A few weeks ago i bought my 99 f150 lariat. In the for sale ad he said it was "Rusty but trusty! I'd drive this truck anywhere!" After driving and hour away to look at it and after the test drive i bought it. Its ran like a beast. 231000 miles so its a worn out beast. Now its sitting in my driveway with a blown head gasket. I didnt know the tritons had that issue along with spitting spark plugs out the head until i started reading up on how to fix my truck. The 5.4 is strong. But it definitely need the power of a 3v! I gotta tare down the top end to replace the head gasket but after my research i wanna rebuild the whole thing. I cant decide which crank i want. OEM replacement or the $900 forged crank from Mod Max. The same with the rods and pistons. I know the stock bottom end can handle 450rwhp but going forged allows me to build power with confidence. I cant make my mind up on top end components either. And why is there like absolutely no aftermarket intakes for the 5.4? Sure i could cut a victor jr efi in half and custom fit it or have a complete custom unit built but i like a truck that is n/a. The power just feels different. Any suggestions? I'm going to build it regardless I just hate when I get stuck being indecisive. As for my power goals 400 would be nice at the wheels 350 sounds easier to obtain I want something with the power to pull definitely Pepe on the road and something that's fun to play in the mud!

 

You can't just throw in a 3v motor in place of a 2v motor..... it doesn't work like that

 

Best of luck with the following!

 

I'm not throwing a 3 valve in I said it definitely needs the power of a 3 valve everything's different on a 3 valve as opposed to the two and four valves I know that

 

so first off....without adduh..... BUDGET!
these things are NOT cheap. No real need on REPLACING a bunch of stuff.
rule 1. determine how much MOTOR you want and WHERE you want it (torque moves things....HP makes things fast) upper rpm HP looks FUN...but with no lowend torque your 4500 slug will drive like a wet sponge.
#2. look at your budget...this will dictate how much motor you GET.
#3. multiply budget by 1.5 this is what you will actually spend (cause something will go wrong and require a different fix)
#4. You will need about $350 for a custom tuner/tune (btw 5star tuning is awesome)
NOW you are ready to do something.
Gears? tire size? tranny refurb needed?
What level of DIY are YOU? can you build a motor, tranny, gears? or are these PAY for labor items? (everybody is different in their abilities)
There is NO 3 pc bolt on to turn these 5.4l into a road terror....but if you are going thru the entire motor there are some UPGRADES that will net you great results.

Head WORK camshafts, TUNE and exhaust system. will get you some really good USABLE power.
Now to get it to the wheels (and your BUTT) freshen up the tranny NEW converter, add gears if needed per tire size. (if you are staying with the stock 32"...the 3.55 gears should be fine and pull well)

 

this is why i purposely sought out a 6cyl stick. so not to deal with the 5.4 and ford auto transmissions. Honestly if i were you i'd ls swap it for reliability, price and parts availability. I'll probably do something crazy like a 429 eventually once mine is restored but until then i will keep put putting along. there are so many right now in junkyards and they are all 5.4s.

 

I put 105,000 miles on a 2000Supercab4x45.4 that I bought new and regretfully sold. I started looking for another truck in 2006. I test drove a used 2005 SWB 4x45.4 3V and it didn't feel like it had the performance of my 2000 2V. I also test drove a new 2006 supercab 4x4 5.4 and it also felt slower than my 2v. So, I wouldn't spend a lot of time wishing I had a 3V. I know they are rated about 40hp more but it surely didn't feel like it. My 2000 was probably about 500 lbs lighter than the 06 Supercab but maybe not the SWB 05.