Hey, I'm about ready to tear down the 04 V10 motor I acquired for 500 bucks a couple weeks ago. I have a few questions.

Are there any performance parts out there such as rods and pistons? Can I use 5.4 parts since the V10 is basically a 5.4 with two extra cylinders? Injectors, cams, etc? I plan on using a tune from Mike at 5 Star when it is up and running.

What I'm doing is I want it to make as much hp and torque as it can naturally aspirated. No blowers or turbos until later down the road. I want to be able to run on 91 octane pump gas. This motor will be a street/strip piece going into a 79 and older F100 or F150.

Thanks for your help!

 

Just off the top of my head, I'd guess that the pistons, rods, and injectors may cross over. You'll need to double check the specs to be certain. Most of the other parts will not cross over because there is one more cylinder on each bank (ie the cams will be one cylinder short).

 

If you're serious about making power-then be prepared to custom build an intake manifold. The 5.4L parts will work fine-the 6.8L uses the same pieces,just add 2 to the order on everything except camshafts-they're specific to the 6.8L To get the most out of it-you'll need to have the heads ported,and get pistons custom made that will eliminate the depth at which the pistons sit in the bore.You're gonna be limited on compression if you're serious about the 91 octane fuel.....I'd say 10.2:1 at the most.
JL

 

If you're going to change pistons and rods, I'd have a serious talk with an engine balancer.

It is my opinion that if you are changing the weights of the pistons and rods, that the engine balance will be disturbed because of the balance shaft.

I have never been convinced by anyone that it's not a problem. Some have said that racers using the V10s just pull the balance shaft and leave it out of the equation. But that doesn't mean anything for a daily driver or workhorse.

Being that the V10 is a 72-degree motor with a 90-degree block, the balance shaft was incorporated to even out the imbalance of all the pistons not moving exactly opposite another piston in the same bank. I'm not entirely sure this wouldn't cause a problem if you changed the weights of the pistons and small-end of the rod.

If it were me, I'd try to keep the weights as close as possible to the stock pieces, unless an engine balancer (and an expert one with a good reputation at that) says otherwise.

And I'd have it balanced no matter what, at least the crankshaft side of things, and make sure the piston and small-end of the rods are all the same.

 

It's good to know that I can use 5.4 parts.

Johnny Langton, yes, I'm serious about the 91 octane fuel and making as much power as possible N/A. I will have the stock heads ported. Is there a shop out there that would be willing to work with me designing and building a custom intake manifold?

Krewat, this V10 will be getting all forged internals. I know it's overkill, but I feel safer knowing that the bottom end will be strong enough to take anything I throw at it. And your saying that if I get the forged rods and pistons as close to the stock rod and piston weights, I won't have any problems? I will have everything balanced to ensure that it runs smooth and doesn't have any vibrations. Do you know of any excellent engine balancers out there?

Finally, would any of the Modular specific shops be willing to work with me on this V10?

Thanks.

 

As for the manifold, Hogan makes a really good sheetmetal intake,but I hope you've got a realistic budget for that intake-they're REALLY expensive.
Balancing won't be an issue if you have a REAL engine builder do the work,not just some general engine machine shop.
As for help with the build-where are you located,and how far are you willing to travel?
JL

 

It's what I would do, given that the V10 has a balance shaft. And I really have only one person I know that I would trust with the job, and I'm not sure he's still working in the business.

As for forged, GO FOR IT It can't hurt, and will certainly be good for peace of mind.

Just don't strap a big blower on it putting out huge HP numbers and not reinforce the crank snout

 

I'm located in Eastern Montana, 2 hours from North Dakota and about 6 hours from Canada. How far I want to travel depends on which company is closer and has the best parts.

As for the Hogan manifold, how much do they cost? Since they are real expensive, the stock manifold will be going back on the motor until I can save up for the Hogan intake.

Krewat, thanks for the heads up on the crank snout snapping under boost. That alone is the main reason I'm not a big fan of s/c's. I actually prefer turbos because they make a lot of power and they only have to use exhaust gasses to turn. Plus they don't suck up a lot of power. And I absolutely love the sound of a spooling turbo. It sure wouldn't hurt to see if the guy is still in the business. Would you please check it out for me?

Thanks.

 

Hogan is just one of the custom sheetmetal intake companies-there are a few out there.
JL

 

What are the names of the other companies that make custom intake manifolds? Also, which one would be cheaper to make yet still make alot of power and torque through the entire rpm range?

Thanks

 

I made my own intake its not that hard, if you can weld.