1 Installation begins with the hood cutout. Start by removing the pushpins that secure the underhood noise blanket. Ignore the drilled holes in this shot, but notice the rectangular flat spot that Ford thoughtfully provided in the hood sheetmetal--almost as if a Shaker was planned right from the start. | 
2 In preparation for surgery, a layer of wide masking tape is laid down over the general area of the cutout, then the kit's template is trimmed and taped in place and referenced to the side-to-side center of the hood and its rear edge contour. | 
3 With a razor blade or X-Acto knife, cut along the template's indicated line. The idea is to slice through the template, the tape underneath, and actually score the hood paint along this line to eliminate any paint flake during the cutting process to follow. Remove the template and peel the masking tape from the portion to be cut out. |
4 At this point you're ready to drill a 1-inch hole in one corner of the intended cutout, then insert a jigsaw or air saw and trace around the perimeter. The cutting is easy, especially on the '05's aluminum hood. Word is the '06 will switch to regular sheetmetal. | 
5 Before sawing, elevate the hood so as to clear any underhood components, and place a sheet or blanket over the engine to catch any metal shavings. Once the hole is cut, the upper portion of the two-piece trim ring can go on. It has acrylic bonding tape on its underside lip to lock it in place so it can't move around and chafe the paint. CDC thought of everything. | 
6 Next, reinstall the hood blanket and cut out a section to match the Shaker opening. The lower section of the trim ring then snaps into the upper portion, locking the two together and holding the blanket in place around the opening. |
7 Now it's time to dive underhood. Start by unclipping the lid of the airbox, and then unbolt the airbox lower section from the inner fender. Remove the factory filter as it will not be reused. The lid of the airbox, which is attached to the rubber inlet duct, does not need to be removed. | 
8 The mass air sensor's electrical harness has to be unplugged so it can be fed through an opening after the engine cover is installed. | 
9 Likewise, on the other side of the throttle body, this vent line must be temporarily unplugged so it can pass through a hole in the soon-to-be-fitted Shaker/engine-cover assembly. |
10 Mount the kit's ball-stud socket to the intake manifold in the location shown using the U-clamp. This will serve as the rear mounting point for the Shaker/engine-cover assembly. | 
11 Up front, remove only the two top bolts from the throttle body. The throttle body itself does not need to come off; the front of the engine cover will be secured by these top bolts. | 
12 To provide maximum clearance for the engine cover, the stainless band clamp around the rubber inlet duct must be rotated counterclockwise to the position shown with the clamp screw pointing up (it normally sits on top of the duct pointing to the driver's side). A rubber nub on top of the duct will have to be sliced off in order to rotate the band clamp. |