How to install an Intake Manifold on 5.0 Ford Foxbody Engine

Matthew walks you through the steps to install the lower intake on a pushrod 5.0 Ford from a Foxbody Mustang. This example engine has AFR 165 heads and uses an Edelbrock Performer RPM II intake, though the steps are applicable regardless of the heads and intake. The video includes a discussion of the special techniques that you should know, tools, and tips to get the job done right the first time.
For those of you who are wondering, the studs are just long bolts with the heads cut off.

[@BudzyFoxMX5]

Wanted to say thank you so much for this video. It helped me tremendously as someone inexperienced. I have my car put together with zero leaks thanks to you.

[@tecmotiondyno]

That’s great to hear! I always hope they will be a genuine help to my viewers.

[@BobSmith-mc7uq]

Critique. No need to use RTV on gaskets at the ports, the gasket seals the 2 surfaces. Better deal is to smear a light coat of grease or Vaseline on the gaskets, this will ensure the gaskets will not stick to the surface when manifold is removed. Good advice on the studs for the ends of the manifold, Ford used them for many years, a light coating of anti seize on them will inhibit corrosion. Nothing worse than unbolting a SBF intake & snapping the studs/bolts in the head! Good idea to re-torque the manifold bolts after a few heat cycles. Your water pump housing gasket needed a trim job, looks shabby with the gasket out in the open.

[@tecmotiondyno]

I would definitely not use and did not use RTV on the gasket surfaces. I used Permatex High Tack which is a specialized adhesive used to hold the gasket in place and promote sealing on the side of the gasket without a print-o-seal surface. This is essentially the same product as gasgacinch which is what Ford recommends for this job. Applying an oil or grease product to the gasket can damage its integrity and is not a good idea. As for retorquing the manifold bolts, that isn’t possible with an EFI manifold unless you remove the upper and I have never seen it be necessary if you follow the procedure that I outline here.

[@kevinthomas1253]

Love the video! I have fiddled with that job on a mustang a few times and you method is the best I’ve ever seen! Keep this kind of content coming!

[@tecmotiondyno]

Thanks! I hope it helps a few guys!

[@KASLCustoms]

Good advice Mathew! Thanks for sharing 👍

[@jermainegraves4523]

Great video, would love to see the fitting hookup and connections for the upper intake!!!

[@tecmotiondyno]

I probably have stills of all of that. Try DMing me on Instagram at @tecmotiondyno or message me on Facebook through the Tecmotion Chassis Dyno page and I will see if I can find them for you.

[@Boss351Fox]

Very through, and taking the time to explain the small “gotchas” are greatly appreciated 👍🏻 I’m sure there is a lot of sloppy work and small mistakes waiting to go wrong driving around out there.

[@tecmotiondyno]

Thanks. KZbin is a great resource for this kind of thing, but the quality of advice varies. I try to post things that I have a good deal of personal experience with so that there is a good resource available.

[@Boss351Fox]

@@tecmotiondyno you are the ChrisFix of mustangs 😂 just kidding, you have much better advise.

[@mike4fo]

Great job I’m doing my lower manifold gaskets now because it is leaking coolant because I had the heads cut. So now I need to figure out a way to deal it up. I will use the tips from your video. Great job!

[@tecmotiondyno]

Glad to help. Good luck with your install!

[@onesickfox_4398]

Where’d you get the studs to help with alignment

[@jackantoine5185]

Thank you this video. I have an install coming up on a Blueprint 347 and I like your install method. What are thoughts on putting a little “right stuff” in the holes for the manifold before install. Do you think it’s needed.

[@tecmotiondyno]

Just use right stuff on the China Wall and in the corners where the heads meet the China Wall. Use Permatex High Tack or Gasgacinch on the head side of the water passages and at a few small strategic locations to help hold the gasket in place during assembly and to improve water passage sealing. Do not apply an additional sealer to the manifold side of the gasket - the print-o-seal is all you need there.

[@dennissmith7003]

Great video!! Looking to remove my lower intake and reinstall it. Should of watched this video first. My car will not idle right. Idle hangs real bad and it idles high even with the throttle screw backed off. No leaks were seen during smoke test. Every sensor is new, no leaks at all either. Thinking the gasket moved and I’m getting a vacuum leak in the lifter valley. Does that make sense? Thanks , love the channel.

[@tecmotiondyno]

Yes, a vacuum leak is a possible outcome of a bad manifold installation. So is a coolant leak or an oil leak at the China wall. Another possibility is that one of the vacuum lines or fittings that you can’t see well under the upper intake has come loose or apart. I have even seen problems like internal leaks in a component- for instance the membrane in the EGR valve can fail and cause a vacuum leak inside the valve itself. A high idle that absolutely will not come down is virtually always a vacuum leak somewhere.

