
What happens when you decide that cheap, inferior copy intake is good enough to buy? Abom79 demonstrates in a four-part series and Carbage follows along.
If you’re not familiar with Adam Booth, who is better known as Abom79 on YouTube and works at Booth Machine Shop in Pensacola, Fl, is easily one of the best machinist channels on the social media platform. His work ranges from repairing crankshafts to customizing Hayabusa pistons to grinding electric motors back into their proper shape.
However, his channel is much more than just showing off his craft in his home shop as he explains his processes and the tools he uses in clear and concise language. You don’t have to be a machinist to know what work Abom79 is doing. Of course, having a home machine shop also means you get some interesting projects. For example, this 5.0-liter Ford V8 intake that’s going into a turbocharged Ford Mustang Fox Body.
Behind the Scenes Coverage
I spoke to Adam about this intake and this series and he has agreed to allow me to follow along with it in this written format. Even so, you should check out this first of four videos that will be coming out in digestible chunks rather than one exceedingly long video. This first part sets up what’s about to be done and creates the unique fixture he needs to make this intake stop leaking.
5.0L Mustang Intake Manifold Part 1
A Surface as Flat as Cottage Cheese
Now, you’re asking, “why does this need to be done to what looks like a fairly new part?” A good question and Adam explained, “The intake is a Chinese-made copy of a Trick Flow manifold and plenum. From what I was told, the only reason the customer even bought it was because this was the only way he could find it in a polished version.”
The Shaper
Adam also explained why much of the work that’s going to be done to the intake flanges will be on the shaper, “These types of jobs that have odd angles and geometry and that is one reason I wanted a universal table shaper.” It’s hard to argue with the surface finish that the shaper leaves after it’s done its spring pass. Rather than the circular patterns left behind by using an end mill or fly cutter, the shaper leaves straight machining marks. The work done by the shaper just comes out looking much cleaner, but the more important part is that the part is square when you’re done. Adam even says that this job could have been done completely on the mill if he needed to.
The Amazing Transfer Screw
Once the four bolts are set, Adam snugs up the fixture plate then takes a dead-blow hammer and thwacks it at each corner. What’s left are four perfect points that will center the drill with precision. I really wish I had known the existence of these transfer screws for a few projects of my own.
After the four holes are drilled, he flips the fixture plate over and lines up the mill table to center the quill to the larger hole. Adam then proceeds to counter sink them to allow the socket cap bolt heads to sit flush with the surface of the fixture plate.
T-nut Ain’t a Rapper
The last step of setting up this fixture plate is to drill out two more holes that will allow him to attach the intake to the shaper table with a pair of T-nuts. Adam opts for a 5/8-inch size flange nut and hardware to be used to secure the intake to the shaper table. He locates where he wants them to be, 1-inch inward of each edge, and drills the holes out using a 41/64-inch drill as that provides the correct clearance for a 5/8-inch stud.
Follow Along!
This is only the first part, as I mentioned earlier. Next up will be the machining of the thermostat and plenum flanges. Carbage will bring you the behind the scenes and observations after that video goes live.
Give Abom79 Some Love
Be sure to subscribe to Adam’s channel on YouTube, Abom79. Be sure to check out his Instagram and Facebook page to see what he’s working on as it is happening that day. If you like his work and want to support him, you can donate to his PayPal and Patreon or purchase the same tools and products he uses on his Amazon store.
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