1993 Ford Mustang Cobra Project Stolen Goods - Doctor, We Have A Pulse

Close your eyes if you're squeamish. The factory hole in the passenger fender apron was opened up about an inch to accommodate the Power Pipe. The die grinder trimmed and opened it up where the nibbler couldn't reach.

With the hole cleaned and deburred, we used a 1/4-inch vacuum hose to trim the opening.

The Power Pipe slides in and is secured to the throttle body and mass airflow meter via supplied rubber couplings.

There are quite a few choices in the mass air meter market. We consulted Anderson Ford Motorsport's Rick Anderson about which one to use, given our engine combination and 38-lb/hr injectors. He recommended the Velocity meter from Professional Mass Air Systems. It's a state-of-the-art, 4-inch-diameter piece with a bell-shaped inlet to reduce signal noise and improve airflow, along with a new-style sampling element. It also offers more repeatable calibrations within OEM specifications. The Velocity meter retails for $403.

The Velocity meter fit nicely into the inner fender area. We just need to come up with a cover for the factory airbox hole to prevent the hot engine bay air from getting ingested.

Since SG's previous owner, George Xenos, had started hiding the wiring harnesses in the fenders, we had to finish the job-well, we called him and he finished it for us. Xenos' modifications are usually OEM-quality, so he was definitely the guy for the job. Here, he's bending the new starter cable to reach the solenoid, which has been repositioned up inside the fender. Wiring of various gauges and colors was found at a couple of places (parts runs three and four).

The ignition solenoid (arrow) was mounted high to keep it clear of any possible water and to allow room for the inner fenderwell. The mass of wiring coming through the apron includes the positive battery lead, and the wiring for the Flex-a-lite electric fan and the Meziere electric water pump.

The driver-side harness was fed into the fender before the shock tower and secured along the frame. Note how Xenos moved the factory alarm siren inboard as well. Don't worry; it's still plenty loud.

To keep track of what wiring still needed to be done, Xenos scribbled out a wiring schematic on our poor-man's creeper.

The Meziere electric water pump was wired into a 30-amp relay (parts run number five) to provide it with a constant source of power without taxing the battery.

We haven't had a chance to wire the fan to the A/C system, but it's otherwise up and running. After inserting the temperature-sending unit into the cooling fins near the inlet side of the radiator, we mounted the fan controller nearby, using one of the fan mounting bolts to secure it out of the way. This was one of the benefits of using the new Flex-a-lite radiator, as conventional designs do not have the mounting provisions that this one does.

The radiator's lower support bracket provided the perfect channel to hide the water pump and fan harnesses while directing them to the driver-side fender. Covering them with plastic wire loom (parts run number six) made for a clean, factory-like installation.

Stolen Goods inner fenderwell covers have been on the shelf for some time. Several fasteners later and the front end was buttoned up.

Prior to startup, we filled the crankcase with D.S.S. Racing's Xtreme oil additive, which is to supplement today's oils that have had significant amounts of zinc removed from their formulas. Six-and-a-half more quarts of Castrol 10W30 and it was time to prime the oiling system using the 5/16-inch primer we picked up from the local auto parts shack (parts run number seven) for $25.

We turned the key and nothing happened-that is, until we realized the ignition solenoid wasn't properly grounded. With that fixed, the Cobra came alive on the first crank and idled perfectly; the exhaust crackled, and life was good. It would be better if our magazine had live video inside it, but until the tech guys figure that one out, you'll have to go to click here to check out the video.