Im looking into stripping my old 4.6 completely down and rebuilding it from the ground up. wanted some opinions on camshafts, pistons, crankshafts, etc. any opinions on any of the above would be helpful

thanks

 

How 'old' is your 4.6? The later heads are a real improvement. What do you want to use it for, as in dependability, drag racing, 4 wheelin', etc.,.

 

why rebuild when you can get good later model 4.6's from a boneyard or donor car so cheaply and they are readily available ???? a local salvage yard here has three all aluminum 02-04 exploreer pi 4.6's for 1500 each with low miles , i seen an 04 260 horse out of a totalled vic squad with 80,000 miles for 600 ........ i just sold off a 4 valve out of a mark 8 for 400 that ran , and two 2 valves from the years of 97 and 98 , for 200 each for the cash to finish the purchase of another oldie ........... so why rebuild ????????

 

What's the year model?
What's it going to be used for/in?
What's the power level desired?
JL

 

do your self a favor youngbuilder and listen too johnny !!!!!!! he has a big ol' mn12 that flies so he knows what he's talking about !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! give him the needed info and you shall be on your way to mod motor enlightenment .........................

 

its a 1998 f150, it is in fact a daily driver. (for now) id like to get a little more power but im not looking to go run at the track every weekend at least not right now.

 

There's a couple of ways to go about more power if you're going to have an engine apart. If you're going to keep your existing heads and have them worked on, do something with that stock intake manifold. Grab a set of PI cams from a '00-up 4.6L or 5.4L-they have more lift and will gain you about 10 rwhp and around 20 ft-lbs. You'll also want to bump compression a bit, and there's a cheap way to do that. Get a set of 4.6L 4V pistons from a '96-'01 Cobra Mustang or '93-'98 Lincoln Mark VIII. Those and the rods(better rods w/full floating pins), can usually be had for little or nothing. If you're getting the rods/pistons from a Mark VIII, grab the crank while you're at it-it's a bit better than the truck's 4.6L cast crank.
The other alternative is to grab a set of PI heads from a '00-up 4.6L 2V. You can either swap those and the matching intake onto your existing shortblock for that same bump in compression, it really depends on which way you wanna go. Put some gear in it too-a 4.10 is probably the best all-around ratio for a truck since most all tires on these are at least 30" tall. If you want to to have better response from a stop-also grab a torque converter from a Mustang, Mark VIII, or Marauder application-they have a slightly higher stall speed and will allow the engine to rev quicker from a stop and accelerate with a bit more "snap".
With the above stuff, the truck will be loads more responsive and more fun to drive, yet will not suffer much if any fuel economy loss on the highway-most likely you'll gain a bit due to the compression bump, and more efficient engine.
JL

 

thanks for the help i will be looking into these things in the near future

 

Well,when you get ready,let me know.I have many friends with parts laying around-you never know what's gonna pop up.
JL