[@robertc1220]

Thanks for the information video, attention to detail is appreciated.

[@tecmotiondyno]

Glad it helped. Thanks for watching!

[@TallStarlite]

Nice tip to guide it straight in. I could be wrong but shouldn't you have used anti-seize paste on those bolts going into the aluminum heads?

[@tecmotiondyno]

This is a totally fair question. Ford do not specify anti-seize or a lubricant on the bolts and the torque spec is dry. With dissimilar metals, anti-seize is normally a good plan, but you need to be aware that it could reduce the torque spec. I looked up the installation procedure for a modular Ford which uses aluminum heads and steel bolts from the factory and Ford do not specify anti-seize or a lubricant in that application either, so they clearly expect that you will install the bolts dry whether the heads are iron or aluminum. The way I did it is definitely according to spec. Anti-seize may be a good idea to prevent corrosion, but you should do your own research on torque differences.

[@jdlsantos00]

Great video and great info, thanks!. Many people report the common vacuum leaks in the intake if not proper procedure is follow, somebody else assembled the heads and intake to my 302, and i am having problem with the idle, so, do you think that the smoke machine would be enough to detect any intake leaks? thanks again

[@tecmotiondyno]

A smoke machine can be very useful. Sometimes wd40 or ether will help find intake leaks - if you spray it around potential leaks and get a little idle-up you may have a problem in that spot. You have to keep in mind that you can have an internal leak on a part too. For instance, if the diaphragm in your EGR valve is torn, you can get a leak right through the valve even if the vacuum line itself is ok.

[@jdlsantos00]

​@@tecmotiondyno Thanks!!. couple of more questions, for a performance modified engine like the ones showing in the video, how you know the proper inicial timing? Ford manual say 10 degree but there is not stock cam, also the stock ECU can handle this modification or the ECU need to be chipped? thanks again

[@tecmotiondyno]

As a rule of thumb most aluminum headed EFI Windsor style Fords respond best at around 30* total ignition timing at WOT. Setting initial at 10* will yield 26* total with most Foxbody Mustang factory computers. I always add the rest by reprogramming the computer with a chip, and to get the most out of an engine like this it should be tuned on a dyno. The factory computer can handle a shocking amount of modification when competently tuned on a dyno, and that should really factor into your project’s budget from the beginning.

[@BudzyFoxMX5]

Thank you for this video. I recently bought a 1990 SSP Foxbody and it's bucking pretty badly when trying to maintain a speed (bought in CO and drive to GA). Put smoke in it and found a huge vacuum leak near the first bolt in the torque sequence of the lower intake. My one question for you is about your final comments on temperature. I'd like to start this job soon but it's low 50s during the day and mid 30s at night, I don't have a heated garage. Will it still be ok to do this with these temps? Thanks again.

[@tecmotiondyno]

Permatex don't specify a minimum application temperature in their data sheets, but do say the minimum temperature range for storage is 46*F. I generally try to use Right Stuff at temperatures above 60*F. You will probably get away with doing it at a lower temperature, but I would keep the gaskets and hard parts together in the same place so that they are all at the same temperature, then maybe bring the RTV out of a warmer place like the house just before applying it. You could call the Permatex technical line toll free at 87 PERMATEX and discuss the situation with them too. The rest of it can be assembled cold, you should just keep all the pieces together so they are the same temperature on assembly.

[@BudzyFoxMX5]

@@tecmotiondyno thank you for your fast and detailed response! You're videos are great. Subscribing now.

[@kevinthomas1253]

Should you put locktite on the hammer in rivets for the EGR baffle? I shudder with what could happen if they go for a vacation!

[@tecmotiondyno]

They don’t specify locktite and it takes some effort to hammer them in. If they came out, it could be bad, but I’d put that chance at very remote if you hammer them in right. I think of them as being similar to a rivet.

[@larrybenthall2325]

What type of bolts did you use to line up the intake before installment

[@tecmotiondyno]

Studs. You can cut the heads off some long 5/16” NC bolts if you don’t have studs.

[@larrybenthall2325]

Installment

[@stenjohnson6149]

How did you modify the valve covers for clearance?

