haha, exactly dude. If the intake is hard you better not try headers or headgasket for that matter. Quite frankly you could die from a heart attack.

 

I'll agree with you guys in one area...the intake IS the easiest thing to work on on my bird...anything else under the hood is a MAJOR pain And if I do any mods to my car, a CAI will be as far as I go. Anything else will be done by a shop including changing the plugs I'm a busy guy and not a big enough car fan to spend the time/frustration working on it..plus unlike some of you guys I actually don't like working on cars, I'm a bike guy myself When I first got the car I tried changing the stock air filter by the book...found out the book is all wrong and you have to loosen the clamps/unhook the whole system to replace the filter...crap design. Prolly why the filter was ridiculously dirty, and every connection was glued together crooked as hell Same with the elbow....you gottta loosen/twist every connection just to get the TF elbow off. Why couldn't they just make a simple lid you lift up to drop a filter in? And maybe enough room in the stock intake to get one end free without having to loosen the whole system? Being 6'4 with a back injury and trying to bend over the low long nose doesn't help either tho. The guys who designed the motors and body lines on the 4th gens deserve medals, the guys who designed it to fit together should be shot and beat...in that order These cars are about as far from user friendly to work on as I could ever imagine. Its almost like they went out of their way to make them the biggest pain possible I like my vehicles too, but I'm not gonna defend their weak points just because I own them. These cars are sh*it to work on plain and simple

 

^ I applaud you for being immune to the mod bug for our cars. However, if you plan on taking it to a shop for everything else, I hope you've got a steady, well paying job... and you're ready to regret buying your car...

 

Of course man, no one will argue that. Everything is a ****ing bitch to do , except a few things. Then again it makes it all that much better when you turn the key....if it was easy everyone would do it. Take a look at mustangs.
I'm 6'2 and I just did the heads on my car...good god. My back hurted every night afterwords. My arms never got tired of wrenching, m back got tired of bending over and torquing itself.

 

I got one only because it was free. wouldnt spend the money on it though, not something your gonna feel the diff from

 

Believe me...when I lifted the hood on my formuula before I bought it I knew what I was getting into. But this is absolutely the most fun car I've ever had the privelege of driving...and I'll gladly pay what it takes to keep it maintained, and for any mods I get the urge to do. I'll be honest tho for me pretty much stock its more than enough power right now. Its a rocket offf the line and with a K&N drop in/tf elbow and hypertech tuning it grabs sideways rubber in the first 2 shifts (better be pointing straight when it comes shift time ) and sets you back in the seat very nicely...not to mention tire roasting with a tap of the throttle. And great mpg. And thats at 4500ft up. In some ways I wonder why a person needs more....but then again I don't track it and very rarely race on the street. Mainly its just a way to spice up the daily drive And man does it do it

 

i got an extra airfoil u can have for 20 shipped to ur door? it u wish to try it. like others mentioned it might not be a big performance difference but if does get u 2 HPs, not a bad investment in my eyes. btw its a holley airfoil let me know

 

Where exactly does the airfoil go and what does it look like? When I was replacing the elbow on my formula I thought the stock throttle body already had some kinda of fin type divider in it? Mine might have one..or maybe even a diff throttle body....not sure how I would tell?

 

wow i really dont post much and i just had to this time. billy biker are u serious you find it so hard to work on your bird?!!! i'm 6'5 with a bad back as well and damn i work on my car all the time no problem. dude just buy the airfoil, it was the first thing i did to my car way way long ago, i had no experience then workn on a car, it was simple. stop being a gina!!

 

Funny guy I think I'm going to add a CAI and will prolly just put a foil in at the same time...kill 2 backs (I'll get your tall *** to help me ).....I mean birds with one stone
So anybody have a recommendation for a good foil?

 

They all do the same thing and even look about the same. They don't wear out, so get a used one for cheap. SLP makes pretty good products if you need a brand name.

For a tip, use a small smear of silicone or dielectric grease on the rubber elbow connectors to the TB to make install and removal easier the next time.

BTW, is this your first car?

 

Do not use any silicone-based products on your intake. It will damage the O2 sensors.

 

Eeep! I didn't know that. I've used that on coolant hoses, heater hoses and such for quite a while. I wouldn't think a small smear on the TB elbow would be enough to cause any damage, but trust your judgement. Thanks for correcting me on this.

 

using on the heater hoses and coolant hoses is fine. just on the intake or exhaust, its the fumes/vapors in it that coats o2 sensors and make them not work well.

so, as long as your not on the intake or eshaust your fine.

 

Nope not my first car...just my first modern fuel-injected muscle car. I've always had older carbed/no cat/points non emission tested rigs that you could pretty much do what you want to...with lots of room under the hoods to work with. I wanted to try a fast car that handled great, was comfy and good on gas as a daily driver/trip car but still fun. I just never realized how complex and restrictive they are when it comes to modding. My bikes are wayyy easier to mod and get performance out of My last hot-rod was a 66 stang if that gives you any reference. Swapped intake/carb on the 289 in a matter of hours and it ran awesome. Edelbrocks rock Had a Holley on the Edelbrock intake before.....was always fighting the power jet and replacing diaphrams in it. Plus the Edelbrock ran smoother and was a bit smaller than the Holley so I got a little more power and better throttle response. I had stock ex. manifolds but true duals with a stock motor/cam and the 600 Holley was too big...went to a 500 or 550 Edelbrock I believe and much better Overall the stang was UNBELIEVABLY easy to work on compared to my bird. Replaced rad, waterpump, fuel pump, generator..you name it I replaced it..including pulling the tranny....easy easy easy And unbelievably easy to diagnose and fix probs on as well
I guess maybe I could be a bit spoiled from all the old school equipment