Hey everyone---first post woot! I just purchased a 99 F150 with the 4.6 and a 5spd. I got it for reliable transportation and a hauler for my motorcycles. I'm a gear head, but I'm used to tooling on old school turbocharged Audi 5 cylinders. So far with this truck I've been a little disappointed. I didn't know much about trucks and mainly got this one because it was a 5spd and was a great deal. It definitely needs a limited slip diff and LOTS more power. I'm in grad school so I don't have much cash but I'm pretty handy with tools and have a lot of access to junkyard parts.
So what are the best bang for the buck mods to wake this engine up? This truck is mainly for the street but will see some off road action too. I have a flowmaster 3.5" in/out that came off of one of my Audi's that I could use to make an exhaust. I was thinking remove 2 cats and use the FM with a turn down under the bed. How does this sound for a budget exhaust?

I also wanted to address the intake. But I'm curious if this is worthwhile.

I know of the e-fan mod also. This is out of my price range at this point. Are there any junkyard options out there?

I know a gearing change would help...again no funds for that. Is there a junkyard option that I could use. F250 maybe?

Ignition upgrades? I know they weren't really worth it on my Audi's until you started making big power.

The computer reprogram---I know this is a good one, but wouldn't it be better to do this AFTER the other mods to maximize the gains?

Sorry for the long e-mail. I'm used to my Audis in which there is little/no aftermarket in the US and you have to think outside the box.

Oh yeah. The first thing that came to my mind with this truck is a supercharger AND a turbo setup. Say a low psi SC (for the weak bottom end) with a remote turbo setup to work on the mid-top. But, that will have to wait till I'm done with my Audi 3.6 V8 build. Looking for 500-600 HP on a twin turbo audi v8.

Thanks in advance!
Jason

 

The first 3 performance mods should be intake/exhaust/custom tune and that goes for any vehicle.
After that, you can do e-fans, gears, heads/cams, supercharger or turbo, etc...

If you enjoy your low end torque, you will not like the Flow-Master. Magnaflow has been proven to add power on the Ford modular engines.

I'm lookin' for 450 rwhp on my 4.6 by the end of the year! Stage II heads/custom cams/.67 custom turbo setup/

 

Exhaust, and Intake are top 'budget' mods being done. I too am a student so I have a limited cashflow but once in the Marines I am goin' w/ straight pipes and a CAI. I got the edge after xmas and I absolutely LOVE it. Improve response, improved pep, improved shifts just plain' awesome. And I have stock everything else I can't imagine what it will do when it breathes a little bit better. Also E-Fans are pretty popular wouldn't mind getting my hands on a pair of those.
~Phil

 

There should be some F150 rear ends in the salvage yard with 4:10/4:36 LS gearing. Best seat of the pants performance mod going. Won't get more HP, lousy gas milage, but leaving the stop lights in a cloud of smoke for the win!

 

Going to 4.10s with stock-sized tires doesn't noticeably affect MPG
I run them with 285/60R18 tires (about 31.5 inches).

 

I'm a student too and also have the 4.6.
i'm on my second f150 due to accident with the first. The only good part of that whole situation is that i now know what to do, and can do it right the first time. I took off the air force one air intake and will be putting that on when it gets warmer out. The air force one is a great intake. I'll match the intake with a magnaflow exhaust. I need to purchase the magnaflow since i couldnt take the exhaust set up i had off the truck. intake plus exhaust will be good. then, i strongly recommend the troyer tuning XCALII, or if you would like an alternative, lots of people like the edge programmer. that tuner helps to make the truck all work together nicely! After that i had put bigger tires on, so i bought 4.10's. AWSOME upgrade like others will tell you. feels so much faster and is just a more confident truck to drive around, especially with those programmed tunes. I also did the ignition upgrade from troyer performance. not sure if it helped a tone, but with high miles and knowing the plugs/wires/cops haven't been changed, it will be an upgrade i'll be doing on my new truck sometime soon too! Only problem, everything i had took me 5 years at least to save up for, get installed if i couldnt do it myself, pay for books, bills, GAS. man i hate having to save all over again! but good luck, and just do some research here before you buy anything and you'll make your truck perfect for what you want.
good luck,
John

 

In my opinion...

Best single mod for increased hp and torq considering cost - tuner/programmer


Best mod for hp and torq. where cost is not an issue.... turbo or supercharger as well as gearing, e-fans, intake, etc...

 

ive done intake, exuast, fans, gutted two cats, P&P throttle body and Plenum, and so far my total cost is about, or just under 150 dollars...

Intake, throw a K&N in it, pull the silencer out, and mod the fender inlet, and call it a day
Exaust, Dynomax bullet (45 new, mine was 20 used) weld it in with a dump tip, another 20 bucks.
Precats gutting, free, just takes 2 hours (less time depending on cab configuration)
P&P TB/Plenum free if you have the right tools, and the down time of the truck (mine was free, had a buddy do the work, and actually gave me a new TB/Plenum, I traded some parts i had left over that he wanted)
Efans, I was given a 45 dollar single 16" ebay fan to me for christmas, and i bought a 20dollar controller from autozone, and wired it up with wires that i already had.

As you can see you dont have to break the bank with your mods, just get resourceful, and ask around and see what your best options are.
-Patrick

 

Thanks for all the great replies guys. Looks like I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for a tuner on ebay/bulletin boards but in the mean time I think I'll do some homebrew exhaust mods. Hopefully I can fund a truck with 4.10 gears and a LS in a yard.
I'll see if I can research the efan mod a little more and possibly come up with a junkyard setup.
Pat, I think we're on the same page with the mods. I love goin to yards and base a lot of my mods on what I can find in the yards or do myself for free. With all of the rednecks here in WV it should be easy to come up with some stuff. Hell...there was a race built 460 in the bulletin board this week for $1000 and it came with a spare stock engine.

Thanks again!
Jason

 

on stock short block the best u can look to get is about 380rwhp.. before the rods break because as trucks we push alot of weight so there is more strain on the internals

 

haha just keep up to date with ebay.. u have a 99 meaning urs isnt PI. i can port out my stock intake manifold for u and u will notice a gain in performance. if ur interested shoot me a PM.

 

Does anyone have any BTDT with the tuner on a 5 spd? I thought one of the main reasons the tuner is a good upgrade is b/c you can change the shift points on the auto. Since I can't do that, is it still at the top of the list?

Also, I don't want to do these mods for more power in general but I want good driveability with good throttle response, too. I haven't driven too many trucks but with my dad's Tundra you have to be careful when it's wet or you'll end up sideways. Can I get at least close to that power level without internal mods or a blower?

Sorry for all the newb questions. I did search, but haven't had a whole lot of luck on what the total package will be like when all is said and done. (Exhaust, intake, tuner, and efans)

Thanks,
Jason

 

Faster,
What does PI mean? I don't know anything about Fords at all. I come from VW's and Audi's. Give me a little while and I'll have it all figured out.
Port Injection?
Porsche Imitation?
Petite Inlet?
***** Infection?
I dunno...hard to tell.

As for the porting. I hope to do some of that on my own. I've been researching it for a long time because I have a big valve head for my Audi that needs ported so I've been trying to get an industrial electric die grinder to do the work. Then I'll most likely get the standard abrasives kit. I'm game for some tips when the time comes though.

Thanks,
Jason

 

performance improved

 

I thought that 99+ were PI - ??