C Heads...

[MrE]

hey its been a few weeks. I sold my roadster. Bought a Prius as a daily. Im sitting on some cash, going to save a bit more. Ive been finding some cheaper Cobra Verts online and its been difficult not to buy right away but i want to make sure I have a plan of some type. Most of the cheaper cars are very high milage so im going to be looking to do an engine swap sooner than later if i go this route.

Ive mulled over the usual suspects;
03-04 termi swap. The engine cost alone is a deterrent. Saw one priced at $7000 and thats as low as it gets.
2011-Current Coyote Swap. This one seemed like a winner. I can get an engine from an F-150 for around 3k$. But the control unit is 1.5k$, Headers 1K$... etc. Im in 10k$ before i even start the engine, according to the forums.

This has brought me to the 5.4 that 96blak54 mentions:

5.4l 2v has 300lbft torque off idle and climbs from there. Throw a supercharger or turbo in the mix, traction becomes a problem...with any gear.

96blak54 can you suggest a supercharger to use with the 5.4 2v?

I can get a Lighting engine for under 3k$ (these are 2v right?) so thats exciting but hood clearance becomes a huge issue. It wouldn't be so bad if you could cover it with a scoop but the hole you need to cut isn't scoop friendly.

I think i would prefer the 4v DOHC just cuz more valves are better right?

Been looking into the 5.4 4v from the Lincoln Navigator. As far as ease of swap goes this seems to be the easiest option. People seem to be changing the intake mostly for hood clearance and thats the most involved thing. My issue so far is im not really sure of the performance of this engine. Seems I'd end up with numbers similar to a stock 4.6.
In comparison with the Coyote engine, the numbers are more known topping out around 700hp with boost on stock internals. I know this because its current parts, people are doing it now.
The 5.4 is more of a mystery, not sure what my options are.

 

[96blak54]

Thats right! Imagine having the same hp as a 4.6l but a driving(driving around) torque like from a supercharger....but no supercharger. Throw in a power adder and traction seriously becomes a problem. Like in 5th gear for instance. ...you deside to get around someone. No need to drop a gear, just push the pedal down. Throw in a power adder.....holy cow! And driving rpm's with 3.55 rears is like 1600rpm compared to a 4.6l4v 2200rpm with 4.30's.

 

[RedTwilight]

You're probably going to want to plan on spending at least $10K for the engine swap no matter which one you choose to go with. Especially if you plan to add boost. If the factory crank, rods, and pistons aren't up to snuff for forced induction; then you might want to think hard about replacing those with ones that are capable of the task. Then add in the cost of all the small items needed, tuning, upgraded fuel system, etc. Don't forget the stringent emission law that you have to deal with if you're in Cali.

Also if you're thinking of swapping engines anyway then why not look at getting a GT in lieu of a Cobra? They would be cheaper, easier to find, and may already have some decent upgrades already. Then you can replace the bumper covers, hood, brakes, suspension or anything else and make it how you want.