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Fri Jan 30, 2015 4:36 pm

And here's my new, homebuilt throttle cable installed.
I order some 1/16" dia 7x19 SS wire rope from Mcmaster. A mere 73c/ft.
I actually ordered 3 different kinds and the 7x19 is definitely the one to use.
I purchased some .125 dia brass tubing, .02 wall from Mcmaster. This was silver brazed over the pedal end of the cable.
I used Jagwire brake housing. The really good stuff. Got a whole box of hideous yellow for $15. The barrel adjusted is out of my dead bike parts bin. Who knew these were 7mm thread? I've never seen that in 15 yrs as a machinist.
The SS tubing is straight out of the scrap bin. I bent it and silver brazed it to a piece of SS flat bar to mount it onto the throttle body.
The throttle body end of the cable is custom. I machined a piece of brass with a keyhole in it to slip over the pin on the linkage. It's brazed onto the end of the cable.
I'm not sure why I went through all this, but it works exactly as I'd hoped. I'm getting a full opening of the butterfly valve and the pedal feel is smoother and lighter.
My only design regret is that there is no way to remove the cable since both ends are brazed on. If I ever want to replace the housing, I'm stuck.
I didn't see and easy way around this.

Fri Jan 30, 2015 4:46 pm

Underside of airbox as installed. I'll need to build a baffle for the holes, as they are in the direct line of fire from the rear wheels

Catch can installed. I used a stud welder to stick some SS studs right to the engine bay wall. Hopefully this keeps the oil out of the intake and the throttle body clean

I did have to clearance the foam on the deck lid for the cobra head. 1min with a sharp old kitchen knife I use for cutting foam board insulation.

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Fri Jan 30, 2015 5:09 pm

One driveability issue I'd been having has gone away (touch wood)
The van would stall as you let off the throttle and push in the clutch. Everything point to VSS. I'd had this issue immediately after install. I checked the VSS and everything looked good. The issue would come and go.

Then I found an old blog mentioning dirty MAF causing stalling. My new airbox came with a much cleaner MAF than I had been using. I doused it with some MAF cleaner and the issue is all but gone. I did change a lot of other things but my heavily fouled old MAF looks like a likely smoking gun

Fri Jan 30, 2015 6:01 pm

Nicely done BYO . . . . though I think I'll stick with "pre-Cobra Head setup," as mine works great and I like the Bostig billet intake piece (not to mention the task of doing the throttle mods).

As far as the oil catch can . . . I added a separator in the same line between the PCV and intake (used Bostig's port) after finding what I thought was an amazing amount of oil in the intake manifold. Mine's not nearly as nice as yours, but I do like the clear plastic reservoir . . . . I would guess that I accumulate a couple of ounces every 800 miles or so (my usual round trip to and from CA). So my advice is to check it fairly regularly until you know what kind of accumulation you're getting.

Jed

Mine (when new):

Fri Jan 30, 2015 7:24 pm

LemonCove wrote: Nicely done BYO . . . . though I think I'll stick with "pre-Cobra Head setup," as mine works great and I like the Bostig billet intake piece (not to mention the task of doing the throttle mods).

I was torn. The billet intake elbow is a little too nice to just leave in the parts pile.
My main issue was noise and I had heard the new one was quieter. I wanted to try running the resonator. The throttle cable bracket would have been the solution even if I hadn't moved the airbox.

Fri Jan 30, 2015 11:43 pm

Here is how I modded my air box. It's not perfect but has worked very well for five years. It allows for connection to the stock snorkel.
It's very quiet even without the resonator.

My rig is using the old Group 6 setup with the ECU stuffed behind the drivers taillight. I really want to convert to the RG3/Cobra air intake setup so I can eliminate the long corrugated air hose!
It means a new ECU/ wire harness $$$, but has to give better performance over the long hose.
I'm hoping to do this mod when I replace my existing Zetec for a zero miles engine I have sitting in the garage.

Wed Feb 11, 2015 5:02 pm

The stalling issues continue... My idle is also a little weird.
After much frustration, I discovered the vacuum hose at the bottom of the intake manifold is collapsing while the engine is running. This is the crankcase breather tube. This was tough to spot since it returns to shape when the engine is off. I think this is more of an issue since the Bostig kit removes several other vacuum accessories and caps the nipples.
The part is available from Ford, and is apparently a common issue. The hose is right above the exhaust in the stock application and the new hose is reinforced and has a heat shield.
As a quick fix, I used a 1/2" dia spring as a stint inside the tube. It's held in the elbow so its not going anywhere.
Driveability and idle were instantly improved. If this wasn't the cause of my stalling, it definitely wast helping anything. I would put this on the check list of things to look for while doing preventive maintenance.

Sat Apr 16, 2016 4:35 pm

Just an update of an old thread . . .

This PS hose that I originally tried was not oil/heat resistant.(originally posted back in 2013):

LemonCove wrote: . . . found a short molded hose that works much more efficiently for the reservoir to pump line:

I found this teflon-lined silicone version that is basically the same dimensions and it works - Samco FE18016 teflon lined silicone hose. 180 degree molded 5/8" hose. About $40 (aargh) but the last detail that was really bugging me on my 2012 installation.

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