Highly Modified?
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 794
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Highly Modified?
I'm in college and I can see the lite at the end of the tunnle. I cannot wait to get done with school and get on with my life. I have a 97 4x4 4.6 F-150 w/ 213k miles on it. It runs great! When I get out of school I wanna buy something cheap and fuel efficient to use for work and build my truck. I don't want to make it a drag truck. But you know restore it lift it nothing crazy maybe some 37 or 38" tires locker in the rear 4.1 or 4.56 gears fun stuff like that.
What I am curious about is the 4.6. How much power with what kinda mods can you get out of these and it still be a truck engine? I would not want to do anything like turbo or super charger. I am just thinking about how the newer 4.6's have dohc 3 or 4v and 290 sumthin hp. I think itd be really fun to rip this engine apart and see how the internals look at 280k miles or however much I have on it in 2 more years after im done with school and do all my clinical rotations and all that good stuff.
So new dohc & heads. Performance hedders, true dual exhaust, a computer tuner. Is 350 hp 350-400 torque possible? And it still be relaible and able to drive to work once a week if I wanted?
What I am curious about is the 4.6. How much power with what kinda mods can you get out of these and it still be a truck engine? I would not want to do anything like turbo or super charger. I am just thinking about how the newer 4.6's have dohc 3 or 4v and 290 sumthin hp. I think itd be really fun to rip this engine apart and see how the internals look at 280k miles or however much I have on it in 2 more years after im done with school and do all my clinical rotations and all that good stuff.
So new dohc & heads. Performance hedders, true dual exhaust, a computer tuner. Is 350 hp 350-400 torque possible? And it still be relaible and able to drive to work once a week if I wanted?
Moderator
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 22,436
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From: Louisville,Ky.
That power is possible, but not in a truck friendly rpm range without forced induction (turbo/supercharger). Your best bet would be fresh long block with a twin screw type supercharger for dependable, usable power in the 350hp range.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Nov 2003
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Yeah I was just kinda guessing 350. I think if the new 4.6's are pushin 290s could I rebuild my old 4.6 with the new head or even better performance heads, add hedders, exhaust, c.o.p, update the pcm to work with the new heads, add a tuner, get 4.56 gears (i know that doesnt add any hp) I should at least be able to reach 320 maybe? Either way after adding 4.56 gears and only if I got the 290 that the new 4.6's get the truck would feel like a hot rod after drivin around with 210 that my old 4.6 has.
I just want it to be reliable and haul some ***. I'd like the keep the old 4.6 thats in it just for nostalgia.
I just want it to be reliable and haul some ***. I'd like the keep the old 4.6 thats in it just for nostalgia.
Post Fiend
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 10,007
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From: Central Florida
You're only going to find Ford cast heads with $1500 valve jobs done to them. Things I would look at for your plans would be a forged stroker crank, pistons and connecting rods. A little extra displacement can go a long way in power. Going with a forged bottom end will also provide better reliability should you choose forced induction. Convert over the 4v heads with mild cams, and up your compression ratio a little and you should be happy. However, if you plan on F/A you will want to keep your CR low.
Cross-Country
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 70
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From: Latrobe PA
if your planning on doin some other engine mods you may want to go with these for heads....
http://www.patriot-performance.com/w...05244&DID=1225
I imagine they will work on your 4.6L, I have them on my T-Bird but you might not want the Stage III heads like I got, you may want to stick to the Stage II. The 4.6 in my T-Bird was redone completely, the bottom end was built by Sean Hyland Motorsports in Canada, bored .020 over and stroked, running a supercharger, stall converter, gears, 2 1/2 inch exhaust and all the little things you need to get 480HP
BUT........
thats in my car, not a truck
http://www.patriot-performance.com/w...05244&DID=1225
I imagine they will work on your 4.6L, I have them on my T-Bird but you might not want the Stage III heads like I got, you may want to stick to the Stage II. The 4.6 in my T-Bird was redone completely, the bottom end was built by Sean Hyland Motorsports in Canada, bored .020 over and stroked, running a supercharger, stall converter, gears, 2 1/2 inch exhaust and all the little things you need to get 480HP
BUT........
thats in my car, not a truck
Post Fiend
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Yorkton Sask
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Originally Posted by LxMan1
That power is possible, but not in a truck friendly rpm range without forced induction (turbo/supercharger). Your best bet would be fresh long block with a twin screw type supercharger for dependable, usable power in the 350hp range.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Nov 2003
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irishammer I was referring to the 4.6 in the exploder's it has 292.
This is still 2 years off before I'm done with school. But I start clinicals tomorrow morning so one step closer. I really want to get into this engine and see what it looks like on the inside by the time im done with school its got 213k now after school ill prolly be at 250 or 280. There is a local family owned company near me that has been building performance vehicles for years and years they do great work and stand by it. I am hoping they may let me watch them do work to it and I could just have them build the engine since they know what their doin. But its just fun to talk about and hearin what other people have gotten out of their 4.6's. Its such a reliable engine it seems like there'd be more of a performance market for it than their is, especially since its in the mustangs.
This is still 2 years off before I'm done with school. But I start clinicals tomorrow morning so one step closer. I really want to get into this engine and see what it looks like on the inside by the time im done with school its got 213k now after school ill prolly be at 250 or 280. There is a local family owned company near me that has been building performance vehicles for years and years they do great work and stand by it. I am hoping they may let me watch them do work to it and I could just have them build the engine since they know what their doin. But its just fun to talk about and hearin what other people have gotten out of their 4.6's. Its such a reliable engine it seems like there'd be more of a performance market for it than their is, especially since its in the mustangs.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 794
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Wow I looked on roush's website and many I know I would probably have to fab up engine mounts and if it did even bolt up to my 4R70W tranny I would have to get a new one very soon cuz it will just eat it alive. But man the 327 small blacks sound awesome check out the dyno chart the hp curve just goes straight up and the torque curve is very flat. Any one know how much one of those engines would cost, like around 5k? That would probably be so much smarter than trying to build my engine up. Any body have experience with Roush crate engines?