I have a 92' F150 4x4 with the 5.0L engine and E4OD transmission. It gets good gas mileage but seems super "gutless" (sorry guys but I am used to Chevy engines with GM hydromatic or Alison).
I would like to either do an engine/trans swap or rebuild what it has now.
I NEED some torque to actually make it to the ground for all the MUD and SNOW that I drive in. Currently have stock suspension and driveline and run 31-10.50x15 LT all-terrain tires. About 75-80% of all my driving is on highway and/or city. I would like to keep some decent gas mileage and prefer an automatic (so my wife will drive it too).

*What do you recomend? 5.8L/351W with C6? 300 I-6?
Oh, and I would love to delete as much smog and vacuum stuff as I can.
*keep with a 1992 year engine for ease of electrical?
*how difficult is it to retrofit an older smog-free carbed 351W with older style trans?
*Can a Gear-Splitter be added to the C6 to make it a "6"-speed auto and would it be worth it?
*Is the E4OD worth having rebuilt and with a shift kit?

Help Please! Thank you.
(the 302 that is in my truck now is a BULLETPROOF engine but either it just doesn't produce truck-like torque and/or the transmission just isn't getting it put down to the ground. It is almost like that combo was designed for a car not a truck)

 

The E4OD tranny is plenty tough enough. A switch to a 351W would help give you some low end grunt. Mid-late 90's models came as roller moters, try to pick one of them up.

 

Ashcan the factory y-pipe and converters. Swap in an aftermarket Catco/Magnaflow or a pricey Bassani y-pipe with a high flow converter. If you live in Cali. make sure they have a CARB number. From there finish off the exhaust with a muffler/tailpipe of your choice. The factory y-pipe/converters assembly is a well known bottleneck.

Those 31" tires are not helping you any. What gears do you have now? Some lower gears such as 4.10 would do wonders for low end response.

Do a tuneup with new plugs/wires/cap/rotor. Bump the timing up to 12-14 BTDC. Open up the spark plug gap to .055" (aka the Sixlitre tuneup).

Your 5.0L engine will never be a torque monster, but some simple changes will really wake it up. A later model factory roller cam could help you out as well as some 1.7 ratio roller rockers.

 

The E40D is about the best stock auto tranny you can hope for and still get good mpgs. The C6 is a 3 speed and bullet proof but it will run your hwy rpms up can cost you at the pump.

Engine... Ugh... I hate that 302 in the F-series pickup... LOL! the 300 I6 makes just as much torque but not as much HP... The 302 is better suited for Mustangs and other higher RPM applications (ie cars NOT TRUCKS).

92-93 302 270tq & 185HP
92-93 300 265tq & 145HP
92-93 351w 315 tq & 210HP

Also... Be realistic... more power to the ground with a truck this old is going to cost you extra gas. If you want better TQ and better mpgs you'll just have to pony up the dough and buy a newer truck... Or get a diesel...

The 5.8L 351w is a very popular choice among engine swappers on here. It produces a good amount op HP and TQ, gets OK mpgs, and can tow a decent size load. That being said if you are getting a 5.8L it is a plug and play swap from the 5.0L. The 5.8 block is wider so you can't use the 5.0 intake and you'll need a new Y-pipe, and the proper flex plate. Which brings me to the next 5.8L suggestion... Put a better cam and long tube headers on... It will give you a decent bump in HP and TQ over the stock numbers listed above. And like previously stated, the best block will be a 5.8L roller block circa 1994-1996ish...

Keep in mind you have a SD (speed density) motor and not MAF. This means your cam options will be limited unless you convert to MAF which will either cost you a bundle or you'll have to learn to do it the junkyard way with cheap used parts... Either way it's a pain...

and x2 on the re-gearing to 4.10's... But remember that won't help your gas either...

Oh and last but not least... a new high performance torque converter and shift kit for the E40D will help a ton!

 

The 351 would be a better choice for a swap, to get you closer to what you're looking for. If the 302 is too slow for you, the 300 won't make you happy. You don't want a C6 either if you want any kind of reasonable MPG

 

That's because it is, I seriously doubt these early motors made anywhere near their rated 185hp with the stock exhaust system choking the life out of it. And Ford equipped some of these trucks with lincoiln towncar gear ratios.. 3.31, 3.08, and even 2.73s which is all wrong for a powertrain with overdrive and an engine that makes no usefull Tq below 2000rpm. Check the decal on the drivers door pillar for the axle code and post it up, most here can tell you what that decodes to. This 5.0 really responds well to a couple simple upgrades, change the cam to one that actually opens the valves and fit a complete aftermarket exhaust. Just those two changes alone can produce upwards of 80hp over stock.. I kid you not, the intake system is way oversized for the motor and while the heads don't flow as well as the competition from this era they're still good for 275-280hp, so all you got to do is let it breath. Add some appropriate gearing (3.73-4.10) and this truck will run with most of the new trucks.

