1999-2004 Mustang Bullitt Intake Install

        The Bullitt Intake install can be done by anyone with moderate mechanical skills in 5-7 hours. If all the Bullitt specific parts are bought then install is straight forward and can be done in your driveway. There are some work arounds for some of the parts that can be adapted to from a GT. Basic tools will be needed such as ¼ and 3/8 drive metric sockets with an assortment of universal joints and extensions. See tool list below for specifics. To keep things simple all steps are listed as bullet points below in the approximate order that I did my install in.

         A few things to remember prior to beginning is remember to pick up coolant to refill system after install. While swapping intakes it’s a good time to change spark plugs since with the new intake you will have limited access to the number two and three cylinder spark plugs. A can of brake cleaner and rags will come in handy as well for cleaning and preparing surfaces for sealing with gaskets. If you’re a beginner at working on motors I would also suggest using masking tape to label vacuum lines and some of the odd plugs to make the install easier.

Install:

1. Disconnect battery.
2. Remove breather hose from inlet tube to upper intake manifold.
3. Remove solid breather line from inlet tube to driver side valve cover.
4. Remove intake hose/MAF/air filter and housing by disconnecting the inlet tube from the throttle body and disconnecting both the IAT and MAF connector plugs.
5. Disconnect fuel rail and cap off lines or use rags if possible to keep fuel from spilling.
6. Drain radiator into drain pan by loosing plastic hex fitting at bottom left (passenger) side of radiator.
7. Loosen four water pump pulley bolts (10mm).
8. Remove belt by relieving tension on belt with 3/8 socket wrench.
9. Remove water pump pulley bolts and pulley. This will give better access to the bottom alternator bolts.
10. Remove alternator.
11. Disconnect plug on top of alternator.
12. Unbolt power wire at the back of alternator. 12mm nut.
13. Remove two 10mm bolts from the bottom and four 8mm bolts from the bracket on the top.
14. Remove alternator and bracket.
15. Remove upper radiator hose by compression factory hose clamps with vise grips.
16. Disconnect injector and coil plugs.
17. Pull coils off the motor and label each by cylinder number. Easy way is to get a piece of paper or cardboard and write the cylinder number on it. 
18. Disconnect the two ground plugs on the two front intake bolts.
19. Unbolt two ground plugs from front of intake (both sides) held down with 10mm nuts.
20. Remove ground wire from end of fuel rail (driver side) by pulling up on it.
21. Disconnect plug and vacuum line from fuel rail voltage sensor (driver side).
22. Disconnect TPS sensor plug.
23. Disconnect IAC sensor plug.
24. Remove hose from PCV valve to intake but leave PCV in to prevent anything from falling into the valve cover.
25. Disconnect temperature sensor plug.
26. Remove two vacuum lines and disconnect plug from sensor (driver side).
27. Remove two vacuum lines and disconnect plug from other sensor on same bracket (driver side).
28. Disconnect cruise control cable from throttle body by pulling on the cable it just snaps in place.
29. Remove throttle cable from throttle body by pulling up loose slack in cable, then pulling throttle into to WOT position so as to pull spherical end of cable off from the throttle body.
30. Disconnect spring from throttle body to throttle cable bracket.
31. Unbolt the cruise and throttle cable bracket from intake (2 10mm bolts) and put to the side.
32. Unbolt EGR valve (2 10mm bolts) from upper intake and remove vacuum line.
33. Remove water hose from firewall to intake by using vise grips on the factory clamps.
34. Unbolt intake (8 10mm bolts, 3 13mm bolts) and remove by gently pulling up on intake. Make sure nothing is left attached to intake and if any resistance is felt check for missed bolts. Intake should come off fairly easily.
35. Remove throttle body (4 8mm bolts) from upper intake.
36. Clean intake ports and around intake gasket area with brake cleaner and rags.
37. Tape over intake holes or cover with towel to prevent anything from falling into cylinders until the new intake is ready to be dropped in (see figure 1). 
38. Remove four 8mm bolts from intake holding on fuel rail.
39. Remove fuel rail and injectors by gently pulling up on the rail first from one side and be careful with each injector. Make sure not to damage the injectors or lose either of the O-rings (one top one bottom).
40. Clean injectors if needed then reseat into new intake. A slight dab of oil on the O-rings will help in re-installing them back on the rails and into the intake.
41. Install Bullitt specific fuel rails on new intake and bolt down with four 8mm bolts.
42. Remove temperature sensor from GT intake and install on Bullitt Intake using adjustable wrench. Make sure to use RTV sealer or Teflon tape on sensor before re-installing.
43. Use plug for other hole next to temperature sensor. Should have come from ford with intake.
44. Remove 13mm bolt from back of motor holding down bracket for water line going from water pump to firewall. This one is a pain to get to and you’ll need an open-ended wrench to loosen it. After loosening I was able to back it out by hand. 
