**NEW** PI intake by Ford Performance

See now, in the LMR dyno video it shows the individual O-Ring style gaskets that the Dorman uses which again brings into question whether this will work on NPI heads. That is disappointing. I think I am going to take MadMikey's advice one step further and just completely mold my own PI intake out of JB Weld and RightStuff using a spare aluminum coolant crossover. Can't be that bad right?
 
@KevinVarnes that is an ambitious plan.

The Fiero enthusiasts have been making custom intakes for decades now. I think the Ford PI intake would be a quite a bit more complicated though. :unsure:

1722886525237.jpeg
 
MadMikeyL said:
I would be very surprised if Ford went through all the effort to reintroduce a manifold for an outdated engine just to not bother springing for CARB certification. Considering how SN95s rust around here, I wouldn’t be surprised if half the 99-04 Mustangs still on the road are in CA!
Click to expand...

Ya, this is what I don't understand, wouldn't any Mustang PI intake out of a junkyard be the same design (meaning superior to an NPI intake)? Sure, it's not a Bullitt or anything, but wouldn't one of those by default be better than the current Dorman version?

Also, if Dorman is in the mood to make a new "PI" intake that isn't really a true PI intake, why not use the old tooling to make actual PI intakes? If the tooling isn't around*, how hard would it be to remake it to the PI intake specs? They can't be that different.

*What is it with these fucking car companies destroying older tooling instead of saving it or selling off to some reputable company (Edelbrock, Holley, whatever) who would make good replacement parts use of it?
 
rampagingsloth said:
Ya, this is what I don't understand, wouldn't any Mustang PI intake out of a junkyard be the same design (meaning superior to an NPI intake)? Sure, it's not a Bullitt or anything, but wouldn't one of those by default be better than the current Dorman version?

Also, if Dorman is in the mood to make a new "PI" intake that isn't really a true PI intake, why not use the old tooling to make actual PI intakes? If the tooling isn't around*, how hard would it be to remake it to the PI intake specs? They can't be that different.

*What is it with these fucking car companies destroying older tooling instead of saving it or selling off to some reputable company (Edelbrock, Holley, whatever) who would make good replacement parts use of it?
Click to expand...

It was apparently a fairly unique tooling to make the one piece molds, biggest differences with the original npi Dormans were just that. The same supplier made LS1 intakes for GM apparently, and when you look at present day composite intakes they’re all constructed in a cheaper multipice bonded manner like the Dormans always were. It all boils down to dollars and cents. What I don’t understand is the aftermarket design WAS revamped at one point with those symmetrical runners, the earlier Dormans cosmetically looked like the Ford intakes with only a few tells(holes between the 2/3 & 6/7 runners, webbing etc). When they went to the trouble to revam them to the current design, I actually had hopes it was in response to the performance deficit of the old ones, but nope.

I totally agree, I personally think I’m going to grab a few real PI intakes when I find them at the junkyard, condition be damned.
 
Dorman has never been interested in performance, they are concerned with keeping cars running and on the road, not horsepower, and I don’t expect that to change any time soon.
The OEM PI manifold is clearly best for performance (not counting the ultra expensive Bullitt, SVO, and TrickFlow manifolds), but the plastic heater hose outlet and the plastic flange under the coolant crossover mean that eventually they will get brittle and crack. I’m confident in my repair to the flange part, but the heater hose outlet could be the death blow for one of those manifolds.
 
MadMikeyL said:
Dorman has never been interested in performance, they are concerned with keeping cars running and on the road, not horsepower, and I don’t expect that to change any time soon.
The OEM PI manifold is clearly best for performance (not counting the ultra expensive Bullitt, SVO, and TrickFlow manifolds), but the plastic heater hose outlet and the plastic flange under the coolant crossover mean that eventually they will get brittle and crack. I’m confident in my repair to the flange part, but the heater hose outlet could be the death blow for one of those manifolds.
Click to expand...

The Explorer ones have it plugged, my idea is to seek out those and use a DOHC heater outlet off the back of the head
 
rampagingsloth said:
Ya, this is what I don't understand, wouldn't any Mustang PI intake out of a junkyard be the same design (meaning superior to an NPI intake)? Sure, it's not a Bullitt or anything, but wouldn't one of those by default be better than the current Dorman version?

Also, if Dorman is in the mood to make a new "PI" intake that isn't really a true PI intake, why not use the old tooling to make actual PI intakes? If the tooling isn't around*, how hard would it be to remake it to the PI intake specs? They can't be that different.

*What is it with these fucking car companies destroying older tooling instead of saving it or selling off to some reputable company (Edelbrock, Holley, whatever) who would make good replacement parts use of it?
Click to expand...
Go to the link I posted in #9. In there is another link to another board where someone with inside knowledge of the tooling gives some pretty good details on what happened and why. Bottom line, like XR7-4.6 posted, it's all about dollars and cents. I can't really blame Ford or the aftermarket. Frankly, I'm surprised Ford went through the effort to market this new intake for an engine they haven't made in ten years and hasn't been installed in their beloved Mustang for twenty years.

I don't disagree with grabbing used ones, but most of the cars I find in the junkyards already have a Dorman intake on them. The others are of unknown history. The first PI intake I put on my T-Bird was out of a junkyard and it lasted about 3 years before the plastic under the thermostat disintegrated and the rear heater hose nipple broke. It is a disposable part in its original form.
 
