hi i just bought a 97 ford 150 and it has a 4.2v6 and id like to switch it to a 5.4v8what are all the things id have to change and its a manual tranny can i just put the 5.4 on the stock 4.2v6 manual tranny. thx bob

 

You could probably get away with using a 5.4l v8 with a PCM for a manual tranny, along with a 6 speed out of a Superduty.

 

dont waste your time and money

 

Agree'd

 

i agree with the other guys, it would be easier to sell your v6 and just buy a v8.......but if you decide to go ahead and do the switch, i wish you all the luck in the world....

 

I have serious doubts whether that Mazda tranny would hold up under a 5.4.

 

About every other day someone posts about their big plans to swap out some engine for a bigger power train... and honestly, in 2 years I don't think a single person has actually done it.

It's a LOT more work than people realize in a modern PCM controlled engine. Just buy the right truck from the get-go..it will be cheaper, faster, more reliable, and less of a hassle.

 

If you can find a wrecked donor truck for cheap then go ahead, but you could build the v6 to its max for a lot less.



My .02 just buy a truck with a 5.4 in it.

 

If he wants to go for it then by all means go for it. Just be sure to make a thread with lots of pics and updates. It would be interesting! There needs to be a guinnie pig anyways

 

I think if a person has the means (tools/shop/time), then go for it.

 

I agree with Lumadar and the others advising against it.

Another factor is the resale value. Most people are not going to be interested in buying a truck that was fabricated by a shade tree mechanic. Even if you did a good job, most buyers will just walk away. That might not sound like a big problem now, but 3 or 4 years from now you might want or need the money for something else.

So unless you plan on keeping the truck forever and have tons of free time and lots of skill and lots of money, you are just way better off selling the V6 as is and buying the V8 of your dreams.

 

I have heard that you can switch the 4.2 to a 4.6 fairly easy but I dont know about a 5.4. I have a 98 with a 4.2, it's only a work truck really and I have had it for 7 years but I have thought about turning it into a toy but I wanted to put an older ford v8 in it like a 302 or one of the 351 or something bigger havent really thought about it.

 

Well, the Mazda manual tranny can handle a 4.6, but the cost of the swap really isn't worth it for the power gains. The 4.2 is not a gutless engine and can be tweaked.

 

the 4.2L V6 is a good engine by itself, work on making that fast ive seen really fast ones by itself

 

With all the OBD/PCM issues that can be encountered, I would only swapping out to a stout 351 for an upgrade. My 4.2 with freer flowing mods, 4.10's, and under drive pulley runs like an old 5.0 now. If I swapped to a 4bbl 351 with heads and cam etc. there would be justified power increase.