which is the superior way to do it.

[@poisnd1]

I hear ya, A Static baseline and then adjust via software for that finite tune…that’s all I was saying.

[@BrailsfordsRides]

Very thorough👍, but your yellow letters are a little hard to read

[@tecmotiondyno]

I tried several colors and they were all worse without laying a solid background down, so I compromised with yellow. A voiceover interfered with the video too. Hopefully the yellow titles can be read if you pause it.

[@AADmrstangerbanger]

always put the key in the ignition to the on position with an alarm and it wont go off.

[@albertespinoza5842]

Very Informative channel,I just recently rebuilt my 302 in a 93 coupe with a hci combo upon intial start up,it idled fine after idling awhile it died and now won't stay on unless I feather the gas,any ideas as to what the problem could be?

[@tecmotiondyno]

There are so many possibilities that it is hard to give you an honest answer. This particular car had the throttle stop set to low so turning the screw in (to hold the throttle open slightly wider when closed) sorted that problem out. If it has a non stock MAF and injectors, it probably needs programming adjustments too, as this car did. I’m going to suggest this video on some other common things that are wrong with these cars too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4iYgqqtfqabrJY

[@brandonknight7240]

Awsome job

[@tecmotiondyno]

Thank you, and thanks for watching!

[@ILYMAD66]

Sounds good. What you think the engine HP will be ?

[@tecmotiondyno]

Stay tuned for that. I will be showing the final Dyno and a start to finish Dyno comparison for the project in a coming video, so even if you don’t like the numbers from my Dyno, you can see an apples to apples comparison. I can tell you that it was an impressive gain!

[@ILYMAD66]

@@tecmotiondyno awesome Can’t wait Getting ideas for my Mark Vii.

[@aaronliddell4280]

@@tecmotiondyno when are you going to post the dyno numbers?

[@brandonknight7240]

Just guessing probably 365hp 370 torque

[@krisf5247]

Ever figure out why the factory gauge wasn’t working?

[@tecmotiondyno]

Apparently it was bad before and I didn’t realize it. This car got new Autometer oil pressure and water temp gauges with Tecmotion vent pods so I didn’t spend time diagnosing the oil pressure gauge problem. The main thing is that the motor makes good oil pressure, but you sure shouldn’t start it without confirming that!

[@cbcb2960]

What's the data log equipment used besides the laptop buddy... I need to have it for certain sanerios

[@tecmotiondyno]

I use a Moates Quarterhorse. Unfortunately they are out of business, but you may still be able to find a used one.

[@patrickrice6752]

For some strange reason I been having a issue starting the car back up after it reaches operations temperature...... Tried everything under the sun..... Found out fuel pressure was up to high and made that adjustment..... Any ideas

[@tecmotiondyno]

It's hard to make a diagnosis based on these vague symptoms and no information about the modifications. If you have an aftermarket fuel rail setup and you dead-ended the fuel rails, you can boil the fuel in the rails after it sits for a brief period of time when hot and that can lead to hard starts. You could have a bad regulator. There could be a tuning problem. Or it could be something else.

[@patrickrice6752]

@@tecmotiondyno mods are as followed Stock fuel rail Ported upper and lower gt40 intake Stage 2 gt40 iron heads Trick flow stage 2 cam Ported Mac headers Ported 70mm throttle body 36lb injectors 80mm MAF calibrated 4" power pipe Tuned for 4 degrees retarded with base timing set at 10 degrees btdc

[@stenjohnson6149]

What injectors and fuel/spark management?

[@tecmotiondyno]

This car has Ford Racing 47# injectors and a stock A9L with Tecmotion custom dyno tuning.

[@oilgasproductions]

185 or 165 heads

[@tecmotiondyno]

This car has 165 heads.

[@vrm86gt]

are the AFR heads 165 or 185? Just curious i thought i hear you say 185 in the video but description says 165. anyways great job!