My thinking is to come up with solutions to the broken ones I come across, Explorer intakes catch my interest because they have the coolant passage molded over to begin with, but I’ve had this thought in my mind about milling a step into a regular PI manifold and RTVing in an aluminum block off plate since before my DOHC swap and before this lack of real PI intake became a real crisis. That combined with @MadMikeyL ‘s solution would essentially make them bulletproof in my mind.

It’s such a shame the 4.6 2V is treated so poorly, it’s very mild compared to what we’re spoiled by today but these junk intakes almost seem designed to deliberately validate the LS/coyote cult naysayers who bag on that engine. Meanwhile those of us with the right supporting mods had no problem holding their own against LS1s in fourth gen F bodies or 5.7 mopars or whatever Bavarian pos with the correct Ford designed parts.
 
So here's a stupid question. If the new one has the coolant passage boarded up and you currently don't have a PI intake, why would you not use this new design?
 
Are the aluminum typhoon intakes still available for the 2Vs? They might be the only good option at this point for a 'PI' intake. Plus them being aluminum would cancel out the cracking issues.
 
Yeah and unless your lucky any typhoon you’ll find second hand will probably be going for a small fortune, to which again your better saving your money for something actually worthwhile. It’s a perfectly adequate PI intake but that’s ALL it is, not something worth $600, or even $300 frankly. A PI intake isn’t a Cobra intake, it’s positively absurd to my brain to pay more than $200 for one.
 
Well given the prices of the other options, I would happily pay $3-400 for a Typhoon just to have a direct bolt on manifold that will never need to be replaced. The problem is now they are going for like $1000, and at that point you might as well spend a little more and get the trick flow manifold.
 
MadMikeyL said:
Because it will be down 10hp and 20ft-lbs of torque compared to the real PI intake.
Click to expand...
But if you have to worry about a real PI cracking and failing, is that 10-20hp gain worth it? Honest question.
 
It depends on the vehicle and what you’re goals with it are. For a stock daily driver type car, this manifold is probably your best bet, but for anyone who is trying to get what power they can out of a 2v 4.6, taking a 20ft-lb hit from 3-4K rpms is a significant detriment to try to overcome!
 
Derphound01 said:
But if you have to worry about a real PI cracking and failing, is that 10-20hp gain worth it? Honest question.
Click to expand...

Well if you swapped a full PI motor into your car using this intake manifold will make it perform like your stock npi engine. That’s the issue.

I’m not talking about stock crown Vic’s and town cars you just want to loaf down the road barely above idle with as a commuter where power doesn’t matter. In our MN12 world PI is an upgrade, be it engine swap, the OEM PI intake or OEM PI intake and cams. So yeah I’d say it’s worth it when the intake encompasses a significant portion of the gains of the swap.

Btw these Dormans fail too, way way way back when I pulled one at the yard before I knew any better about it being aftermarket and even longer before the dynos proving the performance deficit became known. I didn’t use it because the same failure that happens under the crossover happened to it, but on both sides (the integrated gaskets to the head) and the heater outlet is just as vulnerable. Dorman did NOTHING to fix Ford’s design, all they did was provide an equal alternative with a cheaper manufacturing process. So if you think you’re safer running one of these over a used PI I think you’ll eventually be in for a rude awakening
 
Wile E. Coyote said:
Are the aluminum typhoon intakes still available for the 2Vs? They might be the only good option at this point for a 'PI' intake. Plus them being aluminum would cancel out the cracking issues.
Click to expand...

Out of total ignorance, what is a Typhoon aluminum intake? I mean, what cars/trucks was it on and in what years?

Also, what years of Mustang have the swappable PI intakes?
 
Typhoon is just an aftermarket intake made by Professional Products. It kind of looks like an aluminum copy of the real plastic PI intake, but it allegedly does not perform as well.

www.ebay.com

1999-2004 Ford Mustang 4.6L Professional Products Intake Manifold 2V GT Typhoon | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1999-2004 Ford Mustang 4.6L Professional Products Intake Manifold 2V GT Typhoon at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com

I believe Mustangs had PI 99-04. Crown Vic and Grand Marquis trailed the debut by a couple of years. I believe all Explorer/Mountaineers with the 4.6 had the PI intake.
 
If I understand it correctly, if you do the Explorer engine swap then that already has a PI intake, correct?
 
Hah, I would never have considered that possibility. Thanks.
 
KevinVarnes said:
Originally it did come with the PI intake, but double check to make sure somebody didn't change it out and use a Dorman as the replacement.
Click to expand...

Is there an easy way to identify them, like say at a junkyard? I assume there must be obvious markings on Dorman intakes and Ford PI intakes, I'm just considering all the dirt and grime that would be on many of them.
 
Dorman intakes have two flavors, one looks like this(earlier version) note all the holes between runners. NO ford intake has those. Same with the webbing.

IMG_5571.png

This is how the new “Ford” one but the second version looks the same; note the totally symmetrical wide runners. This looks very different from a real PI.
IMG_5569.jpeg

This is a real true PI intake. No webbing, no holes and alternating runners.

IMG_5572.jpeg
 
A lot of the Dorman intakes I've seen have their V wing logo on one of the front runners, but beware there are plenty of other cheap aftermarket brands for this intake too. Best bet is too look for some Ford part numbers or logos on it. I believe the Ford part has a Ford logo between the number 6 and 7 runners.

Dorman V wing logo.
1723417944702.png


Real Ford intake.

1723418114851.png

Most of the intakes I come across in junkyards nowadays are the Dorman version. It is relatively rare to see a real Ford intake.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Back
Top