5.4 dohc swap 97 f150

[Chrisg2121]

Just got this 97 f150 flareside with a npi 5.4 that’s got 250,000 miles
I’ve always wanted to swap a 4v 5.4 into something so I figured it should be this since I’m supercharging my 2v 5.4 mustang so no 4v for that but that’s for a different thread
As of right now I’ve got a Navi block freshly assembled with new factory Ford flat top pistons out of the 3v 5.4s, I had the pistons coated with moly on the skirts n with ceramic on the tops, I upgraded the rings to nitrided steel, also did forged gt500 connecting rods, n factory forged Navi crank.
The heads are getting new stainless valves I will be running stock cams those will soon be done
It will be getting the boss 260 Aussie intake manifold which is getting modified to run a cable driven dual blade throttle body it will also be getting the IAC and EGR adapted to fit onto it working on mocking it all up now will be getting it welded soon
I’m running aviator exhaust manifolds since that’s all I had laying around for dohc manifolds but I will work on making some long tubes after the swap is done

 

[Chrisg2121]

More shots of the intake mockup
Should be all welded up next week then I should have the heads done shortly after. The heads on this block are just for mock up once mine are done I’ll assemble the engine n hopefully get started on swapping it in

 

[me32]

Sweet another DOHC 5.4 swap. Im loving these threads. Keep the pics comming. Looking really cool.

 

[Chrisg2121]

Getting the new valves installed n replacing valve stem seals.should have both heads done soon

 

[Chrisg2121]

I ended up having the intake welded today I thought it’d be Monday but luckily it’s all done now
Just need to sand down a bit then apply some wrinkle black paint
IAC won’t be too hard to route I’ll have to take some measurements on the passenger side to see where the EGR tube will clear since the aviator exhaust manifolds have the EGR port on that side so all that along with DPFE will be getting moved to that side
Once I get the heads done I’ll post more updates as of now that’s all I have

 

[Chrisg2121]

Picked up a cheap 6r80 out of a 2012 expedition with 80k miles I’ll be working on swapping that in later as well but may have to after the engine swap is done since my e40d is fine n the controller for the 6r80 is a bit out of my price range for now but at least I have the trans now so that’s out of the way
Other than that I only got one head assembled I’ll have the other one done soon
I also got the intake, valve covers, n timing cover painted it came out pretty nice

 

[Chrisg2121]

More shots of the intake n stuff

 

[Chrisg2121]

View attachment 1627770

Haven’t had much time to work on my stuff I just got bombarded with work this last week. But I was able to bolt on (not torqued yet) the head I finished. I have the intake valves done on the other head but I have a few customer heads I need to finish up before I get back to mine
I also ordered the thermostat housing/crossover tube off the Ford 5.4s from Australia since I like that it keeps the thermostat on top like the 2v setups I’m not a big fan of how most 4v thermostats are set up. I couldn’t find one on this side of the world so it’ll be here in 3-4 weeks after that I can start the swap I should have the heads done by then for sure I’ll post updates as I go

 

[Chrisg2121]

BBC

Thermostat housing n crossover tube finally showed up it fits perfect. I got the engine back on the stand to finish it all up I still need to torque the heads down n get all the timing stuff on it then it should be ready to go.

 

[me32]

Man this is comming along nice.

 

[Corbic]

Sexy Beast.


Any idea how much vroom vrooms it will make?

 

[Chrisg2121]

Sexy Beast.


Any idea how much vroom vrooms it will make?

Honestly I’ll be happy with whatever it puts out. I’m not looking for a specific number I just always wanted 4v 5.4 with the Aussie intake so I’m excited to just hear it run!

 

[Chrisg2121]

Not much of an update so far since I got busy with customer vehicles. But I’ve been getting the EGR figured out as well as routing all my heater hoses I’m trying to get most of them ran under the intake for a cleaner look.
I got the EGR tube welded up n luckily I can pull both side valve covers without removing the upper intake lid or the egr tube.
I also made a rear cylinder head coolant crossover tube with some cobra heater outlets I had laying around. I have the 5/8 heater outlet coming from the nipple on the back of the water pump n the 3/4 heater inlet comes from the driver side portion of the thermostat/crossover housing I have those both routed under the intake. I used a 3/4” steel pipe off a Nissan to run the heater hose under the intake. It has a spare 1/4” nipple on it which I may be using for a pcv heater system which I mocked up as well I got the steel hoses for the pcv heater off a Honda
There’s not many vacuum nipples on the intake so I’m teeing off the big nipple which will go to the brake booster, n pcv valve. Then I have a small vacuum nipple which will be used for the ac doors, egr solenoid, n fuel pressure regulator. Then finally there’s 2 plugged ports underneath right behind the throttle body I will use one of those for the purge valve hookup
After this I think it will only need some wiring done n it’ll be ready to drop in. Unfortunately I need to fix one of my cars to get this swap going my mustang is in pieces since I was in the middle of putting a supercharger on it n my Mini Cooper has no compression on cylinder 3 so this truck is my only driver right now. I have most parts for my mini so I’ll be getting that together in the next few weeks then I can start swapping this into my truck. I also bought a full air ride system for the truck so I’ll be installing that along with the engine swap

 

[Chrisg2121]

So it seems this is going to turn into a bit more than just the dohc swap. I came up on a complete non running 03 navigator for super cheap. At first I figured I’d have an extra 32v 5.4 drivetrain I was only going to swap the interior since I love the center console n floor shifter setup. But then I started comparing the length of both trucks n it seems that the wheelbase is almost identical to mine. So I crawled under it to look at the body mounts on both. The Navi n f150 body to frame mounts aren’t all the same but it’s enough of a starting point. The front 4 mounts (2 per side) are identical everything after that is different. So I should have my mini up n running in about 2 weeks so after that I will be attempting a full navigator frame swap under my truck.
I will bolt my engine to the Navi frame/drivetrain get that running make sure it’s all good then start on the frame swap. I should be able to bolt my cab right on with those 4 matching front body mounts that would leave only 2 more on the rear to fabricate to finish mounting the cab since it’s held by 6 bolts total
I would then have to fab every mount (8 I believe) for the bed which shouldn’t be too crazy. I’ve tried seeing if other people have done it but no luck finding any so we'll see how it goes I’ll keep updating as I go
Also some extra eye candy since I have no major update it’s a fully forged 2v 4.6 teksid block going into a bullitt

 

[Chrisg2121]

So I’m finally getting ready to drop the 32v 5.4 I built into the Lincoln that I will then use to frame swap my f150. It took me a while since I had a bunch of customer cars to do I got some v10s n a turbo mustang built since I last posted. But now I’m ready to start working on my stuff for a bit.
Once I get the engine in the navi n get it running I will then attempt to swap my F150 cab n bed onto the navi frame. I am going to be using all the navigator electronics I’m hoping to use the whole navi interior n instrument cluster on my truck as well.
My truck is a 97 with no abs, no traction control, e40d, small front discs/rear drums, n the gearbox steering system
If this frame swap works out I will now have independent front/rear computer controlled air suspension, 4 wheel abs/traction control, huge 4 wheel disc brakes, 4r100 (which I will later swap out for the 6r80 I bought), rack n pinion steering, n last but not least the 5.4 dohc
Hoping to drop the engine in n get it running by September I will then pull the body off the navi shortly after that