5.4 swap 03 Mounty

[GottaBigBlock]

Is the F-150 5.4 the same on the outside as the 4.6 in my Mountaineer? I'm a serious gearhead but never messed withthe newer Ford engines so my Knowledge is limited. I have a buddy whose truck was totaled but the driveline is OK. I'm thinking if this is a bolt in swap then I will put my money into parts for the 5.4. Should make the Mounty run pretty strong.

 

[lwrdxsport]

the 5.4 is much taller than the 4.6 and i think your mounty has the "nice" 4.6. if im not mistaken its a dual overhead cam and 32 valves

 

[chriswells78]

Should bolt in, I've been pondering getting a 3rd gen and doing this myself. They bolt right into mustangs with a few modifications. I'd imagine the same mods would be required (8 bolt flex plate, extend some vacuum lines, maybe extend the down pipes to reach the headers in their taller location.)

The only thing I really wonder about is the 5.4 is 100# heavier than your aluminum 4.6. I wonder if stiffer springs would be required to keep the front end from sagging?

 

[rocket2ya]

wtf i asked this question a month ago and everyone said i couldnt do it. lol. i just went with another 4.6. i would love a 5.4 in mine.

 

[chriswells78]

wtf i asked this question a month ago and everyone said i couldnt do it. lol. i just went with another 4.6. i would love a 5.4 in mine.

There are a lot of people who will tell you you can't do this or that but have never tried it. There is no reason it should physically not work. I've seen 3 mustangs with this swap done. One auto and 2 manuals. The auto had to have an 8 bolt flex plate for an auto Cobra. One used the F150 intake, the other 2 used mustang intakes with adapters. One of those is currently undergoing a Kenne Belle install.

 

[Limited02]

Explorer's and Moutaineers have the 4.6 2V. The Lincoln Aviator has the 4.6 4V. What is wrong with your engine? There are plenty of things you can do to make your 4.6 run stronger. The best bet is going forced induction and I am sure would be cheaper to do and you will have more power than the 5.4. I don't think a 5.4 swap is worth it because of the potential with the 4.6, but don't let me stop you.

 

[hitithard]

its definetly doable im doing it once i get some money together i took the truck to my local engine shop and he said it can be done with a few mods he said it would cost between 3400 and 4000

 

[zerodevil]

its gunna be hard to tell, because my explorer with headers has all of an inch of clearence between the driver side manifold and the stearing shaft...if you make that block much bigger it might not fit...its doable...just depends on how much money your willing to spend.

 

[JCUZ]

its gunna be hard to tell, because my explorer with headers has all of an inch of clearence between the driver side manifold and the stearing shaft...if you make that block much bigger it might not fit...its doable...just depends on how much money your willing to spend.

The 4.6 & 5.4 blocks are the same - the internals and heads are different.

 

[GottaBigBlock]

well as far as reason why......more cubes! no replacement for displacement. as far as cost.....the motor is sitting there doing nothing and is mine dirt cheap if I want it. for front end sag, a set of springs or a set of leveling blocks would help. in a 4000+ lb vehicle 100 pounds isn't much......at 6'6" and 350lbs i already have 100lbs more than most! ha-ha. and the best reason of all-everything I already have done to my 4.6 will go on a 5.4 with greater results and will not affect future plans.

 

[Limited02]

The 5.4 block is taller than the 4.6. It's like comparing the 5.0 to the 5.8. Similar motors, different blocks. The heads will interchange. Cobra guys with the 4.6 will hog out and use navigator heads on their motors. You just can't use a 5.4 intake because it's to wide for a 4.6.

 

[chriswells78]

The 4.6 & 5.4 blocks are the same - the internals and heads are different.

IDK about ausie blocks but US 4.6 and 5.4 are different blocks (taller deck height on 5.4), same heads, same pistons, different crank and different rods. Water pumps are the same (except pre 01 use a shorter shaft than post 01) Intakes are different to accomodate for the taller block.

Lets clear up some myths that I commonly see about modular motors and what can be done. I did a lot of research on a motor combo for my stang.

You can bolt 2v, 3v and 4v heads to any 4.6 or 5.4 if you use the right timing cover.

There are adapters available to mount 4.6 intakes on 5.4 block/head combos, both SOHC and DOHC, not sure about 3v because I've never looked.

You can use any SOHC cam on any SOHC combo with proper PTV clearance, same with 3v and 4v respectivly.

There are adapters available to delete the VVT on a 3v so you can use it on a 2v application. You must use a 3v intake

There are systems/intakes available to run a carb on a 4.6 or 5.4 including a stand alone ignition system from MSD and distributors available that run off of the drivers side cam gear.

The longer these motors are around, the more stuff is being made to do just about what ever you want to do. Manufacturers are finally meeting demands of consumers for these motors. Edelbrock just came out with an aftermarket water pump, Trick flow is about to release a bad ass set of 2v heads that flow as well as 4v heads, more cams are becoming available for 2v, 3v and 4v, etc.

 

[Limited02]

chriswells78-You sure have been doing some research! Thanks for clearing this issue up and teaching us something new today

 

[chriswells78]

chriswells78-You sure have been doing some research! Thanks for clearing this issue up and teaching us something new today

No problem, it seems as though every time this question comes up, there is a bunch of crap about stuff not working but nobody's tried it.

I think a 5.4 in a third gen would pull like a freight train. The extra torque from the 50 more cubes would move that big body around with a purpose. Like I said before, I've thought about getting a 3rd gen just to do it myself, then turn around and rebuild the sploder aluminum block for my stang.

 

[GottaBigBlock]

Excellent info! thanks alot........one BIG question....are the motor mounts and bell housing pattern the same on both/all Mod engines?

 

[chriswells78]

Excellent info! thanks alot........one BIG question....are the motor mounts and bell housing pattern the same on both/all Mod engines?

Yup, blocks are identical except for the added deck height on the 5.4. The only exception in the entire modular family is the Lincoln Continental (sp?) FWD 4.6 block.

 

[86EXPLORER86]

Any one who does this is a bad ass for sure

 

[red82gt]

There is a lot less room because of the framerails on an explorer. I had the measuring tape out to see if the 5.4 3V from my 2004 F-150 could possibly fit in my 2002 explorer (85 more ft/lbs of torque is something these things could definitely use) and my conclusion is that you'd definitely need custom headers or a funky downpipe that would get the exhaust back inside the framerails.
Other than that, hood clearance would probably be okay.
At that point I decided that a power adder on the 4.6 would be a better option for me.

 

[GottaBigBlock]

Now another question....I put the Power Improvment heads from Ford Racing(Factory on Mustang GT) And I know they will bolt right on a 5.4....The question is-Is it going to be more worth the work/creative thinking to build a set of headers for the 3 valve heads or fab a downpipe for the Triton heads, or should I use the 2V Mustang heads? They made a noticeable seat-of-the-pants difference on the 4.6. Way more than I expected.

 

[Limited02]

What year mustang did you put the PI heads on? If it was a 96-98 GT, then yeah it would make a difference because they are better designed for flow and would increase the compression a little more than the heads they replaced. I doubt it would be worth swapping 4.6 heads onto a 5.4 though. A 5.4 swap seems like you have to fabricate headers no matter what unless you have measured to see if the stock manifolds will even work. I would just swap the 5.4 3V in and get it running before you worry about adding any performance mods to it.