4.6L Swap Opinions

[Sleepy Cheyenne]

Hey guys, I want to swap out my old 350 for something more fuel efficient and still a v8. I know 4.8 and 5.3 swaps are popular, but would it be possible to do a 4.6L Ford swap. I do understand this is sacrilege.

[71K20chevy]

Originally Posted by Sleepy Cheyenne

I do understand this is sacrilege.

So much so that you'll be banned.





I think it'd be more trouble than it's worth. A 4.8/4L60E would be easier, and still get you 20 mpg. These trucks absolutely will not get more than 30 mpg, mainly because of the aerodynamics..

[Eddie H.]

Originally Posted by Sleepy Cheyenne

Hey guys, I want to swap out my old 350 for something more fuel efficient and still a v8. I know 4.8 and 5.3 swaps are popular, but would it be possible to do a 4.6L Ford swap. I do understand this is sacrilege.

Swapping a Ford motor into one of these trucks,That's just wrong???? on so many levels. I think it may even be against the law. If not, then it should be.

[bigmac73]

if you are doing this because you a 4.6 laying around, i would sell it and get a 5.3 or try to swap it for a chevy motor

[Livrat]

Originally Posted by Sleepy Cheyenne

Hey guys, I want to swap out my old 350 for something more fuel efficient and still a v8. I know 4.8 and 5.3 swaps are popular, but would it be possible to do a 4.6L Ford swap. I do understand this is sacrilege.

Anything is possible, all it would take is: enough money and or fabrication skills, a torch/hammer/welder and an understanding of fuel injection and wiring.
I do not think it is sacrilege, its thinking "out of the box" I say if you have a wrecked Mustang/Crown Vic/Lincoln laying around and a Chevy truck with engine issues.. Go for it..

[imjeff]

You will spend more adapting it. One should only adapt a F*** into a Chevy if it's over 700 HP and free. Otherwise, I believe it's 50 state illegal with up to a ten year prison sentence. I could be wrong on that last part.

[Bob B.]

I wouldn't do it. The swap will be a can of worms, take a look at where the oil filter is on a 4.6, measure how wide it is, and take a close look at how the accessories mount. Sure, with enough money it could be done, but it won't be easy and it won't be cheap. You will have to use a Ford transmission, and that will present even more problems. 4.6's are pretty easy on gas, but they are not very powerful. And if that's not enough, the truck will probably be worth less when you are through than it is now.

If you are looking for fuel economy, one swap that I have seen done that is easy and won't destroy the truck in the process is a Chevy 4.3L V-6. If you can find a 4.3 with a Turbo 700/4L60 it's almost a bolt-in and will have good power and economy.

[danheit]

I just want to throw this out there for fuel economy. I have a 4.6 and a 5spd in my Mustang. Avg MPG is around 18. 5.4 and Auto in my Expedition. Avg MPG is 14.1. My C10 weighs somewhere in between the two, I'm guessing that your fuel mileage will suffer tremendously. On the bright side, however, there's very few things out there that rival the sound of a nicely tuned Mustang engine....
LOVE my C10 though. I'd personally say that it won't be worth the headache. Even after you master all the fuel injection, have a new tank and pump, Fab some engine mounts, find a good tranny, strong enough for the truck, re-gear the rear end to match, connect all the electronics for the dash to the ECU, you will have THOUSANDS invested in a project that won't net you any better fuel economy, and will be a LOT harder to sell if you ever decide to sell your truck. It's one thing to have a different SBC swapped in, there's a market for that. Once you drop in a 4.6, then you will lose about 80% of your market due to the "sacrilege" or because people will be afraid you didn't know what you were doing and cobbled it together. It takes a good bit of fab work and $$ to make ANY swap clean. Not saying that there haven't been some amazing swaps done out there that are super clean and done for pennies, but that isn't typical of what you see.

[boostedc10]

I agree with the others, if you have a 4.6 laying around sell it and get a 4.8 or 5.3. The swap parts are cheap and readily available. I am sure the go fast parts are cheaper also!

[Lattimer]

Definitely not a great idea. Too much work involved to make it fit, run right, and still get gas mileage.

At the end of the day you will have spent a ton of money to have a truck with near zero value because anybody who likes Chevy's will hate your truck.

[Matt Cramer]

The biggest problem I can see from a technical standpoint is that 4.6s are HUGE. Somewhat larger than a big block Chevy externally because of the large heads. And as others have noted, the fuel economy probably wouldn't be spectacular. I'd only do this if you had a 4.6 laying around, lots of time and fabrication skills, and didn't worry about the truck's resale value (or planned to put in a more mainstream choice before selling it).

