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How-to Guides

Step by step, in the right order. Video, tools, parts, and a done check.

Work safely, check your manual. This guide is a helper, not a replacement for your factory service manual. Work on a cool engine, parked on level ground with the parking brake on. Wear eye protection and gloves. If a step doesn't match your car, stop and check the manual or ask a shop.

1993 Mustang 5.0 guides (incl. Cobra)

Each guide has a how-to video, numbered steps in the right order, a “Before you start” box with tools and parts, mistakes to avoid, and a done check. Specs come from factory service information, with the source linked. Each video is labeled with the model year it shows, and matched to the car in your My Garage.

Build stages: what comes first, and why

Project Cobra, Tim's 1993 Mustang Cobra, in order. Street-legal, emissions-legal parts only.

  1. Health check first

    Belt, water pump, spark plugs, and timing to the factory spec, then a stock dyno baseline.

    Why it comes here: A tired water pump or old belt can fail once you add load, and you can't measure a gain without a known-good starting point.

  2. Stage 1: Chassis, front end, launch and tires

    Make the car steer, stop, and put power down.

    Why it comes here: Power you can't put down or stop safely is wasted, and it is hard on the car. The chassis comes before more power.

  3. Stage 2: Engine, fuel, EFI and cooling

    Build the engine, fuel system, and cooling to handle the power that comes next.

    Why it comes here: More air needs more fuel and more cooling. These go in before the power adder, so the engine is ready for it.

  4. Stage 3: Turbo and driveline

    The power adder goes on last, with a driveline to handle it.

    Why it comes here: It depends on everything before it: the chassis, the engine, the fuel, and the cooling.

More guides Coming soon

More guides for more cars and jobs are coming.

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