What engines can swap with my 5.4 Triton?
09-13-2017, 10:59 PM
#1
What engines can swap with my 5.4 Triton?
2004 F150 4x4 Lariat, super-cab.
My old girl is getting the miles and although it has been a wonderful truck and had very few problems... it's coming up on time to either rebuild the original 5.4, or find something I can swap into it. I would simply buy another truck, but I really can't afford it and my '04 has everything I want in it and it's in excellent shape. Besides - even if I dumped $5k in a new engine and transmission, there's no way I can replace the entire truck for that. I'd play hell finding an equivalent truck for $10k these days.
I'm old-school so I prefer the good 'ol muscle-bound 1960/1970's 351's, 390's, 460's, etc.. I don't know much about these newer engines. I'm pretty sure I can't stuff a fire-breathing 460 in there without some major redecorating on the electric system, mounts, (PCM, etc)... I'm a bit less adventurous in my older days anyway!
So the question is... can I swap my 5.4 Triton with something LARGER with little to no tweaking? What will bolt up to the transmission?
In the days of old, there wasn't much of a problem swapping a 302 for a 351, 360 with a 390, 429 with a 460 etc...
While my 5.4 has ran very well, it does have it's fall-backs from the research I've done on this forum and others. One of the biggest being the stuck spark plugs (knock on wood I have NOT had that problem... but I did buy the truck used, so someone else may have already taken a bite of that crap-sandwich)...
I tow a boat in the summer and would like a bit more power. The 5.4 is about the same as a 302, so I'd really like to step up to at least a 351 equivalent - or better yet, a 390 equivalent if at all possible.
Thanks,
My old girl is getting the miles and although it has been a wonderful truck and had very few problems... it's coming up on time to either rebuild the original 5.4, or find something I can swap into it. I would simply buy another truck, but I really can't afford it and my '04 has everything I want in it and it's in excellent shape. Besides - even if I dumped $5k in a new engine and transmission, there's no way I can replace the entire truck for that. I'd play hell finding an equivalent truck for $10k these days.
I'm old-school so I prefer the good 'ol muscle-bound 1960/1970's 351's, 390's, 460's, etc.. I don't know much about these newer engines. I'm pretty sure I can't stuff a fire-breathing 460 in there without some major redecorating on the electric system, mounts, (PCM, etc)... I'm a bit less adventurous in my older days anyway!
So the question is... can I swap my 5.4 Triton with something LARGER with little to no tweaking? What will bolt up to the transmission?
In the days of old, there wasn't much of a problem swapping a 302 for a 351, 360 with a 390, 429 with a 460 etc...
While my 5.4 has ran very well, it does have it's fall-backs from the research I've done on this forum and others. One of the biggest being the stuck spark plugs (knock on wood I have NOT had that problem... but I did buy the truck used, so someone else may have already taken a bite of that crap-sandwich)...
I tow a boat in the summer and would like a bit more power. The 5.4 is about the same as a 302, so I'd really like to step up to at least a 351 equivalent - or better yet, a 390 equivalent if at all possible.
Thanks,
Last edited by stankyjeans; 09-13-2017 at 11:08 PM.
09-14-2017, 11:35 AM
#2
If you have the $$$ swap anything you want into it. But, realistically, even if you go with something that drops right in, there is a lot of work to be done. Hoses, wires, PCM swap and getting it to communicate to the other body modules, tranny adapter for anything other than a 5.4 3v, etc. I would just rebuild it, or get a reman and drive it for another 200k 