Definitely don't go the I6 route, it's a ton of work just to fit it in and the motor has no Hp potential and zero aftermarket support compared to the V8s. A 5.8 swap or a 347 stroker kit in the 5.0 is the easiest route to respectable low end Tq, you will have to be careful with cam selection and a 5.8 computer swap would be necessary but otherwise very little additional work is required. You would need a complete 5.8EFI motor for that swap however as very few parts transfer from the 5.0.
There really isn't much smog equipment in there, the air injection system can go but that's about it.
Waste of time IMO, you can get significantly more power from the EFI powertrain for much less work and maintain the fuel milage.
Yes it can but when you already have an OD automatic it's hardly worth it.
Absolutely. Just be aware that this transmission is COMPLETELY computer controlled and if there are any functionality issues with it now it's far more likely to be sensor related than mechanical, which means the trans may not need any work. The first step in diagnosing any issues with these trucks is allways.. pull the codes.. which can be done without any special tools but a basic code reader(Equus 3145) is also available that will remove any possibility of errors.

 

Absolutely do not neglect a shift kit on the transmission, it can really wake it up.

 

Awesome! Thanks a ton, you all answered all my questions and then some. I just bought my truck last March a little bit before our deployment. Was just home on Leave in January during the snow storms in Iowa and had a heck of a time crawling through small snow drifts. granted I left the truck in 2WD the whole time... but this snow shouldn't have needed 4WD. I have a truck chest in the back was loaded up with some fluids and tools... but nothing that heavy. Anyway, I had plenty of grip and never lost any traction... BUT, I had to give way more pedal than I should have and that engine was screamin at me. That is why I thought gearing or trans. We ended up taking our 05' 4.0L V6 Mercury Mountaineer everywhere we went instead.
Not sure what the axle ratios are. I will have to look when I get home in fall. I will have plenty of Block Leave built up and am planning on spending that time working on the truck.
Long story short:
I drive in just as much mud in spring and fall as I do snow in winter. Gas mileage isn't as big a concern as I thought because if I am gonna do the time and work then I will have a finished product with no regrets; and besides, I can always find an old 4-cyl car like a Escort or Corrolla or something for cheap as my work car.

Thanks again for the help, you guys are lifesavers! I am going to try and find a roller 5.8L to do the swap, and probably the shift kit + torque converter work as well. Possibly rear axle work... shoot, I might as well just get a F250HD and be done with it!
Are there good kits and/or diagrams out there for any mounts, crossmembers, brackets, and what-nots for the swap?
I am sure there is probably already threads about this, I haven't looked yet.

 

I apologize for my ignorance. I have grown up with GM and had always owned nothing but GM (except for our Mountaineer). Always liked the look of Ford Trucks but being the loyalist that I am I never gave Ford a second thought... until now. GM has become so "cookie-cutter" the recent years, and they killed Oldsmobile (I am a big fan of Rockets), and finally the whole issue with the bankrupt and bail-out stuff has all lead me to become a Ford guy overnight!
The only thing I know for sure is that when I popped the hood on this truck, it looked like an octopus threw up inside my engine bay! I have never seen so many hoses, charcoal canisters, and vacuum lines before in my life!
I have a lot of learning about Ford drivelines ahead of me.
Anyways, I want to thank you guys in advance for answering any of my dumb questions.

 

300/6 and a ZF-5 trans. Shel get the tires turnin >

 

If he thinks the 302 is gutless, the 300 is going to feel the same way. I have no clue why so many people on here love it so much.

Anyways, 351 or 460 with the e4od or zf5. Or find a 3/4 or 1 ton diesel and call it a day...

 

If you going to do the 5.8L 351w swap... The tranny you have has the same SB ford bolt pattern (the I6, 302 and 351w all have same bolt pattern for tranny). That being said you can use the tranny, cross member and motor mounts. You just need the right flex plate for the 351w. The 351w is a plug and play motor if you already have the 302...

If you stay with a older flat tappet 351w you can use a comp cams 35-255-5 or Crane 444232 to boost the power. MAF and Roller motors require a different cam and I'd have to take a look to find the options there...

A set of long tube headers and new exhaust also help a ton! Kinda the same suggestions Paul was making above for the 302... Both the 351w and 302 are helped by better flowing exhaust and better cams.

and let's not start the 300-302 battle here too...

 

He needs the wheels turnin. 300 puts out more tourque than a 302 damn near the same hp and although not a substantial amount more, it would be just enough to get the wheels kicked over and rolling imo.

 

The answer to the question begs another question:
FROM FORD or What FORD never did?

The best from ford, would be 5.0 Ex cab, 4x4 with AODE/4R70W (or M5od), 3.73 gears - this would net you extra space, and all around perfection for a suggested "midwestern" rural owner.

As for what ford never did....I mean what ford had, but never did it.
Ex cab, 5.8l, MAF wireing (5.0 cars/trucks), MAF computer (5.0 cars/trucks), GT40 intake (Lightening/Explorer), true mid pipe (mustang), headers not manifolds (mustang), SEFI injection no turdly batch fire (5.0 cars/trucks), AODE/4R70W trans, 4x4, with 3.73 gears

ANd like said, shift kit and converter go a long way for better performance feel - and more reliable to boot. It does not take much to make an E4 shift harder.

 

I pretty much agree with everyone here-the 5.0 is junk in a truck, it just doesnt make enough usable power down low to get the truck going along.

5.8 is good, its what i prefer in a ford V8. Dont discount the I6 with 3.55 gears tho, friend of mine has a severely bad running carbed bronco with one and it moves quite well.