4.6 in a 50?
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 813
Likes: 5
From: Meade, KS
4.6 in a 50?
I love my Effie. It served as my daily driver through HS, and College, and was my wife and my most reliable vehicle when we first got married. Thankfully we don't have to rely on it like we used to, and I'm getting to the point where a tired old 302, Manual steering, Drum Brakes, and no A/C (particularly this time of year) just isn't as appealing as it used to be.
I've got a number of good leads on a new engine, tranny, and all the goodies at a great price, and after looking through an all too long list of websites I've found measurements for a 4.6 that claim it will fit in the space I have available under the hood.
The idea (not yet a PLAN) is to take the 4.6 from a 2000 Police interceptor with all the goodies I can carry, and find a way to fit it in my truck. Which brings me to the question...
Has anybody ever done a similar engine swap? How did it go? What problems, or issues should I look out for or be aware of?
Thanks for the help!
I've got a number of good leads on a new engine, tranny, and all the goodies at a great price, and after looking through an all too long list of websites I've found measurements for a 4.6 that claim it will fit in the space I have available under the hood.
The idea (not yet a PLAN) is to take the 4.6 from a 2000 Police interceptor with all the goodies I can carry, and find a way to fit it in my truck. Which brings me to the question...
Has anybody ever done a similar engine swap? How did it go? What problems, or issues should I look out for or be aware of? Thanks for the help!
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 27,294
Likes: 1,055
From: NM
Seems like you might be breaking new ground with that swap. Are you dead set on using the 4.6? Personal opinion, the 4.6 is not a torque motor, and torque is what you need most in a truck. I guess you could gear it so it wouldn't matter so much, but it's a complicated motor, made for emissions compliance and good gas mileage, and it's only a 280 inch motor. I just don't see it being a good candidate. Maybe if you found a 5.4L...
Tuned
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 262
Likes: 4
From: Lake Jackson, Texas
My son drives an F-150 with the 4.6. Around town and on the highway it does pretty well, but it's kinda weak towing the ski boat. That's with 3.55 gears in a 97 Supercab for reference. The weight difference may make or break it.
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,337
Likes: 165
From: Harpswell Maine
I use a 95 Lincoln Town Car with a 4.6 to tow an enclosed car trailer regularly. It does the Job. I have a friend who has towed about over 50,000 miles with an enclosed car trailer. It was dragging a bit on a trip from New England to Florida one time. He knew that he was particularly heavy. For interest he weighed the entire rig during that trip. It came out to just over 14,000 #! I don't recommed those weights but it speaks volumes about the engine/trans.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,242
Likes: 2
From: Bartlett, TN
I have a 5.4 SOHC in a 2001 Excursion. Right now I can't remember what our rear gear is, but it is rated to tow 6400#. I had the same idea to put one in my 54 F100 until I saw the $2000 price tag at a junk yard here in Memphis. I might beat that somewhere else. So far I haven't seen anything like this being parted out. Also, before going to far with this "idea", go to the 4.6/5.4 modular forum site here and look up a discusion concerning engine knock. Seems these engines do that a lot (ours hasn't to a great deal, but some of my friends have commented on the knoise).
A 5.4 has to same bore as the 4.6, so the difference is stroke. Plus it has a taller block. It might not fit the same hole as the 4.6, although I think I've seen 460s in the 48 - 52 models.
Also if you go with the latest (as all of the modulars are) you better be ready for a ton of electrical work! Of course I remember seeing a supercharged 4.6 in a 66 at the F100 Supernationals some years back and it had a ton of "WOW".
A 5.4 has to same bore as the 4.6, so the difference is stroke. Plus it has a taller block. It might not fit the same hole as the 4.6, although I think I've seen 460s in the 48 - 52 models.
Also if you go with the latest (as all of the modulars are) you better be ready for a ton of electrical work! Of course I remember seeing a supercharged 4.6 in a 66 at the F100 Supernationals some years back and it had a ton of "WOW".
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,777
Likes: 42
From: Minnesota
The electrical is not bad, as long as you get the computer with the car it can be expensive. There are several companies that will make or already have a wiring harness for your application. THe direction in the kits I have seen were good.
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Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: Kansas City area
I've been looking at putting a Lightning 5.4 in my next 56 project and it appears to be a pricey situation. In addition to the cost of the engine I have found only ONE company that makes a harness to get rid of some of the sensors, the anti-theft deterrent system, and make it work for the aftermarket application. The cost of the harness is $850 plus reprogramming the computer is another $250. So you have a thousand dollars in just getting it to run. I assume the 4.6 might be a similar situation. The name of the company that said they could make the custom harness was The Detail Zone, a spin off venture of a former employee of Ron Francis Wireworks. Good luck and let us know what you decide.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 813
Likes: 5
From: Meade, KS
The 4.6 is appealing because of it's price and availability in the KC area. I've got a lot of side-swiped Police cars, and a handful of Lincs, and Mercs, I can pull parts off, and get a good price.
So far as towing goes, I don't have a hitch on the truck, did have but it didn't work with the SS bumper. IF I ever did pull anything with it, it wouldn't be more than a motorcycle trailer, or maybe a pop-up camper.
Wiring harness, etc. would be part of the deal, BUT I never thought about the Smart Key. That's a problem I'll have to figure out before I go further.
Thanks for the feedback!
So far as towing goes, I don't have a hitch on the truck, did have but it didn't work with the SS bumper. IF I ever did pull anything with it, it wouldn't be more than a motorcycle trailer, or maybe a pop-up camper.
Wiring harness, etc. would be part of the deal, BUT I never thought about the Smart Key. That's a problem I'll have to figure out before I go further.
Thanks for the feedback!
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 813
Likes: 5
From: Meade, KS
I'm not entirely sure how the Smart Key deal works either. I know there's a chip in the key that is read by the vehicle. You don't have to have the key in the ignition for it to work. You can have a "dumb" key to turn the tumblers, with a "smart" key taped under the column and never know the difference. (Haven't done it myself, but it was suggested to me by the service guy at my Ford dealer when I bought my last pickup and was lamenting the cost of getting a second key).
All that to say...there must be something in the column that reads the chip...and it must be wired to the computer some how, but I've got no ideas on how. Then, I'm not sure how I would wire/install the new ignition switch into my truck. Right now it's got the "in the dash" switch, with a push button start.
I'll have to check out the fordracing.com computer, and see how badly they want to rip a person off for it. Thanks for the tip, by the way.
All that to say...there must be something in the column that reads the chip...and it must be wired to the computer some how, but I've got no ideas on how. Then, I'm not sure how I would wire/install the new ignition switch into my truck. Right now it's got the "in the dash" switch, with a push button start.
I'll have to check out the fordracing.com computer, and see how badly they want to rip a person off for it. Thanks for the tip, by the way.