351W Swap

[jonnyslick]

Anyone put a 351W into a 3rd gen? If so .... how much fab work and how much money? My engine in my Mounty is getting kinda' iffy so I'm looking for options.

 

[thepotroast]

Put in a 4.6L, not a 351W.

With a 351W you would need a complete new driveline...axles, xfer case, tranny, diff and gears, sensors, wiring, and possibly suspension modifications to compensate for the added weight and torque of the new drivetrain.

Throw your old ECU out the window, your truck will need a new computer, new vehicle wiring harnesses.

If you plan to register your vehicle in a state that requires emissions (smog) or state inspections, then it will never pass.

Stick with the stock options, which is a 4.0 or a 4.6. There are plenty of aftermarket performance parts available to increase the power, and you can keep your existing...well, everything...in the process.

It would cost more to completely retrofit a 3rd Gen to accommodate a 351W the proper way, than the vehicle is really worth. And you would still never be able to pass an emissions or state inspection test.

 

[ericautopart]

Why would you need new diffs for a 351?

 

[thepotroast]

Why would you need new diffs for a 351?

Because I wouldn't trust CV axles coming off an 8.8 rear diff on an IRS and IFS suspension setup.

New axles, new diffs....351W is a lot of power, he would be snapping stock CV axles in that little 8.8 LSD diff all day.

 

[ericautopart]

Makes sense..but if he isn't wheeling it I doubt there'd be a problem. A 4.6 can be made as powerful and even more so than a 351 for little money. It'd be a cool swap either way..

 

[KPSquared]

Any engine swap that drastic is gonna take a LOT of knowledge and fab work... chances are, if you had to ask the question, you probably are lacking the skills and experience to do it right.

That being said, you can put any engine in any rig with enough time, money, and knowledge...

 

[thepotroast]

Makes sense..but if he isn't wheeling it I doubt there'd be a problem. A 4.6 can be made as powerful and even more so than a 351 for little money. It'd be a cool swap either way..

And he may already have a 4.6 in his mounty, he didn't say. That's why I was suggesting either way to put a 4.6 in there. As you and I said, there are a mountain of performance parts available for a 4.6 In the end, it would be cheaper honestly to soup up the 4.6, chip it, exhaust, and some performance bolt ons than it would be for a 351W swap...and he could stay legal and pass inspection.

 

[jonnyslick]

PotRoast ... thanks for the input I 'm from Asheville too (well ... Weaverville actually) but now I'm in TN.

Anyway, yeah the reason why I was asking this question is that I think my motor (4.6L) is going out and I was just curious if going to a 351 with a carb'd setup would be a cheaper route ... but I guess not.

I (my wife mainly actually) used the Mounty mostly for daily driving to work and back and I use it to tow my race car.

Blah ... I hate spending money.

 

[thepotroast]

PotRoast ... thanks for the input I 'm from Asheville too (well ... Weaverville actually) but now I'm in TN.

Anyway, yeah the reason why I was asking this question is that I think my motor (4.6L) is going out and I was just curious if going to a 351 with a carb'd setup would be a cheaper route ... but I guess not.

I (my wife mainly actually) used the Mounty mostly for daily driving to work and back and I use it to tow my race car.

Blah ... I hate spending money.

Right on, I'm just south of Weaverville...in the Woodfin area actually just off the 19, about a mile from Beaver Lake

 

[macknos94]

If you want more power I say a 4.6 stroked to a 5.0 or bigger then heads and a nice set of cams. Then sell your 4.6 aluminum block engine to a mustang guy.