Thread: Ford Guru's, Try this one out

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Ok, I've just bought a 1997 Ford F-150. It has a v6 and a 5 speed. My question is, Are there any good v8's that i can drop into it? Are there any modifications that i can make to this motor to make it perform like a v8? What kind of options do i have? (keeping in mind that i need this to be somewhat barable on gas because I work 30 miles from home and I work 7 days a week)

What motors can I play with v6 and v8? Doesn't ford make a 300ci v6? Lemme know...

the 300 is a L6 and would be a nightmare to put in a 97...... the motors you really have the options of putting in with the least amount of problems are... the 4.6V8, the 5.0 V8, and the 5.4V8..... i guess if you wanted to get tricky you could be the 2.0 Zetec motor in there ..... make note that the 4.2v6??... i think thats the displacement... 4.6 and 5.4 are modular motors, so they'll be the easiest to hookup into that truck.... the 4.6 has a decent amount of power and pulls about 18-20mpg..... the 5.4 has even more power and pulls about 18-20 mpg.... personally i'd go with the 5.4..... but there is a larger parts line for the 4.6 because they're the most common motor for the mustangs..... you can get DOHC heads and stuff for them

Originally posted by thesals
make note that the 4.2v6??... i think thats the displacement... 4.6 and 5.4 are modular motors, so they'll be the easiest to hookup into that truck....personally i'd go with the 5.4..... but there is a larger parts line for the 4.6 because they're the most common motor for the mustangs..... you can get DOHC heads and stuff for them

Can you explain what you mean when you talk about that being the displacement? And what exactly do you mean about modular? i mean i know what modular means for motors, but can you explain this a little more clearly? After saying that there is a bigger parts market for the 4.6, would you still go with the 5.4? Where would be the best place to find a 5.4 engine...I would also need the wiring part of it and such...I guess im just looking for a little more detail?

Displacement=size of the motor. and yes, the 4.2 is the right size. its basicly a 5.0 with 2 cylinders lopped off. As for the 5.4L, you would probably have better luck with that motor if you want more OEM power. If you plan to do more modifications, you would have better luck with the 4.6. You best place to locate either motor for your truck with the complete harness and computer would be a scrapyard. if you are lucky enough to find one that has been hit in the rear end, thats a goldmine. As for the 300I6, this may be doable. they were installed till at least 92, and there is an abundance of fuel injected motors in yards. At least locally. Im not sure across the country. The main problem would be checking for clearance. And possibly emissions. Anyway, hope this helps

The later F150s (and the Expedition I have as a family bus) are pretty tough to do much with. Our local Ford dealer's service writer, with whom I went to high school, tells me they just use a hoist to lift the body off the frame to do major stuff. Easier than working with the engine halfway back under the cowl.

Which is exactly where it is. The back couple of cylinders on each bank are way back there. I'm a little nervous about having this thing as it gets more miles on it, since even the spark plug changes look - er - interesting.

But the 4.6L V-8 that's in my 2000 Expedition pulls that monster down the road well enough. The thing weighs in at about 5600 lbs, and at 60MPH on non-California gas, I've gotten 20MPG. 4WD and six and a half feet tall.

The 5.4L engine is about the same physical size, and they aren't particularly heavy, but I think you're looking at removing the rad, grille, rad support, all that, to be able to move the engine forward far enough to lift it out of the truck. May be easier, literally, to get a set of camper jacks and remove the cab to do the work.

The comment about the parts stream for the 4.6 is no doubt accurate, but you may get lucky and find an engine in a wrecked Lightning or Harley-Davidson edition F150, which will give you a blown 5.4L. The horsepower on the Lightning was about 390, and the H-D version wasn't far behind.

The 300 I6 is a good engine, bit it is long and probably wont fit in the newer vehicles. That's why I am sticking with the '65 F100. I can put just about any engine in it - including the 410/428 that I have waiting for installation. But the mileage won't be good. I assume if I get 12-14MPG I should celebrate.

Good luck in any event. I may be a Ford bigot, but the new Chevy/GMC trucks look a lot easier to work on. At least up to 2003 (a friend's daughter has one), the engine is pretty much out in the open. Also, pushrod vs. OHC. Probably less fidgety, even if a little lower on power. Depends on what you want.

you guys are a great help, i would appreciate any more comments or suggestions that you have... as far as lifting the body off the frame, i work at a garage and we have big 10 ton lifts, im pretty sure i could just let the body loose of the frame and pick the frame right off with a lift and it would leave the chassis sitting on the ground. I would rather just take out the front grill i think though. If im going to do a complete engine swap then i am REALLY going to need any extra tips or suggestions that you guys could possibly give me. The 5.4 is that the equivalent to like a 351? or what would that be in cubes? Is the 4.2 even worth leaving in the truck? I don't exactly want like 500 hp or anything like that. But i would like to be able to at least be respected for what i have accomplished. If there is any kind of market for a 4.2 I might be interested in that also. Lemme Know...

