Rustoration of 1991 FOXBODY Mustang GT as a Cobra Clone

I removed the lower intake. I was able to siphone out some coolant from the rear port of the heads to reduce the mess when I pulled the heads. Everything came off without any prying. i went through the head bolt detorque sequence and they were nice and tight.

I had a little time so and I could put the valve covers back on when I was done, so I removed and bagged the rockers and pushrods. Hopefully Monday I can get the intake and heads off and cleaned up. Top end is nice and clean. i could not get the correct exhaust studs, M12-1.75 so I grabbed some flange head bolts and a tap. I used a little antiseize which worked better than wd40 or 3and1 oil.

I removed the passenger side exhaust manifold. I had to remove cylinder 2's spark plug but other than that it came out easily even with the tranny dip stick in place. I removed the lower intake bolts roughly following the detorque spec but honestly there were only 2 that were actually tight. The rest were very loose and that was probably the source of the leak. i didn't break the seal yet because I knew I'd run out of time and I don't want it to spend the weekend open to the elements. I may pull rockers and push rods because I can put the valve covers back if I run out of time. I know the cleaning process is going to be a considerable amount of time. I removed the collector to y pipe stude. 2 studs came out without a problem but the 3rd I had to weld a sacrifical wrench to and broke it free with a bar and cut the wrench away. Then I spun it off with vise grips.

Removed the driver's side exhaust manifold.  Removed the fueo rail. The 10mm bolt under the fuel pressure regulator was a pain to access. after I attempted to wiggle it with a pair of vice grips and a pry bar at the water pump I decided to neatly cut the tube where I know I have room to make a crimp and use a hose and clamps. if it's not raining all day I may get to the passenger exhaust manifold and start the intake removal.

After the nut breaker failed I pulled the rubber hangers from the cross member and lowered the y- pipe enough to access the stud and cut it with a grinder. I'll have to fight with y pipe later to get it back into place.  Used the power steering pump puller and the pulley came off easy. all the bolts out I Bungied it to the rad support. there was 1 wire to the alarm that tied into the alternator but I cut it because it was through the fuel rail. i disconected the fuel lines. only other problem I had was the heater return tube is stuck. It's a $90 part from rock auto which is rather not buy. I'll mess with it some more before I replace it. The fuel rail may have to come off so I can wiggle it more. Might cut it, crimp and hose clamp it back together later or weld a collar over the cut. 

Instead of making steady progress I have just been fighting the exhaust manifold to y pipe bolts. I partially cut through 3 and broke them on purpose.   I can extract the pieces when I remove the headers. The 4th I could get a straight extension on and it ended up unthreading itself from the exhaust manifold. Now it's stuck loosely in the flange collar of the y pipe above the catalytic converter. I have a vise grip on it and am widdeling it down like a beaver with a Dremel extension. Laying on your back showering yourself with rust and sparks is so much fun.  I just remembered I had this funky tool called a nut splitter. This should be a good test since there is no flange now that the stud is hanging. Will save the fun for tomorrow. I did get the power steering pump tool and a Hayes manual for the torque specs. 

So the time has come to change the head gasket and lower intake gasket on the sn95 1998 mustang V6 with 124k. It's got a clear miss on cylinder 5,6 and smokes white after it's warm. Hasn't overheated yet because I have avoided using it. I'll thread as many fasteners back into place and the rest will get bagged and labeled. Disconnected the battery. (Heard a horror story of somebody bumping the starter by bridging the solenoid with a tool) it's an auto but still paranoid. Removed the intake hose. Disconnected the throttle and cruise linkage. Popped the vaccum lines off the top of the intake. Disconnected the coil pack. Pulled the plug leads and labeled them 1-6. Removed the coil pack from the mount. Started siphoning the coolant which may have some oil in it. Removed the serpentine belt. I chocked the rear wheels and raised the car up, I also put ramps under the front wheels since we are on a sloped driveway and supported with jackstands. Disc...