Cutting the firewall

I started cutting the firewall last year, about this time. The problem with cutting the firewall is that there are two sheetmetal stampings that seem to be valuable. I saved all of the sheetmetal that was cut out. I'll keep it around just in case someone wants to go back to the way the car was originally.

First cut is done, and the stiffening rail is being removed slowly at the spot welds.

Sheetmetal removed. There will be some trimming when placing the Coyote.

Coyote Assembly Part 3

I had a very slight problem when I installed the heads. Thinking the pistons would definitely clear the heads without issue, I installed the heads. The installation proved to be a complete disaster. The rotating assembly wouldn't turn over! I realized there was something seriously wrong and deduced it was due to piston/head interference. I called Mahle, and they explained there was a bad batch of pistons that went out of their facility. They offered to send me a brand new set of pistons to replace the set that I had. The only thing I was out was the head bolts since they are a one-time use as well as head gaskets. The new head bolts were still cheaper than head studs, so I counted myself lucky.

Coyote Assembly Part 2

I had the heads rebuilt by a local guy with lots of head rebuilding experience. He knew what to do with the head. I installed Manley stainless valves, Boss 302 springs, and other new hardware as needed. The heads were surfaced at the same time by a very small amount.