[@tecmotiondyno]

The passenger side one is the one with the biggest issues. You need to remove the filler neck baffle and then grind out the baffle bosses. There are some bosses along the edge which sometimes need cleaning up too. Use a die grinder, then when you have the job done, test fit the valve covers and roll over the engine, remove them, and look carefully for any witness marks on the rocker arms or valve covers just to be sure you did it right. The advantage of this is that everything fits with the stock covers, but as soon as you put tall aftermarket covers on you have a myriad of clearance problems on the outside with your throttle linkage, hood, idle air valve and so on, and every way you try to manipulate it to solve the problem can easily introduce a new problem. With a motor like this, I think it better to just modify the valve covers and then everything else fits.

[@ntotman]

what did you use in the ultrasonic cleaner to clean the bolts?

[@tecmotiondyno]

Good question. I used Sunlight dish soap with tap water and turned the heater on. I did a lot of fasteners like this, and it either cleans them up or preps them for an easier cleanup with a brass wheel on a die grinder.

[@marcusfabiousmaximus3463]

My explorer lower intake is pitted around the water jackets, what would you suggest to do in that scenario. Thanks

[@tecmotiondyno]

I’d have to see it to have a real opinion. A machine shop cleanup might be possible. Junking it and using something better might also be a good idea. If it is not severe, the gaskets may work as is.

[@danielmiller3967]

I've seen people get out all the corrosion, fill in the low spots with jb weld and sand smooth. If you're in a tight spot

[@aidanmcanelly7215]

What size are the intake bolts?

[@tecmotiondyno]

5/16” NC thread.

[@marcusfabiousmaximus3463]

Where do I get the studs?

[@tecmotiondyno]

Cut the heads off some long bolts. There’s a similar question in the comments on this video and I posted the size and length I used in answer to it, so the specifics should be easy to find here.

[@cooperzappacosta8234]

Where do you get those studs?

[@tecmotiondyno]

Mine are just bolts with the heads cut off. An automotive supply store can usually supply long studs that will work too.

[@cooperzappacosta8234]

@@tecmotiondyno great idea! Thank you

[@theonlyever]

@@cooperzappacosta8234 We found it was easier to find threaded rod at the hardware store

[@Diondo26]

i m gona install a RPM 2 in the next days .. just waiting for the Gaskets ...

[@tecmotiondyno]

It is my first choice of intake for a street driver with good heads and a good cam.

[@Diondo26]

@@tecmotiondyno have a 331 with Promaxx heads and good cam .. was running the Tubular GT40 Intake but def got lost in high Rpms ..hope to make some extra Power above 4000 rpm..

[@tecmotiondyno]

The GT40 works well for stock or near stock motors, and for AOD cars that won't shift high anyway, but for a Mustang with a manual and a decent cam and heads, you need more intake, like the RPM 2, to unlock the potential. Long tubes help in the upper RPM's too. My Mark VII uses the RPM 2 with a TFS stage 2 cam and TFS track heat heads, and 1 5/8" long tubes. Coupled with a Lentech Street Terminator valve body, it is a good combo.

[@Diondo26]

@@tecmotiondyno L have that RPM2 intake on an all fine ..went for a ride and Terminator X adjusted all very nice .. Datalogs look verry good ....cant tell if more power or not ..car was running strong also with the Tubular ..I need to change the Tires because this 255 Cooper cant handle anything ..1. gear is terrible and and in 2. it starts to spin tires from 3000 up to 5500 ..had the timing at 27 deg max ....will put some Drag Radials on and try again ...and I hope to get a better feeling ..

[@stenjohnson6149]

Felpro 1250?

[@tecmotiondyno]

Fel Pro 1250S3. They are the same size but have a steel core and are a better gasket. They block the EGR passages though, in case you planned on keeping that system.

[@stenjohnson6149]

@@tecmotiondyno Thanks! I’m using the non-compliant 1399’s so the EGR is history.

[@tecmotiondyno]

Definitely use 1250S3 then.

[@stenjohnson6149]

Using the Right Stuff... how long to let it cure completely in a 50 degree F garage?

[@danbucceroni8607]

You need an extra rolling cart in the shop bud, all those tools on the floor. Too much bending over or tripping lol

[@tecmotiondyno]

You might be right!

[@danbucceroni8607]

@@tecmotiondyno it makes a difference…I did it. I got an extra cart that I don’t stack stuff on lol. It’s the service cart. It helped my back a lot since I was dumber when I was younger. Lol

[@tecmotiondyno]

The older I get, the more painful it is working on this stuff!

[@larrybenthall2325]

What type of bolts did you use to line up the bottom intake before inst

[@dntlss]

You just find a bolt the same size the intake uses at the hardware store but maybe a inch longer and then just cut the head off with a cutoff wheel.