okay so the spark plug for cylinder #8 blew out the other day and im not one of those people to bitch about it. i have a 2002 4.6l triton with 180,000K miles on it. i was planning on replacing the cylinder head since that is the only major damage i have seen. i was just wondering while i am taking stuff apart is there anything i can do to restore the engine? i do not mind being out of commission for a few weeks and want this engine to last another 100K. if anyone has any pointers on what i can do to restore the engine and give it more power it would be appreciated

 

Well have the block honed and pick up some new pistons, raise the CR a little and get the heads worked. At least get the valve unshrouded, maybe some pocket porting and make sure the heads are PI. IDK your budget but head work, cams, and a set of long tubes will gain you around 100 hp/tq.

 

what is getting the valve unshrouded? not to experienced with this stuff this has been my learner truck

 

There is a small raised area behind the intake valve called the "Swirl Fin". Look at the lower head in the pic and notice it above the intake valve. The first part of any modular head job should be to remove this.
http://www.seanhylandmotorsport.com/...M-6049-P46.jpg

 

Then again, you could simply slap a Timesert in the stripped hole without pulling the head and run the thing till it drops..........

 

My thoughts exactly