45. Either install new Bullitt water pump tubing from back of water pump to factory hose or modify to fit under new intake. I cut off both curved ends of the pipe only keeping a twelve inch straight section and used High heat heater hose to connect the pipe to the water pump and the factory hose to the other end of the pipe. It was enough to clear the Bullitt intake.
46. If removing the EGR valve from intake then cut EGR tube just behind motor and cap off with high heat rubber hose cap and worm clamp. If retaining EGR valve then disregard step.
47. Clean surface of intake ports, remove tape from heads covering port and clean as well with brake cleaner.
48. Place new intake gaskets on heads and make sure alignment tabs are in the correct place.
49. Place new intake on motor being careful not to nick the surface or move the intake gasket. Wiring behind intake may be a little tight just pull back a little to make room.
50. Start all intake bolts into intake before snugging any of them. Do not force any of these bolts, you are threading into aluminum and it is very easy to strip them.
51. With intake sitting in place but not tightened down install new alternator and new bracket. Start the two 10mm bolts at the bottom and set alternator in place on top. Then place the new top bracket in place and start the four 8mm bolts on top. Tighten the bottom bolts first then ones on top. Just a footnote but the stock Cobra alternator pump pulley is the same as the Steeda aftermarket pulley.
52. Reconnect power wire with 10mm nut and connect alternator to factory plug using PA adapter. 
53. Install water pump pulley with 10mm bolts.
54. Reinstall belt back on.
55. Install thermostat housing for Bullitt intake or using a grinder notch it to fit around alternator bolt on the left hand side. Either will work fine.
56. Hand tighten intake bolts then follow proper sequence (see Chilton’s or Haynes manual) to tighten down intake. I used 15 ft lbs then again at 20 ft lbs.
57. Reinstall ground plugs to front of intake bolts with 10mm nuts. There should be one for each side.
58. Reinstall stock radiator hose but use worm hose clamp instead of the factory clamps for more clearance around alternator.
59. Change spark plugs (optional but a good time to do it).
60. Reinstall coils back in the order in which they came and tighten down with 7 mm bolts.
61. Reconnect fuel rail connection by snapping it onto the new rail.
62. Connect fuel injector and coil plugs.
63. Connect plugs for ground plugs in front of intake.
64. Place the upper to lower intake gasket in place and using the four 8mm bolts from the stock upper intake bolt on the upper intake.
65. Install “L” bracket from upper to lower intake.
66. Bolt the Bullitt or Cobra dual 57mm throttle body in place with new gasket and four 8mm bolts. Note: Both throttle bodies will work but the outside diameter of the Bullitt TB has a larger outside diameter than the Cobra so power pipe kits will not work with the Bullitt TB.
67. Remove two 8mm screws from firewall securing throttle cable.
68. Disconnect throttle cable from inside the car.
69. Connect new throttle cable from inside the car.
70. Bolt down throttle cable to firewall using the stock 8mm screws.
71. Bolt down throttle and cruise control cable bracket to upper plenum with two 8mm bolts.
72. Install throttle cable into bracket and attach to throttle body.
73. Install spring from throttle body to throttle cable bracket.
74. Reinstall IAC to upper intake.
75. Install EGR block off plate (or install EGR valve for Bullitt intake or modify stock EGR to fit new intake).
76. Connect temperature sensor plug.
77. Connect TPS plug.
78. Connect plug to IAC.
79. Connect plug and vacuum line to fuel rail voltage sensor.
80. Reconnect vacuum line to left side of upper intake.
81. Install intake tube to MAF and air filter retaining your stock GT parts or aftermarket meter and filter (or use a pre made or custom made power pipe instead this will give enough clearance for the oil fill neck).
82. Reconnect MAF plug.
83. Reconnect IAT plug.
84. Close drain plug at passenger side bottom of radiator and refill coolant in radiator.
85. Reconnect two small red vacuum lines and plug to front EGR sensor on bracket.
86. Reconnect two regular vacuum lines and plug to the rear EGR sensor on same bracket. Since this bracket does not go back on you will need either the Bullitt specific part of have a bracket made for it to fit.
87. If you are not using the EGR make sure you plug the EGR vacuum line that used to attach to the valve.
88. Install new PCV tube to upper intake or using new 3/8” tubing connect PCV valve to the vacuum line port on the right side of the intake.
89. Install new breather tube and filter box (square box on upper intake) from upper intake to inlet tube. Or you can extend the 5/8” hose on the left side of the box to fit new intake tube.
90. Install new tube connecting inlet tube to driver side valve cover or using stock plastic tube extend it with 5/8” hose.
91. Connect 3/8” vacuum line (two separate red hard vacuum lines going into one fitting) to center port of upper intake. The two ¼” fittings can be connected together with a single piece of tubing.
92. Swap out old and new cruise control cable.

