Are the 99+ 5.4 Liter motors internally the same between the F150 and the Lightning? My friend has a 01' Expy and he is thinking of buy a supercharger from a wrecked Lightning, and just pulling off his plastic intake, and slapping on the Lightning's intake with supercharger, and put the Lightning's computer on with it. I'm under the impression that the only difference between the Lightning and Expy 5.4 Liter is the addition of the supercharger.....

 

lightnings came with lower comp. pistons

 

Check out the Superchargers & Turbochargers forum. This has be tried a few times with varying sucess.

I have been look very hard at the ProCharger system but the timing is not right for me with the $$.

 

Different pistons like cobra said. You want lower compression for boost. You can do it, but it will need to have your computer retuned. I would not trust it.

 

Depending on who you believe, there are several differences between a Lightning 5.4 and a N/A 5.4 -

1. Lightnings have a forged steel crank. At some point, Ford supposedly started using cast cranks in the N/A 5.4. You would probably have to disassemble the engine to know what he has. As long as he doesn't try to make crazy HP, the cast crank should be good.

2. N/A 5.4 engines have hypereutectic pistons, Lightnings have forged pistons. The hypereutectic pistons are fine for mild build ups, but will readily break if subjected to serious detonation. A good tune by someone who knows what they are doing is a must to prevent detonation.

3. The fuel delivery system in a Lightning is much more robust than that of a N/A 5.4 truck. Larger injectors, etc. are present on the Lightning.

4. The entire air intake portion of the engine would have to be upgraded as well. MAF, throttle body, etc. are all significantly larger in the later year Lightnings than those found on a N/A 5.4 truck.

5. The cooling system on a Lightning is of the "upgraded" variety. I understand that Ford started using a single row radiator in N/A 5.4 trucks at some point, even though the truck had the "towing package" option.

6. Another huge difference to consider is the Lightning has a fairly stout transmission - the 4R100W. I believe the Lightning version of this tranny is the strongest version of the 4R100W line. Many of the N/A 5.4 trucks are equipped with the 4R70W tranny. It is a good tranny, but it isn't rated to handle the torque output of the Lightning engine. I have read plenty of postings by folks here that say they have no issues with the 4R70W in a supercharged application, but I've also read plenty of postings regarding how to beef up the 4R70W. Believe what you want, but Ford put the 4R100W in the Lightning for a reason...

7. The wiring harness (including the connectors for the tranny) is different between the N/A trucks and the Lightning. You can't just swap the computers to make it all work.

8. Don't forget the miscellaneous pulleys, brackets, etc. needed to make the supercharger's drive system work. If you buy these from Ford, they are not cheap.

9. You will also need the intercooler, intercooler reservoir and intercooler pump and hoses to make the Lightning blower work properly.

Overall, it may be easier (and cheaper) to use a complete aftermarket kit for the supercharger install than trying to install the factory set-up.

I believe Madferraristi has a good source for what is required to put the Lightning blower on a standard 5.4 truck...

Good luck !!!

 

Thanks for your help, I'll have to look into buying a total lightning engine, or go through the aftermarket.....As for the tranny, the Expy has a 4R100 already, I'm guessing that the lightning has some tricks up its sleeve.