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Best Brand Aftermarket Intake Manifold

27K views 70 replies 10 participants last post by  XR7-4.6 
#1 ·
What do you guys think is the best after market intake manifold for my 97? I put a Dorman on my other 97 and was never impressed with the smaller ports. What one should I get? Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Another Ford unit.

The Dorman units are junk. Get a replacement unit from the junk yard out if you can't afford new. Get it from a 98 - 04 Mustang or an '02+ Panther (Crown Vic / Grand Marquis / Town Car). So long as it doesn't have any cracks anywhere, it will be good. An Intake manifold from one of these units ought to also have the upgraded aluminum coolant pass over.
 
#3 ·
99-04. 98 was NPI.

The FRPP one for ~250 is the best overall replacement for most situations. It supports a nice wide powerband, is light, doesn't heat soak, and works well. The downside is they will start to crack and fail after 20 years... Not much of a downside really.
 
#8 ·
#12 ·
Those are Disco; JY is the only source.


You can buy a new PI manifold here:

https://www.modularheadshop.com/i-2...-pi-intake-manifold.html?ref=category:1268182

For $279, drilled for the second sensor, that we need.

You will also need this:

https://www.modularheadshop.com/i-24493620-2v-npi-to-pi-swap-kit.html?ref=category:1268182



You can get these parts from a JY; Crown Vics and GM 4.6l cars to 2009 will have these; maybe later.

Getting the coolant 'nub' out is iffy, tho. Easier to buy new.


Read the sticky on how to do the swap; you will have to pull the water pump, so I'd upgrade it to the closed vane mustang unit at the same time.

If you pull it at the JY, you can grab the pulley as well, so you can use either type water pump.


There's a bunch of other stuff that has to be done just so; read up on it before you start.
 
#11 ·
Get the FRPP unit. It'll work on a NPI heads. You just need the coolant tube and some RTV Black on the two cross corners. There are several write ups and a few YouTube videos on how to make it work on NPI heads. I'm running an FRPP unit right now....
 
#14 ·
I have run the non-PI intake, PI intake, Typhoon and the street heat trick flow intakes on my cougar.

All of them work in the proper rpm range.

Get the intake manifold for the rpm range you intend to run.

Totally stock engine NPI or PI for a little more get up and go.

The Typhoon was slightly better than the PI.

Advantage of the Typhoon is all aluminum, fully portable and will never crack of break from too much boost.

Typhoon cost is not worth the performance gain unless you are supercharger or turbocharged.

TFS Street heat is a 7000 rpm manifold, not worth the cost unless you are running those rpm with heads, cams, valve springs and headers to match.

Fortunately, at the present time my junk works with this one.
 
#56 ·
Questions about the Typhoon intakes.

I like to replace parts once. I'm overall happy with the PI manifold, but the Typhoon appears to be a aluminum version of the PI essentially, with potential for port work to be done. So my question is, is the powerband on the Typhoon essentially the same as that of the PI? If so, I'd rather replace my PI intake with one of those just so I don't have to keep doing it. But, I can buy two and a half PI intakes for what the Typhoon costs, so I'm mildly torn.
 
#15 ·
I am not looking for any kind of a performance gain. It's debatable whether a PI manifold would boost HP anyway when you are running NPI heads. I also don't like the idea of mismatched ports. Sure the PI head will breathe better until the airflow hits the head ports. Then they are funneled down to the NPI port in the head. Gain is probably close to zero.
 
#16 ·
Uhh, that debate was settled 10+ years ago with numerous dyno evidence to prove it. NPI ports aren’t smaller than PI, they’re just shaped differently at the flange, the mismatch may offend your aesthetic senses but the actual effect on airflow is nil. It’s also been proven in fact that the horsepower gains from just the PI intake and PI cams on npi heads are about equal to a full PI engine swap
 
#22 ·
Yes, I asked but asked for an aftermarket manifold. Never wanted to get another stock one or modify to a PI. I am running a Dorman on my other 97 T Bird but was not impressed with it's construction. It has been reliable though after at least 10 years of service.
 
#21 ·
He already bought an ATP, which IIRC someone once said it was a Dorman.

While the Dorman does have ugly sharp edges inside, it does hold up quite well (knocks on wood). Years ago, I replaced a Ford replacement one on our old Cougar with one (before I knew better), and we put at least 80k miles on it before we sold the car. My current 97 has one that the PO had installed before I bought the car.

Sure, you can call a Dorman ugly, but you can also call the old Ford replacement manifold circa 2002 a POS because it only lasted like 40k miles.

Al
 
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#24 ·
...

Sure, you can call a Dorman ugly, but you can also call the old Ford replacement manifold circa 2002 a POS because it only lasted like 40k miles.

Al
The problem is that it drops at least 10-15 HP over stock.

It's been Dynoed here, if anyone cares to search.
 
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#25 ·
Every single aftermarket stock replacement manifold is the same thing. The dorman, ATP, SKP, and Ultra Power are all the same manifold made at the same Chinese factory with the same molds and the same level of quality control. You said in your first post that you were not impressed with the dorman unit. If that doesn’t work for you, then none of the others will be any better.
 
#27 ·
Thanks allot to everyone that responded. I have learned allot from you guys. I bought an aftermarket but will be looking for a Ford unit at the junkyard. From failures, I have noticed the weak point in the Ford unit is the water heater hose barb at the rear on the r/h side. They crack like crazy. Although the Dorman unit is not great for flow, Mine has never cracked at that connection. There is a great video on You Tube on how to convert from NPI to PI. Thanks again everyone.
 
#29 ·
. From failures, I have noticed the weak point in the Ford unit is the water heater hose barb at the rear on the r/h side. They crack like crazy. Although the Dorman unit is not great for flow, Mine has never cracked at that connection.
Because on the Dorman, the nipple and manifold are both plastic. On the Ford units, it is brass, and presumably expands at a different rate than the plastic, which eventually cracks the plastic.

