Motor Swap Project Thread
#1
03-03-2011, 01:18 AM
Motor Swap Project Thread
I have a 1998 4.6L 4x4 F150. I absolutely LOVE this truck.
I have a PI 4.6L motor that I want to swap into my truck. This motor is now in my Thunderbird.
The truck transmission has always been very weird since I bought it, and now I am having problems with it failing to shift from 2-3. A compression check shows the engine has low compression from worn rings (goes up with oil injected in), solely on the rear three cylinders of the passenger side of the motor.
I want to get a better transmission (BCAutomotive). So, it sure would be a good time to swap in my PI motor that will otherwise waste away sitting in a car I wont drive very often. And I could swap the NPI truck motor into the tbird - thats what the car came with anyway. I will have 2-3 weeks downtime that I could do this - 6 weeks from now.
My plan is to start pulling the PI motor out of the car in the next week or two. If I could have the motor and trans ready to drop in and have most if not all parts when this semester ends, I think I could easily swap the two in the two week period.
The PI motor in my car...I have had that motor for 5 years, it is strong as any I've seen. I know the truck is quite a bit heavier, but I am fairly confident that the PI 4.6L will provide adequate towing power with a good tune, torque converter, and good transmission. And it will be a lot cheaper right now than a 5.4 swap would be.
Some questions I have - Should I go with Motorcraft motor mounts? Are there any poly motor mounts available for these trucks?
Also, is there an ideal year for PI truck intakes? Or are they all the same? Specificially composition...does it have plastic, or all aluminum?
Is there any differences with timing chain covers from NPI to PI??
I have a PI 4.6L motor that I want to swap into my truck. This motor is now in my Thunderbird.
The truck transmission has always been very weird since I bought it, and now I am having problems with it failing to shift from 2-3. A compression check shows the engine has low compression from worn rings (goes up with oil injected in), solely on the rear three cylinders of the passenger side of the motor.
I want to get a better transmission (BCAutomotive). So, it sure would be a good time to swap in my PI motor that will otherwise waste away sitting in a car I wont drive very often. And I could swap the NPI truck motor into the tbird - thats what the car came with anyway. I will have 2-3 weeks downtime that I could do this - 6 weeks from now.
My plan is to start pulling the PI motor out of the car in the next week or two. If I could have the motor and trans ready to drop in and have most if not all parts when this semester ends, I think I could easily swap the two in the two week period.
The PI motor in my car...I have had that motor for 5 years, it is strong as any I've seen. I know the truck is quite a bit heavier, but I am fairly confident that the PI 4.6L will provide adequate towing power with a good tune, torque converter, and good transmission. And it will be a lot cheaper right now than a 5.4 swap would be.
Some questions I have - Should I go with Motorcraft motor mounts? Are there any poly motor mounts available for these trucks?
Also, is there an ideal year for PI truck intakes? Or are they all the same? Specificially composition...does it have plastic, or all aluminum?
Is there any differences with timing chain covers from NPI to PI??
Last edited by 98_XLT; 03-03-2011 at 01:48 AM.
