‘F-150 Online’ Member Documents His 4.6 to 5.4-Liter Swap
Years of hard work pays off as an engine-less ’08 F-150 gets a new lease on life with a souped-up 5.4-liter V8.
The 11th gen Ford F-150 came with a pair of V8 engine options – the 4.6-liter and the 5.4-liter. And while each has its own unique pros and cons, but there’s no question that the 5.4 is the popular choice if you’re looking for more power. When F-150 Online member DGyde purchased this 2008 F-150 a few years back, the choice of which engine to go with was somewhat already made for him, however. Originally equipped with a 4.6, the truck was purchased with no motor, as it had been removed by the green energy company that owned it prior. Luckily, the OP had a new engine ready to go.
“The 5.4 I have is a 2v from a ’98 E-150. It was a Ford replacement crate block. I have the PI heads to swap on that already had the camshafts replaced and were gone through. I’ve gathered some parts already. Still need the throttle body, computer, radiator, gas tank, and driveshaft. At first, I’m going to attempt to run the truck on the 4.6 ECM. As long as it’s at least driveable, I can data log and take it to a tuner. It’s a bit of work, but I’ve done more to restore older trucks that weren’t really worth it. With this truck, I’ll be in for around 1/3rd of what the truck would sell for complete in my area.”
It takes some time, but eventually the OP gathers all the parts he needs for the swap. Thus, the next step is to start tearing down the donor engine. Luckily, it turns out to be in great shape.
“So I started a little more work on the heads. I’m going to remove most of the swirl curtain and do a gasket match. My Dremel made it through the first one. But I’m going to take them to a friends and use a mill to cut them down. Gaskets and head bolts are here. Engine should be back together next week. Then I build a bench to tear into the trans.”
After a lot of elbow grease, the new/old engine is ready to be put into the F-150.
“Engine is done. Took 80 lbs of sand blasting to clean the block. It’s painted and all buttoned back up. Had to get the heads surfaced. Should have asked if he could do a good surface on aluminum for MLS gaskets. That was a lot of sanding with a homemade glass surface head/block sander. I got a used 4v oil pump and new gears for it. Got an oil adapter, chopped it, and tapped it for remote filter/oil cooler lines. An era correct oil pan and pickup tube. Heck, I even made new stud valve cover bolts.”
Eventually, this F-150 is up and running with its new engine. The tuning turned out to be the most difficult obstacle, but it all seems worth it in the end.
“It’s a beast. The tight limited slip in the rear makes it want to spin around real easy. It pulls extremely hard for a basically stock motor with higher compression. I just went over 100k miles. The torque converter lock up is not functional right now. I got another pump housing and an upgraded bushing to correct it sitting on the shelf. Just need to drop the trans and install it. With that, and somewhat aggressive driving, it averages 14.5 mpg on 87. I’m very pleased with the end result. I have to let off and keep feathering the throttle to maintain any speed 60 mph and below.”
In this end, the hard work the OP put into his F-150 project paid off. So be sure and head over here to check out his entire build process and the obstacles he overcame along the way!
Photos: F-150 Online Forums
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