Hello all,

I've got an '03 Expo with 176 on the clock that just popped her first spark plug. Given the history on these heads, I consider myself lucky but it's time for a rebuild or a swap.

As long as I'm pulling the engine, I figure this is the time to try and improve the gutless nature of the 4.6

I don't do a lot of heavy hauling, but I do pull a 20' pontoon and it would be nice to be able to get out of the hole AND be able to cruise at 70 down the interstate.

My questions are:

What should I do to solve my towing frustrations? Does it make more sense to swap in a 5.4? Does that come with a bunch of issues? Are 'performance' crate engines available?

I thought maybe I would find some complete swap threads but most of what I've seen is 1st gen.

Thanks for the advice!

 

If you're looking for performance Ford modular engines, then these guys will most likely be able to help you out:

Modular Motorsports Racing | Home of the Worlds Fastest Modular Engines

 

Not necessarily looking for a performance motor but if there are some bolt on's that I can do while it's cracked open, I might as well.

Would it be more cost effective to swap in a 5.4? Anyone know of a swap guide anywhere?

 

You could contact them and ask if they can recommend something that fits your needs.

 

If you are gonna swap, the 5.4 is king and designed for your engine bay so you can keep your creature comforts. I didn't really tow much with mine but I'm pretty sure it could do 70 mph in the situation you're talking about. If you want to keep the 4.6, you can build it too too do what you want, but it will probably be less fuel efficient as power rises vs the 5.4L.

You could do cams, bottom end and a supercharger, along with some high flow heads, to either one and you'd get a truck that makes 600+ hp and could probably tow at 100mph. It just depends on what are willing to spend and what you are looking to get out of it.

Every upgrade has it's pros and cons. Cammed engines make better power and great sounds, but gas milage drops quite a bit. Cams are the cheapest option but offer the most compromise. A supercharged or boosted engine can make extreme power all over and maintain good efficiency, however, boost is really expensive. You'll put $3k down at least, just to get the supercharger and then you'll want to intercool it so your engine will go 100k because boost creates a lot of heat and heat is a big enemy to engines. Doing the bottom end or stroking it, will get you a more torque and power, but sacrifices fuel economy. Heads, do about the same as stroking a engine but can add more usability in the higher rpm range.

All in all though, if you want the power, the mod motors are the best for making it because they make it in usable places and make it reliably, although not cheaply.