James Hampton

this guy was going to do this but no one ever responded to his post. so i am making my first post this:

i have a 1994 F-150 xlt. it originally had a 351w. but the previous owner decided to replace that with a 302 5.0l that was from a junk yard(i think the 351 blew). it has very very high miles. i want to find a core 460 and rebuild it and swap out the 302.
i am looking for a faster truck-not a drag racer but i am used to muscle cars and this is my first truck. so the throttle response has been a lil disappointing
i also plan to tow things and haul. currently the truck has lowered towing gears in the rear with leaf springs from a 250. i am looking to match that with the engine. but to hear them chirp and stomp something off the line would be nice when im not pulling.
i am very very noob to this. so please be patient with me. is this a good plan? i found a turbo 460 for 900 bucks. is this a good deal? or i found a core for 200-this a better deal? or should i put the 351 back in and sup it up? is the transmission(4eod) able to handle the 460? i heard they bolt up but can it handle the HP?
i have some money to throw at this and i didnt spend much on the truck and its kinda my project. i agree with the origininal poster that making frankin trucks is so much fun. i want unique. something that turns heads when i drive by.
thanks guys

BLDTruth

First things first - the tranny bolted to your 302 will not bolt up to your a 460. It will bolt back up to a 351.

Second - changing to a 460 drivetrain will also require you to completely replace all of the engine harness wiring and computer.

Third - I don't think you will be all that impressed with acceleration on a 460 compared with a 302 or 351. A built 460 for sure will make a difference. The differences will be very dramatic when towing, however.

Fourth - if you do go with a 460, you are going to need to address suspension up front - the rear can handle it but the front of the 1/2 ton's were not designed for the weight of the 460.

I think your best bang for the buck would be a built 302 or 351 with a rebuilt E4OD with all of the good updates. If you really want a 460 buy another truck that was built for it. My $.02.

James Hampton

thanks so much. i really appreciate your candor.
so i deff will not be doing a 302. sounds like the 351 is the way to go. juice worth the squeeze.
so should i pull a 351 from another truck? or should i get one from an old tbird(which i absolutely love the idea of)

BLDTruth

No problem - you asked all of the right questions BEFORE you spent the money, so you already way ahead of the game.

Your best bet would be to find a 351 for cheap and build it from the ground up - I recommend reading A LOT about it. Here is a good start - it talks about building 302's from the ground up and the challenges of doing it within the parameters of 1994 technology while still keeping fuel injection and the like - a lot of it will translate to a 351.

https://www.f150forum.com/f10/bit-in...l-302s-276512/

One thing you should figure out right away is if you have a Mass air flow truck or a Speed density truck. Since it is a 94 and was originally a 351 I am going to guess it was speed density - if that is the case then you should spend some time reading up on a mass air flow conversion - or find a 1995-ish donor truck that has a MAF computer, 351 engine, etc.

^^^And if you don't know what any of this means, then read read read - before you spend the $$$

James Hampton

great info.
i have been reading a lot about these and this is the best forrum i have found! you guys not only know your stuff but you are polite and patient too. i posted in some other forrums and peeps talked down to me and got ticked when i didnt "ask the right questions"
ok i will find out about the MAF or SD update this post. i want to keep this going through my project with updates. im very excite about this and really cant wait to get started. but i am a planner first and i got lots of planning to do(and like you said- reading)
i hope some others put their .02 in too.
thanks again

James Hampton

so i found this today while reading up on where to start my swap. just wondering why the difference in your answer?
thanks

BLDTruth

No real difference - I would still choose a 460 over a 302 or 351 if I were starting from scratch, but I would not try to put it into an F150 - I would probably find myself a nice F250 or F350 that already had a 460 and tranny and work from that.

Given the parameters of which you are working - a 351 seems like a great choice. Like I said a built 460 will blow everything out of the water, but it will take a lot more money and a lot more time to get it to work properly. If money is no object, have at it.

James Hampton

will i need to beef up my transmission for the 351 if i build it up? how much hp can i realistically get out of a 351? 400+ like the other poster was asking? can my 4eod handle that? should i get a c6 anyway? the transmission i currently have is slipping from 2-3.
thanks for your help. others input wanted as well

BLDTruth

I guess the first question is what is your budget?

Sure, 400+ out of a 351 is possible - with a lot of upgrades. MAF conversion, custom cam, larger injectors, etc. A long list.

You can definitely build an E4OD to handle the power too - they put them behind 460's and 7.3 diesels so they can definitely handle torque and power - but I do not know what the factory specs are behind a 351 or 302. Expect to upgrade/rebuild your tranny no matter what engine combo you go for if you are expecting 400+ hp.

James Hampton

lets say i dont have a budget. lol but the cheaper the better