'01-'03 Composite UIM Swap for the 3.0 Vulcan
From Taurus Car Club Maintenance and Modification Wiki
The composite intake is superior to the '99 and lower intake because the plastic is a much poorer conductor of heat than aluminum and it features longer, equal-length runners. It has been shown on the Ranger Vulcan that the composite UIM creates a much flatter torque curve compared to the aluminum UIM. This is a relatively simple modification, and you will need an '01-'03 UIM, '01-'03 PCV tube (PN: 1F1Z6C324AA), '01-'03 EGR tube, a hose "T", and one more of the shortest UIM bolts from your Taurus.
The fourth generation UIM is similar to the previous generations in fitment, but there are a few important differences. Instead of using six bolts to fasten to the LIM, it uses only four, and they are of a different size and thread pitch. Looking at the back of the UIM, you will see that it has one larger vacuum connection where the aluminum had two very small connections for the fuel pressure regulator and the EGR vacuum solenoid. Instead of using a stamped metal gasket, it has rubber rings around each runner and at the throttle body. This is nice because you will never have to replace a gasket, but makes alignment more critical for a better seal.
The first step is to remove your aluminum UIM and all of its accessories. All of the sensors should bolt to the composite manifold in similar positions, but we did have some issue with the DPFE fitting. Depending on availability, you may be able to replace yours with a later sensor for better fit. In order to use your original UIM bolts, you need to drill out the metal sleeves in the UIM to match the bolts. We originally tried simply removing the sleeves, but found that made aligning the manifold very difficult. With the sleeves drilled out and all of the accessories attached to the manifold, you can go ahead and bolt it on. The '01-'03 PCV tube is a direct fit, but the EGR tube and small vacuum hoses require modification. With the vacuum fitting farthest from the throttle body, you will need some sort of "T" to make the fittings going to the FRP and EGR vacuum solenoid connect. We simply scavenged around the garage, however a more professional looking job could probably be done with some brass plumbing fittings. At this point, it is also a good idea to lengthen the wires going to the DPFE and EGR vacuum solenoid, as the longer runners of the composite UIM put them further back in the engine bay. For the EGR tube, after a couple of failed attempts, I found the easiest way to make it work is to take the '01-'03 tube, and cut the ends off a little before each bend, which will leave you with the two endpieces and the straight middle section. Attach the ends to the UIM and rear exhaust manifold, and then trim down the middle section bit by bit until it will fit between the two. I used rubber hose and clamps to join the pieces together, however this is probably not a permanant solution. You can either have it welded or use some very high temp silicon sealant (I think Permatex makes an Ultra Copper sealant that would work for this). Either way just make sure you get it together in exactly the position it fits between the manifold and header, otherwise it won't fit.
