A little info on 5.4's and chargers...
 

Hi everyone,, I ve been browsing thro some F-150 Forums looking for some tech info and I deceided to join your forums if thats ok.. I dont have a F-150 But I do drive a 2002 Mustang GT...

Anyways.. I bought a brand new lightning Blower, Intake, Intercooler, ect ect last year for the stang.. My Idea was too machine and port the **** out of the blower then build a CNC'd Lower intake for my 4.6 as a little project..

Well blower is almost done.. The whole back has been machined out with a much larger and lower intake opening, also the charger has been polished..

I made the program for the CNC to make the intake.. I still think I m going to have problems plus I m looking at $400+ just for the block of aluminum..

Well that was fine until the stang started eating oil... I looked for a new 4.6 but then found some 5.4's... I thought quikly "why build an intake for a small 4.6 when I can buy a 5.4 and bolt what I have now onto the car" (saves me money reallylol)..

So I m looking for some back ground on the 5.4's since I ve never really looked into one.

-What kind of boost will they hold? And what kind of HP and torq can the bottem end handle reasonably? I know the 4.6 is maxing out at 450 Crank HP but I figure the 5.4's may be a bit tougher..

-I found a 5.4 out of a 04' F-250 for $650 with 140 thousand.. Is this a good price for the KM's on a PI motor? Is 140 Km"S too high? I will be rebuilding it over the winter with a forged bottom end....

Anyways these are the major questions.. I sure there will be more.. I really think it will be kewl too have a 5.4 superchged in the stang but be the only person that doesnt have too cut the hood lmao...

I'm in ontario canada too if anyones wondering

Thanks Jim

sounds like a heck of a project, any pics?

Safe boost for a 5.4 stock bottom end should be between 10-12#s. I might be wrong. I'm at 14, but its pretty scary:eek:, trying to bring that down

Over on svtperformance their has been a few threads where people have put L motors in mustangs and they look prety cool except for the blower sticking throught the hood. I think it would be sweet to put a whipple on it so you could fit it under a decently small cowl hood and play it off as stock motor:devil:

It sounds like a good project with some smarts behind it. :)

Try here: http://forums.corral.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=311

:thumbsup:

Were abouts in Ontario? If you are close to NY or Michigan use http://car-part.com/ and search for a 99 5.4 out of an F-150. I use that site for all my used parts. It it can also search Canada wide. BTW the reason for searching for a 99 5.4 is that it will have a forged crank and PI heads.

.

Interesting, never heard that 99's had forged cranks. OBTW I do not believe those heads are 8 thread.

Yup. But you are correct about the threads. My 99 5.4 doesn't have the 8 thread Pi heads, only 3 or 4, but it does have the Forged crank.

Regards

Jean Marc Chartier

My stock 03 motor had a forged crank!:fyi:

Phil

I shouldnt have. Ford switched to cast cranks in 2000 on the f150. A few extras trickled in here and there but the only 5.4 in 03 with a forged crank wouldve been in the lightning.

Well they certainly trickled one in my truck!:lol:
I still have it out in my shed.

Phil

It may have been intended for a lightning and it found its way into a N/A engine. Maybe it was intended that way to keep the line going because they were out of cast cranks.

Regards

Jean Marc Chartier

Yep not saying it wasnt possible. Luck of the draw i guess. Lol :lol:

I have a price of $800 dont know what year yet but it has 127 XXX on it..

Anyways.. Mine will not be sticking out of the hood.. My inlet has been machined and now the upper intake will be simular too a whipple...

Also the intercooler plate has been redesigned too drop everthing lower..

And finally when I get it in I m going to drop the motor mounts a smidge. The car all ready has a aftemarket hood... Thats what I like about this project.. Will be the only one.. lol..

Anyways after some reasearch...

It looks too me like a lightning motor has the same rods as a normal 5.4.. If the rods are the weak point then can't a triton 5.4 make the same HP and Torq to the crank as the lightning with out issues?

Also its geneal rule of thumb that a stock short block 4.6 can make about 400 hp to the crank.. but after 400 it becomes hairy weather the engine will live..

Now this ofcoarse is all dependent on tune, intercooler, suporting mods, shift point and km's..

I ve herd tho that the 5.4 can make more hp but is actually weaker.. but I see some of you running some pretty big numbers out of them..

Now 350 RWHP auto of a F150 would most likly be over 400 in a 5speed standered stang.. soo it almost seems to me like you guys are running more HP then the 4.6 boosted stangs I m use too? And the torq is what I m really likeing.. the extra stroke seems too be making a **** lood more torq on a boosted 5.4 then a boosted 4.6... Soo again I m thinking that although I m hereing the 4.6 is stronger over all maby the 5.4 is actually the strongerengine.. The long rods would have too be stronger too make more TORQ and HP right?

If I make sence lmao..

I have a fully ported blower like no other, the intercooler. q gords ford heat exhanger with the twin fans and I ll be modding my LT's too fit..

Any Idea on how much crank hp I can make with out worry.. I would like at least 450 and 480ish too the crank..

I ll be going with a safe tune ass well, and cog pullies.. I was think 10psi untill the engine is built ove the winter..

thanks Jim

The lightning block is the same as the NA block except for the compression ratio. Lightning blocks are 8.4 to 1 and the NA block is 9.0 to 1. There are a lot of lightning guys making over 500 hp at the crank on the stock block, but at that point the rods are ticking time bombs. They are definitely the weak point.