S197 Mustang Bolt-Ons - Ford Racing's New 3V Intake and Exhaust

There are three intake manifold bolts of different lengths, but their locations are clearly marked in the instructions. The bolts are torqued to 89 in-lb.

Though you could reuse the factory throttle-body, we’d recommend upgrading to a larger Ford Racing piece. The dual 62mm butterflies offer a potential increase in airflow over the stock dual, 55mm throttle-body, giving you room to grow as you continue to modify your car.

The only bit of custom work we encountered was the need to shorten one of the PCV tubes. The instruction book includes detailed instructions on how to do this, but it basically involves cutting the tube away from the plastic quick-disconnect fitting and then cutting the tube to the correct length. Next, heat the tube with a heat gun (don’t melt it!) to soften it enough to slip the quick- disconnect coupler back in. As the tube cools, it forms a tight seal around the base of the coupler. This sounds more difficult than it actually is.

The remainder of the job was simple. Topete reconnected all the sensors and vacuum lines and installed the new cold-air intake tube and airbox assembly.

Five hours later. Topete cycled the key to activate the fuel pump. After verifying that there were no fuel leaks, he fired the engine and checked for vacuum leaks by spraying carb cleaner around the intake runners and near the vacuum and PCV hoses. Though the engine did start and run, the addition of a larger mass airflow sensor and throttle-body required reprogramming the ECM to accommodate the greater amount of air entering the engine. Topete reflashed the ECM before running the car on his chassis dyno. The result was 313 hp and 314 lb-ft, an increase of 29 hp and 5 lb-ft of peak power and torque.

The results were better than we expected. Because the Ford Racing intake parts are designed to flow more air at high rpm, we expected to see a slight drop in power at low rpm. Instead, we were pleasantly surprised to see a slight increase in both power and torque between 3,000 and 3,400 rpm. The package really works above 4,000 rpm, and that 30 extra horsepower at the wheels is something you will definitely feel. What’s more, these parts offer a good foundation for further modifications if plans for a cam change or power-adder are in your future.