addicted56,
Are you military or just live around the Bragg area, I'm from just east of there 52 miles however, I live in SC now maybe one day we can link-up.

 

IMHO, I would stay away from any of the OHC Ford Motors. You must realize that they are all underperformers, cost a lot to wire in to an old truck, and are very difficult to work on. Find a 302/5L and an AOD or a T-5 for it. The 302 has a very high specific output when it is built (as it was in a late Mustang) with high compression, fuel injection, headers, and a computer that had a performance chip with good MAP and Ignition advance curves. The engine has low weight as well.

You also, by having a '54 truck, the right to use an early 302 with a carburetor, distributor, etc. You can build one with great aftermarket heads, a good distributor, carburetor, headers for about $3K and you can get 20 MPG easily in your truck particularly with a T5 or AOD. You would love an old engine like this as it will rev, it sounds great, and you can work on it. I built a lot of these trucks up during my time as a restorer, and either a SBC or a SBF are definitely the right engines. Gas will come back to $4 a gallon, and his is no time for big motors, or complex motors. Half of the reason to run an old truck is to enjoy the old. Otherwise, just buy a new truck. I bought a new truck to get a 4 x 4 with OD that gets 20mpg. Now I am emulating the running gear in an old truck to get the mileage with a '53.

Just my idea......

Regards,

Alan

 

Yep Military and live just north of Ft. Bragg a few miles.

I agree that some old trucks should have old engines and it is fun to work on them. I have a 68 Dodge PW 4x4 that is a hoot. 100% Stock.

I can't say that putting a newer 302 or older SBC or SBF consistutes as keeping in tradition though. Throwing SBC is masacistic and the fuel injected 302 is 3 decades after the truck was built. Plus the 4.6L gets slightly better mileage. I can actually spend more time enjoying it on the road when fuel prices are high.

As far as expense I have to disagree as well. I paid $300 for the Derby Car that had 0 Miles on the transmission rebuild and a low mileage engine. I had fun with it, crashed it, yanked out the engine tranny and rear end and basically minus a few parts here and there that would have been needed on any engine swap I did it for nothing. Basically cheaper than buying a worn out 302...which is what was in the truck before I bought it.

Just saying

 

I don't think Ford has used the 5.0 since 1996. That makes anything I find 13 years old at best. I know parts are going to be around for many years to come, but I wonder if I'm going to go down to the pull-a-part and find a low mileage 5.0 (or 5.7 for that matter).

Now another problem with the 4.6 or 5.4 is knowing what the mileage is. Most cars and trucks with that motor have digital odometers. I know the pull-a-part in my area pulls the batteries before they land on the lot, so you can't just look inside for the mileage. I don't think I want to tote a battery around with me, but I guess that's an option.

 

you have to decide what your plan is.. in my case, I wouldn't trust a pull engine for anything other than fitment and test drive.. So you have to factor that into your overall budget and objective.

sam

 

i went to a insurance auction to purchase mine $ 500.00 got me a granny driven 89 crown vic with 80 000km, basically used every part i can for the swap, there were 2003-2006 crown vic cruisers that went for $800-$1000, kinda shyed away from those when i seen they has emobilizers in them! also the 5.0l you can get all kinds of parts reasonably priced and lots of mods avalable, the 4.6 was only a 2 valve engine and limited to its potential without spending big$$

 

Potential for HP is one thing. Being able to hook up with all of that power is another.

You are right that it is expensive to build a lot of power in the 4.6 though. You can get the PI heads and put them on the non PI block and get the best combo overall. You can get used heads and extra work done on them for about 700 bucks. Probably the best bang for your buck on those things.

 

I just looked at your gallery. I tried something akin to that with a 57 F100 I used to have. I used a 90 Lincoln Towncar. I took the tack welds off the front clip that held it on the main chassis. It was 2 "C" channel steel pieces that I could grind a slot right in the seam where they were welded together and it fit right up to the frame of the 57 (that I had relieved of its front clip). I had measured and moved the front wheels up 1 1/2" to fit the wheel opening better and the back of the 5.0 in it hit the 57's firewall. That and trying to piecemeal the Lincoln's wiring harness stalled that build.

How has yours come along?

 

i brought the front end farther out as well, had to crease the firewall on the drivers side to clear the valve cover, when they recessed the firewall from factory they made more of a recess on the passenger side, my frame is completely done and ready to roll, cab was ready but decided to chop the top and do a few more modifications while i was there, box is basically ready for body work, front clip, hood is going to get pie cut and possibly will build a tilt front end

 