For an odd economy engine choice, how about a Trailblazer's 4.2 straight six?

[69chevytrucker]

chevys can go in ford to make fords better, but you cant put ford into chevy the car gods will burn you alive

[71K20chevy]

Originally Posted by danheit

I just want to throw this out there for fuel economy. I have a 4.6 and a 5spd in my Mustang. Avg MPG is around 18. 5.4 and Auto in my Expedition. Avg MPG is 14.1. My C10 weighs somewhere in between the two, I'm guessing that your fuel mileage will suffer tremendously.

That's true. I can attest to the 5.4, my parents had an '05 F150 that got 14.4 on a GOOD day, highway. in comparison, my lifted 4x4 '71 gets about 13-13.5, so even if you got 17 or so with the 4.6, you'd have to put a LOT of miles on your truck to make up the cost.

Like I said, I honestly think you'd be much happier with a 4.8. 5.3 gets about the same mileage as the 5.3, so the only real difference is the up front cost, but you've got tons more power with the 5.3.

Just my 2c.

[tfi rcing]

The Ford motors are great,that's why most Mustang racers are swapping LS engines into their cars...Aside from the physical issues,isn't the PCM and programming not very user friendly,especially when compared to the GM PCM and software.

[Cuttyman9]

I like the out of the box thinking.

I'm putting a 4.6 4V in my 67 chevelle.

So far it's been pretty damn simple.
I'm using a cobra t56(it was purchased with a broken input shaft and counter shaft for cheap) and my goal is 8500rpm using mostly factory parts.

The joy of the modulars is they share a lot of components with later engines, like boss rods, GT lash adjusters and followers, stock chains and gears, factory mk8 block and crank, factory aviator heads, etc.

Hard to make an LS rev that high with stock heads.
Motor mounts are easy, mount a stock mount to a plateon each side and position it in the right spot.

Hardest part will be headers, but I'm sure something will work.

Pretty excited about the project honestly.


Hopefully your project works out!
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[harpo231]

I feel dirty just reading this !!

[trac209]

Personally I would not but hey there's tons of gm products running ford engines,the LS is based off a ford engine so really what's the difference

[boraxman]

Dont do it.

On a side note, member here 70Blackfish has a late Dodge hemi in his truck.

[Boog]

I know where you can get a fender to match.

[Rufas]

Originally Posted by 71K20chevy

So much so that you'll be banned.





I think it'd be more trouble than it's worth. A 4.8/4L60E would be easier, and still get you 20 mpg. These trucks absolutely will not get more than 30 mpg, mainly because of the aerodynamics..

That happened to me on an Olds forum when I replaced the 455 Olds engine in my 67 Cutlass with a 468 BBC. Oh well...

[schwoch1]

The way I look at it, if your name is on the title, you can put any powerplant in the truck that you want. Keep in mind the 4.6 is fairly wide and pretty gutless unless you wind them up. Wiring them in is the same as any other EFI engine swap. Computers can be tuned with SCT or HPTuners depending on the year of the PCM and engine. I swapped a 2005 SOHC 4.6 in my '75 F100 and the truck gets 20-21 MPG all day long and it runs like a million bucks. Yah, it's a bit underpowered but better than the original 300-6 that was in it. I would say go for it if you have a 4.6 lying around, just don't open the hood and no one will ever know!!!

Mike

[truckster]

Originally Posted by Cuttyman9

I like the out of the box thinking.

I'm putting a 4.6 4V in my 67 chevelle.

Hard to make an LS rev that high with stock heads.

You most likely don't really want a high-revving motor in a truck. You need torque down low.

I agree with most of the others - it's your truck, so if you have a lot of time to invest in making it work and really want to do it, go for it. But selling it in the future might be tricky.

[schwoch1]

Originally Posted by truckster

I agree with most of the others - it's your truck, so if you have a lot of time to invest in making it work and really want to do it, go for it. But selling it in the future might be tricky.

I hate to say this but 80% of the people out there now a days buying these trucks wouldn't even know that there was a Ford engine in the truck unless someone told them. As long as it ran and looked good, alot of people wouldn't know the difference.

Case in point, friend of mine had a '69 AMC AMX with a EFI Ford 5 litre out of a Mustang. Most people, including car guys, thought he converted the original AMC over to EFI when they looked at it. He didn't tell them any differently. When he sold the car the buyer could of cared less if it had a Ford engine in it, as long as it ran good!!!

Mike

[Flying Hamster]

You get better power and low end grunt from a LS, even a 4.8. Packaging is easier with an LS. And as an added bonus, the spark plugs stay in on an LS until YOU choose to remove them. They also come out in one piece with an LS.
(Can you tell I've had issues with Ford Mod motors???)