Greetings and Merry Christmas!
Here's the deal, 98 f150 235k, 2wd xcab. The poor thing is wearing out. It's hauled my tools and trailers for years now. It's tired and had a good run. I LOVE the truck and have enjoyed it thoroughly. I'm looking at replacing the engine. Since it's a 98, i do not have the PI setup. My tentative plan is to buy an aluminum 02 Explorer 4.6 2v with the PI obviously. I have lots of questions Should I get a short block and then shave and port the heads? Or just go longblock I do realize I'll need the updated intake as well. I do have concern as to the mounting of the alum. block. Will I need a tune after putting a newer motor with the PI? I read something that dealt with a heater hose in the back of the intake? What about sensors? Will all the 98 sensors fit in the updated block and wire up correctly? I love this truck and would love to get a little more power and slightly better mileage. I'm currently getting about 14-16 highway. Budget is set at 5k overall. This is mainly a driving truck and not a towing beat or drag truck Im well aware of this
This is the replacement motor I'm looking at. http://www.promarengine.com/productd...odId=598&SP=--

Also, I drive at night and my lights have gone dim. I've already put in new lenses and bright lights. I'm wondering about HID or projector lights. Im also tired of idiots not turning their HID brights off so I need something BRIGHT! I'm ignorant as far as new electronics go so KISS please Thanks in advance.

 

well not sure about the motor swap but i can explain the HID lights. alot of the kits dont have bright lights so they just aim them high. they range from 5000k all the way to 30,000k. the lower the number the brighter the light so 5000k is pure white and it goes from white to blue to purple at 30,000k. i have 8000k hid's in my truck and they are bright. lights up street signs very good.

 

Thank you for the pics, Where did you get the lights and whats the process for installing them? I, definitely looking for something pretty bright on low beam and then crank it up for high beams. Im liking how your truck is set up. Would you advise going with euro glass headlights?

 

i got them from the hidfactory.com here in houston. also you can buy them off ebay. yea i like the euro clear headlights i plan on getting some for christmas. it will make them alot clearer and wont cut the beams like the lense does now. the lights are very east to install. you just replace the bulbs, run the power and ground and plug the bulbs back in and thats it.

 

The Explorer aluminum block will save you approx 70 lbs from the front end of the truck. It's also equipped with PI heads, which will (in stock form) gain you about 40 hp. You'll need to adapt the fuel rail line connections to use the Explorer rails or make some brackets to attach the F150 rails onto the Explorer intake-the F150 rails will not bolt onto the Explorer intake manifold. The heater hoses will need a bit of modification, but nothing that's really difficult. You'll need to swap over some of your existing sensors, some of the Explorer versions have different connections.Motor mounts will bolt right on, but you might have to get out the grinder to "adjust" the extra mounting bosses that are cast into the block-I had to do that on the Tbird when I put the Explorer block in it. It's a good swap, and you'll be pleased with it.It will take a bit of work, but it's nowhere near as bad as some swaps are.
JL

 

JL, I was wondering if you were gonna pop in. Thanks for the advice. Due to my inability and unwillingness to even think about getting over my head, I think the iron block would be the simplest choice. When going to the PI setup, would I need a tune or is it just plug and play? While I've got the motor out, what would be some good things to look at/replace/mess with while I'm there?

 

Any engine swap,other than the identical year and engine plant will require work. This could involve modifications of the mounting bosses on the block for the engine mounts, swapping over electronics, possibly swapping front timing covers,etc,etc,etc. The NPI PCM will run the PI engine, but the spark tables will be off. It'll run, but it just won't be optimal.
JL

 

To me, swapping stuff over is easy. When it comes to modifying... I get skeered So after putting in a PI I will need to get a tune. The swap should theoretically be a breeze as long as I put the connectors all back together properly. Electrical scares me. As well as timing and major engine work. Simply because I don't understand it. Thanks so much for your input JL. Its much appreciated

 

Might I suggest if you are on a quest for more power to get the 5.4 out of a Lightning or even just a 2v 5.4? (PI of course)

 

Hybris: Thanks for the idea and I've already looked into it. I'm currently looking at the Nav 5.4 dohc swap done a few years ago. It's more work and effort than I'm willing to put into it at this point in time. My goal is to have this done start to finish in less than a week so simpler is better. Bolt on mods I'd go for and possibly an aftermarket intake too.

 

For the lights, don't screw around with HIDs. HID swaps are illegal and for good reason. I tire of all these people shining them in my eyes, makes me hate driving at night. They are illegal because halogen reflectors are not designed to aim them properly, so it scatters the light. This creates maximum glare and blinds the other drivers out there.

What you need to do is get a relay harness and some good halogen bulbs. The GE Nighthawks are recommended, as are the Sylvania Xtravision. Stay away from the Silverstars, they are actually dimmer than the Xtravision. I know they have their ads showing how much brighter they are and how much farther the light travels, blah blah blah. Its amazing what you can do with different exposure and color temperature settings. But optical trickery does not a brighter headlight make.

The idea is you want a headlight setup that puts more light on the road where it needs to be, while minimizing glare. The lights need to enable you to see without impairing your night vision. You also need good color rendering. HIDs fail in many of these regards. Halogens are better in most of these areas, and the halogen technology is improving at a greater pace than HID technology.

If you do decide to go with HIDs, at least get projector headlights to match.

 

Illegal?? that's news to me! I currently have halogen Xtravision and I bought them a month ago and they're not delivering what I expected. My moms old minivan has better lighting than my truck! And I did check them and they are adjusted correctly. That's why I'm researching the HID. They're bright and im tired of oters not turning they're brights off. I've nearly wrecked on some back roads because I can't see the blessed road. My turn now

 

Yes, it is illegal in all 50 states to install HID conversions on any vehicle not originally equipped with the proper HID specific housings.
JL

 

since when are they illegal? ive never heard that nor have received any type of ticket or warning or anything regarding hid's being illegal. ive had mine in for about a year now.

 

You haven't ran across an officer that wants to take the time to write it up yet. That's all.
it is, and ALWAYS has been illegal to install an HID lamp into any headlamp housing that was not designed for it.
JL