I'm really getting alot out of this thread - some great info. I have a '57 F-100 waiting in the wings 'til I finish some other projects and I had decided many moons ago to run a mod motor in it. Part of my decision to do this is based on my other running projects and the fact that I have been driving a '95 CrwnVic as my daily driver for the past 12 years. My '56 Big Window runs a '90 Mustang EFI 5.0 with an AOD. I got lucky as I bought the engine from a local (late model) yard back in the late '90's and was told it had 80K on the clock. I put a new timing chain on it and a rear seal, used a Ford MotorSport harness & computer (which cost more than the engine) and it's been running strong ever since. I'm hooked on the computer controlled EFI technology. It starts immediately every time and runs llike a top. I drive it all over the western states and don't worrry about it at all.
My second endeavor was my '71 Chev PU. I bought and rebuilt a '94 LT1 engine with the 4l60E trans, got a harness and reprogramed computer from Howell and since I finished the install it's been a great and similar experience. Both trucks get real good gas mileage too (if I can keep my foot out of it). Before starting on the '56 I had no real mechanical experience with an EFI engine except some maintenance on a '86 T-Bird that I had owned but I knew that I liked the way it ran.
I'm not really a High Performance guy (the LT1 is more than I had anticipated) so I'm more interested in low maintenance and high reliability - I like to just get in and go. And that is what I've got so far with these 'newer' engines. And that's what I'm expecting out of the mod motor. I will say that my '95 CrwnVic is a little lacking in the low RPM's but those later heads sound like they might help. It's got 153K on it and it still runs strong. I've run across more than a few MKVIII DOHC engines at my pic-a-part but they usually have 150K or more on the ODO and I'm not sure what kinda $$ it would cost to go through one, but they sure are tempting. Has anybody done this?

 

Let me just throw my hat into this ring. I have had three Roush Mustangs and have had no issues building power (fairly inexpensivily) or working on my stangs. All were 4.6 2v engines. My last one was pushing over 400 at the wheel. Now for my 53 F100 I am building I am using a 2003 Aviator Engine that I pulled out of a rolled truck with 3K miles on it. Essentially this is the same engine as the 2001 Cobra and the Mach 1. The biggest difference is the upper manifold. Because I want a mixture of new and old on my truck I am going with the KarKraft Carbed kit. This is a kit that allows you to run any number of 302 style manifolds and carbs on the 4.6 2 and 4 valve engines. IMHO this is the neatest way to go. You get all the fun of the newer more reliable engine and old style factor of the carbs.

Now if someone wants I have from other projects a 2001 cobra harness and a ECU sitting in my garage. PM if you need or want anything like this. Also if you are working with a 4.6 it is a must and I mean a must to have Sean Hyland's guide to bulding and working the 4.6. It goes in great detail about the interchangeability of parts, torque specs and many other very worth while details.

 

I need help with my transmission. Stock AODE

I've only taken it out for a couple of 2 mile jaunts becuase of a leaking tranny seal I have to fix this weekend.

But I put on a Lokar shifter and I've adjusted it and it is working correctly. But I believe I'm only getting 1st and 2nd Gear. I might be getting third and just don't know it but the engine is really spinning at what I'm guessing is about 50 MPH. I have 3.00 gears. I KNOW without a doubt I don't have overdrive.

I have all of the plugs in and never cut any of them from the harness.

Any clues???? Ohh and it is not shifting at all. It is either 1st and it stays in first or I move the selector to drive and it stays in second from a dead stop all the way up. Yep 0-50 in one gear. Wierd thing is it does it no problem. Plenty of power.

Having problems with gauges as well but I will have to tackle that later. I just need it to drive first. Otherwise the engine and everything else is running great (minus a really high pitch whine comming from somewhere just in front of the EGR).

I still need to do a buildup thread.

 

If this helps at all - When I first bought my '95 Crwn Vic, I would try to leave it in the '2nd' selector position and control it like I did with an earlier AOD car that I had had. When I did this it would start out in 2nd from a dead stop and stay there 'til I upshifted manually. I thought that there was something wrong with it but eventually learned that the Electronic trans's didn't shift or work the same. If I left it in the Drive position it would downshift to first at a dead stop.
I'm wondering if you're actually in 'Drive' when you think that you are?! (Shifter adjustment?)

 

Thank you,

I will have to go see. The adjustments seem correct. When I put the selector all the way down to 1st I get 1st, when I put it in D I only get 2nd and when I put it into Overdrive I only get 1st again???? That might have helped if I said that the first time. I think this is why I have an electrical problem. I did just notice though that there is a ground comming off on part of the harness undernieth that goes to the passenger side transmission sensor plug and the O-2 sensors. I'm guessing that might be a ground for both of them. That might have something to do with it.

Then again it looks more like a mounting tab that is embeded in the harness than a ground..I really haven't seen anything like it before...but then again I am just a shadetree mechanic.

Is the top housing to a transmission a good ground? I think they are cast
aluminum housings.

I hope to get the transmission seal in this weekend so I can actually go drive it without it spraying tranny fluid all over the mufflers and smoking me out.

 

It sounds like a Transmission range sensor problem. That is the thing on the side of the trans that used to be called the neutral safety switch. On an electronic trans, it tells the processor the gear position. The PCM uses that info along with other info to determine shift solenoid status, converter lockup, etc. It is common for those to go bad and read incorrectly. If you have access to a good scan tool you can view the gear position and you are probably only seeing "man 1, man 2, and maybe pk and rev. I would try that first. Otherwise, I can help you diagnose it further. (I am a Ford trans specialist)