I'd say that your reasearch has brought me to the same conclusion. It might be possible to interchange parts but if there was so many different castings it seems as though the chance that something will not fit is pretty high.

I like what Crash! has shown us in the built up blocks. The prices are actually pretty reasonable too, considering.

I'm still working to pay off the card. It's been almost a year. Things have not gone as expected. It looks like I won't be building an engine this year. I do plan on upgrading a bit though. I think that should keep me happy for another year.

Iron Horse I 've got to hand it to you. You know how to start threads that get everybodies interest. This is a good one!

 

Thanks Wittom. I am in the exact same situation as you are. It is official, my "covert credit card" is "toast"! But, I am still trying to determine a "recipe" for more power that justifies, investing even more $ into my used truck. From what I have seen so far, there are many paths to power, that ensures that I will be keeping this truck for a long time.

 

Their talking turbos for the F150 over on GP. Will it ever end? I wish I could just hit the lottery and try all the different possabilities. I don't think I've ever been drawn in to a subject like I am by fast trucks! I'm having so much fun!

 

I have a question regarding all of this. How can you use the mustang intake with its lower profile? How would the TB line up compared to the truck intake? Wouldn't you need some sort of spacer to have the TB sit in the same location?

and after reading all this info im not swapping anything. Im getting my blown head gasket/cracked head fixed.

 

HI!... The MUSTANG 4.6 intake manifold has the TB opening on the passenger's side. You would have to fabricate up a whole new air intake system to run it on a F-150 4.6.

 

97f150f/s,

You do not have to use the Mustang manifold to use the mustang heads. If you use Mustang heads with oval intake ports, they will match your stock manifold intake "runner" oval ports. PI heads and PI engine intake manifolds have square ports.

How much is it going to cost you to fix ONE head and change ONE or TWO head gasket(s)...........

You can find TWO POLISHED mustang heads and cams for $550 to $600 on ebay. (Ported and polished heads are over $1,000)

If you are never going to get a supercharger you can also bolt up TWO Performance Improved (PI) heads and cams, even though they will increase compression too much for a supercharger, unless you also change to PI pistons and or have the combustion chambers in the PI heads made larger (also porting your stock F-150 manifold will match the pi head ports and reduce restrictions). You can find PI heads new and used for $550 to $650 on ebay.

You can also find an entire late model F-150 engine (99'-up for 5.4 and 2001-up for 4.6) with the PI heads and low miles on ebay and car-part.com for $1,000 to $1500!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then you can put a supercharger on it if you wish plus even if you stay stock you will have 25 to 35 MORE hp than a pre-PI engine!!!!!!!!!!

 

Hi Guys! I have just finished reading this thread and WOW! you guys are doing your homework. I too have been researching this subject every since the Modular Mix and Match part 1 article in MM&FF mag ( I read this mag more than any truck mag because of all the speed secrets those guys have), but haven't visited this site until just the other day. I only noticed one post about the Ford Motorsports heads; I think these may be the best option for both price and power. The initial price is much higher, but they have a larger combustion chamber than PI heads, they will work with our older manifolds, and they need no porting to make more power than either production head. They even come with new valves (high flowing design AND larger than production) and new springs. As far as low end power is concerned, I slip my clutch to 3000 grand on a race launch with no problems; that's where the peak torque should end up after a swap, right? I could use less off idle power, anyway; it'll save the tires. And there is always a new set of gears if the torque reduction is a problem...

 

Orlin,

HHMMMMM.....the Ford MotorSport heads have oval intake ports AND make more power than either the PRE and POST PI heads.....if so, that would enable me to put them on my stock engine and then put them on my next forged enternal shortbock when I blow this engine..........hhhmmmm.......I need to check on this........

 

I re-read an article in the Ford catalog last night; they are claiming that the heads alone will give us a 35 hp boost at the stock lift of 12 mm (claimed flow increases are 27% intake and 44% exhaust at this lift); and that is with the exhaust side being shut down by a stock manifold. With a good flowing header/ exhaust combination, and a good cold air set-up on the intake side, the hp levels should rise more dramatically than we are used to seeing on our engines. I, too am awaiting the demise of my engine to replace it with a solid shortblock (prices have been dropping) with these heads and slightly improved cams.

 

Guys, don't believe everything you read. Non-PI modular heads are asthmatic and don't outflow PI heads at any lift despite the numbers MM&FF posted. If I recall correctly MM&FF used Fox Lake numbers that said the non PI heads flowed over 170 cfm on the intake while the PI heads only flowed 168? In reality non PI heads flow 130-150 cfm on the intake side and around 100 cfm on the exhaust side compared to 170/150 (int/exh) for the PI heads. IMO, Fox Lake is trying to convince people to port the non-PI heads because they are cheaper and much more abundant. Fully worked non PI heads will flow about the same, possibly a LITTLE better than untouched out of the box PI or SVO heads. The non PI heads are junk simply put.

On the Mustangs, the PI head/cam/intake combo is worth 50 rwhp even stock. Compare dyno numbers from a '99+ GT to a '96-'98 GTs sometime. 5 speed '99+ GT's make 225-235 rwhp and 265-275 rwtq bone stock compared with 5 speed '96-'98 GTs which make 175-185 rwhp and 250-260 rwtq stock. Compression ratios are identicle and the only differences are the PI heads/cams/intake. The '99+ GT's are also about a second quicker and 8-9 mph faster through the 1/4 '96-'98 GT's stock to stock, so yes there is a dramatic difference between the two. On the Mustangs the heads are probably the most important part of the PI upgrade but the improvd cams and intakes are also big parts, it's not ONLY the heads.

Headswapped '96-'98 GTs usually see 50-60 rwhp with untouched heads, about 10 of the extra rwhp comes from the 10.5:1 you see with PI combustion chambers used in conjunction with non-PI pistons, nothing dramatic but I'm sure the extra compression gives you some really good throttle response.

I don't see why the trucks wouldn't see similar gains, unless the cams and intake used on the PI trucks aren't as big improvements over the old stuff and it was as the Mustang, which I seriously doubt.

 

Ben99GT,

The trucks must retain the OEM 90% torque at 2000 rpm capacity. This will seriously limit the potential of any cam swap.

JMC

 

well guys im not going to do the whole pi swap. Not enough funds. I also doubt its the heads anymore. I've been able to drive my truck with no problems now for almost a week. I still have an appointment tomorrow at ford so i will drop it off and see what they say.