Al
 
#33 ·
Well, back in 2017, the wife's car (1997 Cougar) finally blew an intake manifold gasket ....looking at everything, I decided to just replace the intake with a Dorman unit. Now I am typically not the biggest fan of Dorman...parts are typically good, but not great...this is an exception. From my research, Dorman changed their manufacturing specs/design about a year or so prior ...I ordered and received the new intake....it was actually (IMHO) a better design than the OE intake (which yes was replaced with the oe updated design in about 1998).
As an FYI, the Dorman intake does not utilize any of the oe cylinder head to intake gaskets...as they have incorporated these as individual units into the intake itself (eliminating one layer of gaskets).....IMHO, this was good from several points one of which when installing the intake, there is much less chance of damaging the gasket (although slim, it you got a little rough with it by accident, it could cause an issue) and makes it a much less of a headache aligning things up. But the biggie I saw was the runner design.....although definitely paralleling the oe unit, it did not have near as many of the horizontal type flow restrictors as the oe unit......a little casting flash (vertically) was there but nothing my dremel tool with sandpaper couldn't clean up in 20 minutes. The port alignment was excellent (which with their previous model, it was posted that sometimes you had to cut excess material off the outside of the flange to get it to fit).

Final result.....perfect seal & fit on the 1st time out....car runs excellent as good as it did before (no torque loss as others have reported with the previous model) and the upper rpm (4K+), seems to run a little better actually......IMHO...(ie. less obstructive flow pattern in the runners)

The new gen dorman manifold that they came out with about 2 years ago is really a good unit....I waited until I was convinced before replacing the intake on my wifes 97 cougar sport (4.6)…...the one issue that they most all have is the TB mounting location...vacume leak very common....use a touch of senor safe silicone and that resolves it (had 2 intakes on different vehicles with that issue). The intake runners are nicely formed with little to no casting flash to be removed (unlike their earlier ones)…...IMHO...I also used a touch of Permatex non-hardening gasket glue around the water jackets just for my comfort

I have a good one laying around my house right now......send me an email if you are interested.
 
#35 ·
That's one of the reasons that I use a touch of Permatex at the water ports.....and I have also always used an anode in the cooling system which indirectly helps with a variety of issues...….and I also get a lot of questions such as, "The oem radiator lasted 17 years?...it was the plastic that started cracking?"
 
#36 ·
I ended up cancelling my order on the aftermarket intake and going to the junkyard and getting two PI manifolds. They ran a $46 each. I ordered all the parts I need to do the conversion. Should be good. I have another 97 with a Dorman manifold and may change that one later if needed.
 
#40 ·
I'd say Mikey has swapped a few of those; he runs a shop, and those fit a lot of cars.
 
#50 ·
If he runs a shop, he does this work for the general public. How do you know the customer didn't run it hot. He would have no idea of the history. I have never had a manifold do this. But then again, I have never gotten one this hot. This is obviously heat damage, not just over tightening the bolts. And besides, these manifolds have steel sleeves in the bolt holes to keep excessive stress off the manifold.
 
#41 · (Edited)
That’s not the only one I’ve seen that happen to. The compression of the tightened gasket appears to put pressure on the inside wall of the plastic lip and after enough heat cycles it begins to bulge out and crack from the outside in the passage. It happens underneath the crossover too(to be fair, Ford intakes can have this happen here, though it’s not as common due to thicker wall thickness and better material)

The notion that this is user error is pretty humorous, you must work in Apple support :tongue: The only reason I posted that pic of mine was to show there’s a downside to:

IMHO, this was good from several points one of which when installing the intake, there is much less chance of damaging the gasket (although slim, it you got a little rough with it by accident, it could cause an issue)
Less chance of damaging, eh? I have never, ever, had a issue with separate OEM gaskets, the OEM design itself is pretty foolproof, as they clip into the heads. The additional convenience of Dorman’s integral gaskets is outweighed by the failure point they introduce. The issue of installing it wrong somehow to cause the failure on the Dorman(overtightening? Tightening out of sequence perhaps?) still wouldn’t lead to this to happen with OEM. I’ve even pulled OEM intakes from junkyard engines that had signs of overheating where there was no apparent damage to the manifold.
 
#42 ·
I bought a couple of PI intakes from the junkyard yesterday. They are hard to find. One was off a 2007 Town car and the other a 2007 Crown Vic. I have to wonder though if they are original. No where does it say "FoMoCo"
or have the Ford oval on either one. They do both say Made In USA and have a "W" logo on the upper surface. They also specify the P/N for the gaskets to use imprinted right into the upper runners. Do these sound original or? Is there a difference between these junkyard manifolds and the FPP one? Even on the junkyard ones, it says Made in China on the aluminum crossover piece.
 
#44 ·
I looked at several newer Crown Vics at the junkyard. They all had this same manifold and there are holes in between 2-3 and 6-7. The plastic part is Made in the USA but the aluminum part is Made in China. The number on the bottom of the manifold is 615-175 and the number on bottom of the crossover is RN003-05. It appears that Ford is using these manifolds as original equipment on these newer cars. One was a 2007 Lincoln Town car and the other a 2007 Crown Vicky. I bought both manifolds and they are identical as I described with all the same numbers.
 
#46 ·
I have come to the conclusion that they are both PI Dorman manifolds. Don't know what plastic engine covers are. Those two cars were definitely not from the same owner or fleet. It's strange that both had been replaced. Doesn't say much for the original Ford piece if two random 2007 cars had been changed to Dormans. These manifolds look fine, so I guess I will run them.

I'll have to get the Dorman gaskets though because the Ford ones won't work.
 
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