Removing Heads and other stuff for paint
 

Hey guys I have an 08 stang i want to dress up under the hood. Im a complete car noob but am trying to learn. Im not a stupid person, I work in tool and die so Im mechanically experienced just not in cars.

Im looking to paint my heads, fuel rails, and the throttlebody. Maybe some other stuff if you guys have suggestions. Is there any step by step guys to remove these things and reinstall them? Is it a major job? I have my car put away for the winter so I have lots of time to work on it. Also can i use high temp header paint on this stuff or is their something you guys recommend?

Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks,
Kevin

no clue, sorry...but subscribed for the info...

Search for a thread called "Pure Sexy Eye Candy for Dummies". This guy did exactly what you are wanting to do.

You mean valve covers, throttle body, and fuel rails. You wouldn't want to remove your heads to paint them.

And yes this thread is what you need.

https://mustangforums.com/forum/2005...k-suicide.html

I just did this last week and will be finishing up tomorrow. Pretty straight forward, just take your time.

i see now that its a valve covers and not the heads. Thanks for the info!

whats involved in pulling off the throttle body, valve covers and fuel rails. My car is out in storage right now. Wondering what I would need to know/have to go out there and pull them off

lol pulling the heads off is a MAJOR job!!!

valve covers are easy!

Use compressed air to remove any dust dirt and debris from the area.

Disconnect the battery before you unplug the throttle body.
Remove your air intake from the Throttle body.

unbolt the four 8mm (I think) bolts from the Throttle body and disconnect any other lines going to it
i cant remember if there are coolant lines that run to it or not, if coolant comes out of one of the hoses, dont worry, it will only be a little bit.

When you re install the TB, make sure its all plugged in before re connecting the battery, These electronic TB's can be hell to re program


as for the valve covers. Just unbolt the bolts going round them and they pretty much just pull up.

when they are off, make sure you cover the engine with blue paper towels or something so no dirt gets in there while your painting/

When you re install valve covers, wipe off the surface they sit on (the head) and make sure there is no oil on either surface of the gasket.
Dont over tighten the bolts either, you dont want to crush and split the gasket,
but if its too loose you will leak oil. your best bet is to torque them down. ill look in a few for the specs.

as for fuel rail.

Find the fuel pump relay in the fuse box. pull it out. crank the car a few times to make sure it doesn't start. (Your relieving all the fuel pressure in the system)

unplug the injectors one by one.
Disconnect the supply line and any other lines. its pretty easy.

once again. make sure there is no dirt around. you don't want to get any dirt or grit in the engine or especially the fuel system!

I know this is pretty vague, and i apologize, but once you get under the hood, it should all make sense. Just take your time and remember that paint PREP is everything!!!

Tighten to 10NM or 89inlbs NOT ftlbs!!!!!

Tighten valve cover in a sequence.
start with the upper middle bolt
then the one opposite
then the next one over on the opposite side etc... just like torquing a wheel.

Book time (what a shop would charge to remove and re install) is just over 3 hours on the valve covers.

should only take over an hour

Removing the fuel rail shows just under 2 hours
and the throttle body shows about a half hour

youll need at least a 1/4 in socket set (METRIC)
a few small metric wrenches and a larger one for the fuel line. I have no idea what size that is.

Blue paper towels

and put some old bedding or sheets on the fenders while you work, it would be terrible if the button on your pants or something scratched your fender

thanks for the info. My car is stored without a battery in it. Would I need the battery for any reason? I can unhook and hook everything back up. Then install the battery in the summer and it should be good to go right?

Im just a little nervous doing the fuel rails. I haven't touched anything on this car before. Last car i did any work on was an old chevy 350 with a carb. Everything now is so much more advanced ;) If you say when I took at it ill figure it out Ill take your word for it :)

As for painting, Im gonna sandblast and paint everything. Any ideas for colours? Im thinking ford blue for the valve covers but not sure about the rest.

1 more question. I noticed before when I opened the door of my car while the battery was disconnected i couldnt close it until i connected the battery so the window would drop down. Is there a way to avoid this?



Thanks
Kevin

ps. that is a badass writeup :)