        Once complete recheck everything to make sure nothing was forgotten. Remove all tools from motor and check coolant level. When ready prime the fuel pump (turn key forward but not on) till it filled fuel line then started (I did it 2-3 times). Listen for any out of the ordinary noises or vacuum leaks. Car may hesitate for a few second after start up while fuel line fills up/fuel pressure builds up. Let car run with radiator cap off till it reaches operating temperature to make sure cooling system gets filled properly.

Work Arounds:

Here are the some of the things I did to save cash on the intake install.

*Thermostat Housing-Instead of using the bullitt specific thermostat housing I retained the stock one and just modified it to fit. The only real issue is the clearance between the alternator and the corner of the housing. Using a die grinder I cut a notch into it for clearnance (see figure 2). By doing this you can also retain the stock radiator hose from the GT by using a standard worm clamp instead of the factory clamps. 

*EGR-for a week prior to the swap I removed the vacuum line from the valve to see if it would affect performance…it did not. So during the intake swap I cut the EGR tube about half way down and had a friend make a block off plate for the intake and capped off the remaining EGR tube down to the exhaust pipe. If the car has any problems performance wise I’ll have the EGR turned off when I get a chip for it.

*Hose under intake-I unbolted it from the back of the block then cut off the bent portions of the pipe leaving only a 12 inch straight pipe. Using high heat heater hose I connected to the back of the water pump to the pipe then the other end of the pipe to the stock hose. This allowed enough room for the intake to seat on the heads and not hit anything (see figure 3).

*Valve covers/intake tubing-instead of replacing the valve covers and using the stock restrictive Bullitt intake tubing I bought a 4” rubber hose fitting and bought a 3” U bend exhaust pipe from a local exhaust shop. Using the U bend and cutting it so it had a 45* bend in it and inserting two pipe fittings in it for the breather tubes I was able to use this attached to the throttle body to give enough clearance around the oil fill neck (see figure 4). Unfortunately the K&N filter with the C&L kit is too long so I had to put my stock meter with UPR big mouth filter back on. I plan on ordering a shorter filter for the C&L and reinstall later.

*Throttle body-The stock cobra throttle body is the same size as the bullitt throttle body except for the outside diameter is larger on the bullitt. I was able to find a used Cobra throttle body for $40. I should be able to use a Cobra power pipe with this throttle body where as a Bullitt TB would not fit.

Parts Listing:

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Written by: Bill Putnam

Product Manufacturer: Ford

Difficulty Level:

Time: 5 - 7 Hours

Tools: 3/8 socket ratchet, 

(3/8 sockets (deep and regular) 10mm, 12mm, and 13mm), 

3/8 swivel and variety of extensions, 

1/4 socket ratchet, (1/4 sockets (deep and regular) 7mm, 8mm), 

1/4 swivel and variety of extensions, 

13mm open-ended wrench, Flat head screw driver, Vise grips, Adjustable wrench, 3/8 or 1/2 ft lb torque wrench, 1/2 to 3/8 socket adapter (for use with ½” torque wrench), 

Fuel line disconnect tool (can be found at any local parts store for $7-10), Drain pan.

Pictures

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4