I'm not a Lightning owner but I do have an Eaton equipped 04 Cobra and was wondering if the Lightning has a forged bottom end like the Cobras, crank/pistons/rods, or is it just the same as a normal f 150 5.4 with a factory installed blower. Or maybe just lower Compression pistons or larger chambered heads to be boost friendly???????? If it is just a stock 5.4 with boost, how much safe boost or horsepower figures are people getting away with. I have a regular 5.4l f 150 that I installed a Procharger D1sc pumping 9 psi of boost into and was just wondering if I'm being a little too greedy for a cast and hypereutectic bottom end.

 

the lightnings/harley trucks have a better (forged) bottom end than the "normal" (cast) F-150's.

be careful with the "non forged internals" on the lightnings and harley's the rods are the weakest link.

 

Incorrect.

All 5.4 2 valve Triton truck engines used forged pistons and forged (powered) rods. All non-Lightning 5.4s use the F7 forged crank from 97 to 00. Starting in 01, Ford used a cast crank in the non-Lightning 5.4 and kept the F7 crank in the Lightning motors.

The 01-up cast crank can still take a ton of power. I mistakenly used one in one of my old motors, and pushed 20+ psi through it with 150 shot of spray on top for over a year and a half. It wasn't until I tried running a 300 shot on top of 26 psi of Whipple that I snapped the cast crank.

The weak link in any 2 valve 5.4 is the powdered metal rods. They tend to give up the ghost at about 450rwhp on the average.

The only thing to keep in mind on a blown regular 5.4 is that it's got a bit more compression than a Lightning 5.4 (8.8 vs 8.4).

Hope this helps.

 

HI!... All regular N/A 5.4 2-valves come with hypereutectic pistons yielding 9.0:1compression (not 8.8). I know this because I called MAHLE up directly who makes the pistons for Ford and was told this 3 separate times, when I was researching their MAHLE forged race pistons for my built 5.4. Correct on the forged cranks but it is a 50/50 chance after 2001 if you got a cast or steel crank. Ford still used forged steel cranks in the 5.4's after 2001. I've seen them plus I have several buddies that work at the ford engine plant here in Windsor that have confirmed this info. The heads are the same between the LIGHTNING 5.4 and the N/A 5.4. Well all the P.I 2 valve heads are the same, even for the 4.6. Just in 2003 Ford added more spark plug threads to prevent the dreaded plug blow-out.

 

Well then Ford did a lot of false advertising .

 

HI!... Like that ever stopped them before. lol! Most of their H.P/TQ #'s are not close either. Or their MPG ratings.

 

Well, either way, the 8.8:1 or 9:1 sounds pretty boost friendly, The hyperuetectic pistons scare me a little though. I'm sure the crank and the rods will live under moderate boost, but those pistons better have a "controlled" burn above them though. I'm thinking safe tuning @ 9psi and I'll be fine.

 

The rods will break long before the pistons will.