Once the OP had finished the body work, he ran into an engine problem which forced him to replace or repair the factory engine in his F-150. Many owners would swap to a V8, but the owner opted to instead build up the factory V6.
After ripping the engine out of the truck, he stripped it down to the block and began the rebuild.
I built it for forced induction that I plan to do later. The block was bored .020 over, decked, and line honed. The heads were surfaced and the entire rotating assembly was balanced. Rehere Morrison in Arlington, TX did all of the block work and Mike Smith automotive machine did the rotating assembly. Both companies did a fantastic job and I’d go back to them for anything. I had the crank ground and polished. I got the 4.3 stroker kit from SSMS for .020 over and 9.4:1 compression. Hardened pushrods and 1.8 roller rockers from Morana V6 racing, LS1 valve springs and retainers from SSMS, a custom grind cam from Oregon Cam Grinders. I port/polished/gasket matched the upper/lower intake manifolds and the heads myself also. Then I did all re reassembly and install back in the truck. Here are the pics from the motor build.
The OP doesn’t offer any power numbers, but that build should most certainly yield far more than the 205 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque that came from the factory.
In the end, the engine bay looks almost as great as the exterior, while also packing more power than the average 1998 F-150 with the 4.2L V6.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