[@tecmotiondyno]

They are 165’s.

[@vrm86gt]

@@tecmotiondyno ok cool, great cylinder head!

[@johnsampson7791]

How do you know your at top dead center on #1?

[@tecmotiondyno]

Rotate the engine until the timing pointer on the balancer is at the TDC or “0” mark. If you assembled it right, you can pull the distributor cap and check the rotor position. When the crankshaft is at TDC and the rotor is roughly pointed at the #1 terminal you are on the compression stroke.

[@newheart1109]

Good job Matthew. I have a question.I have a cam with 224/230 duration at 50 and 512/512 lift with 110 lsa. Do you think it will be ok to run this cam with the stock heads on my 87 5.0 roller motor? I will be changing the springs for extra lift. Just wondering about the clearance. It had a e303 cam but I have pulled it out to go a little bigger.Thanks.

[@newheart1109]

forgot to say it is switched to carb.5 speed ,355 gears.

[@tecmotiondyno]

The stock heads have little valves and usually don’t have clearance issues. Their big problem is the crappy spring package and the stamped steel rocker arms. I usually figure that it isn’t worth money retrofitting E7’s when cheap Chinese aluminum heads are better, but if you are prepared to get a decent spring, rocker arm, and pushrod package on them I would expect a cam like that to clear the pistons fine. I would do a P/V check just to be sure if it is practical.

[@tecmotiondyno]

The stock heads have little valves and usually don’t have clearance issues. Their big problem is the crappy spring package and the stamped steel rocker arms. I usually figure that it isn’t worth money retrofitting E7’s when cheap Chinese aluminum heads are better, but if you are prepared to get a decent spring, rocker arm, and pushrod package on them I would expect a cam like that to clear the pistons fine. I would do a P/V check just to be sure if it is practical.

[@angry408w7]

wms intake? are you in Canada?

[@tecmotiondyno]

Yes, the shop is in Calgary, Alberta. Actually, the prototype fitting for that big tube WMS cold air intake was done in my shop on a 393 Foxbody project we had in, and it got the first one. The WMS cold air is about the only truly big tube commercial cold air intake out there for the Foxbody these days ...

[@AwakeDude911]

im assuming the idle is about 1500 as the 700 wants to die right out?

[@tecmotiondyno]

This is a genuine first start which includes the timing a little off, the throttle stop set a little low, and a need for some initial tuning adjustments. Once these settings were all sorted out the car settled down and idled cleanly around 800. This cam setup generally needs between 750 and 850 for a clean idle.

[@AwakeDude911]

@@tecmotiondyno cant get the timing right on my TF stage 2 cam either dies out or wont start after it gets warm ...been playing with the timing but seems fine 1 min the next it dies out . gets hot wont start to a running point till it cools down . will any sensors effect this ? my brand new oil sender went out after 3 months and was reading zero but i could tell it wasnt zero as it wasnt clanging inside the motor . new Chinese sensors i dont trust but thats all they make these days ..

[@tecmotiondyno]

@AwakeDude911 Step one is to time it with a timing light. Once it is timed correctly you can start worrying about other things. In the example of this first start, I timed it, then made a few small programming changes to the mixture, and then when it still wouldn’t stay running I realized that the throttle stop needed to be adjusted to open it up a bit more. If you have bad sensors of course they can cause problems. You might find some help in one of these videos too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4iYgqqtfqabrJY and kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2nYc3iXdpVqfbs

[@mickpatterson6402]

I hate this. This dude knows just enough to convince people that don't know shit, that he actually knows what he's doing. So many unnecessary steps for someone that actually has confidence in his work. In other words, it's much more simple than he would lead you to believe. Silly shit

[@tecmotiondyno]

What steps would you omit?

[@philsocks3386]

Yeah, why did he stand so far away from it when she started it .

[@scotland1980]

What engine management system?

[@tecmotiondyno]

Stock A9L with custom tuning.