4.2s are great.... in smaller cars with manual trannys..... and the 5.4 isn't a 351 its actually a 330CI motor.... it almost resembles an older Y-block..... getting the 4.6 and 5.4 in are going to be exactly the same trouble, they're both the same block, they just have a different stroke and different heads.... now... if you're going to go with the 5.4 i reccomend 03 and up... because they changed over to that 3 valve setup in the heads.... added some extra power to the motor for really no cost on gas mileage at all..... for changing out the engine you're going to have to get the motor, a wiring harness for your year truck with that motor, the radiator for the motor, the ECU, and make sure to take the clutch with the flywheel..... but thats where your largest problem is going to be.... finding a 5.4 truck that has a stick.... almost all of them are autos, unless you goto the f-250 superduty...... even though i'm sure you can probably buy a new flywheel for the motor, might even be able to get a lighter than stock flywheel.... other than that its not going to be too rough.... goodluck

If your looking for rugged dependability,,then the 300 six is the best ford motor out there,,(just my humble opinion) my brother has a 96 and his is a 300 efi,,there's lots of room until you get to the firewall, the last plug is a bit hard to get too, but not impossible.
If your looking for extreem measures,,then get yourself a good 460 cube V8,,the gas mileage sucks,,but the shear grunt those 460's give ya is something else.
The suggestions about lifting the cab are good ones if you got the room to do it,,but make sure you tag every plug from the firewall to the motor,,and the tranny to firewall,,before you go disconnecting and lifting the body.

Lol, no i dont want shear cubes. I have no need for a 500 hp engine. I need this car to able to go from my town to the town that i work in without just ripping my wallet in 1/2. HOWEVER, I would like to have a motor that I can count on, be respected for, and not be blown out of the water with. If i can do this with the 4.2 id like to because the engine swap for this truck sounds complicated. But if i really need to go with the bigger motor then i guess i have no choice . Hooray for new age hotrods. everything has to be complicated now. WTF.

So on another note, if i were to go snag the 5.4L v8, then i'd have to track down another 97 F-150 that came with the 5.4L for the computer? or Please help me understand. Couldn't I just pull the whole engine/computer/tranny from a truck that has the 5.4L v8?

Originally posted by Hopper111
Lol, no i dont want shear cubes. I have no need for a 500 hp engine. I need this car to able to go from my town to the town that i work in without just ripping my wallet in 1/2. HOWEVER, I would like to have a motor that I can count on, be respected for, and not be blown out of the water with. If i can do this with the 4.2 id like to because the engine swap for this truck sounds complicated. But if i really need to go with the bigger motor then i guess i have no choice . Hooray for new age hotrods. everything has to be complicated now. WTF.

So on another note, if i were to go snag the 5.4L v8, then i'd have to track down another 97 F-150 that came with the 5.4L for the computer? or Please help me understand. Couldn't I just pull the whole engine/computer/tranny from a truck that has the 5.4L v8?

'97 had only 2 options for motors. The 4.6 V8 and the V6, the 5.4 came in '99 or '00

The easy thing to do would be to find a whole setup from a 98-05 f150, expedition, excursion for a 2 or 3 valve 5.4/4.6. Althought the "trick" thing to do would be to find a navigator or an aviator to rob. The navigator has a 4v 5.4 and the aviator uses a 4v 4.6l similar to the Cobra. You would need the harness, pcm,engine,trans,radiator etc. A lot of places are now building performance parts for the 5.4l such a Sean Hyland. The BIG problem would be if you wanted to keep a manual trans with the new engine as ford uses the pcm to also control the auto trans, so you may have some software issues with it. You can by-pass it by using a F.A.S.T. pcm but that system runs roughly $1800 + dyno time to tune the calibration. You have a lot of options, just depends on how much you want to spend.

check into the super charger from the 89 t-bird v-6 and maybe a shot of gas -- might be a hole lot cheaper and a lot less work and would would realy supprise a lot of people otherwise i would look for another truck with a v-8. the newer the vech. the more complicated the switch over with computers- smog- fuel -elect-trans- radiator -springs and the list could be even larger--what ever you do--do your homework so what ever you decide you can and will finish it if do.

Trade your truck in for one with the bigger engine already in it. Computerised vehicles are a nightmare to modify that much. Even the wiring harness can be different, the plugs are the same but the positions of the wires are different. Drive ya crazy!