very nice and smart design. i have been waiting for the hps intake and i am going to wait for it since i have already allocated the funds for it. maybe we can have a 5.4 comp where we run all these diffrent manifold against each other on the dyno and track to see who is making what numbers.

 

I too was waiting. and eagerly trying to decide how i can use what ever i could find. when i first seen this kit hit the market for the 4.6l for pretty cheap i thought bout getting it, than snatching up a lightning lower and having a mid-plate made so i can swap out the lower manifolds. I've also had about 30 million other crazy/stupid/impossible/improbable/ect ideas on how to hack up or re-use the lightning lower.

None of which were too promissing. This kit just may be though. Can't wait to see the first 5.4l shootout, without any damn adapter plates pressent. lol, j/k Red. i know you've done a lot with them and they've brought needed attention to the 5.4l. its just time to retire them for good.

 

I'm definitely down with no more plates. I'm the first to admit their shortcomings. They did spawn all the other attention 5.4 2v swaps have gotten in the past couple years but that was no doubt a band-aid until a real solution could be created. There are going to be at least 2 options which is cool. The blower intake kit is neat but doesn't look like it'll clear less than a 2" cowl with a blower on it and it's otherwise a short runner intake so no good for NA cars. I do like the way they made the thing adaptable to 4.6 or 5.4... really slick adapter plate location.

 

the 4.6l kit clears the stock 99+ hoods if you notch out a hole for the pully as its the only part that hits. They have a stock looking scoop that is extended slightly to hide the cut-out.

So, if the blower fits under the stock hood on the 4.6 with the exeption of the pully snout, how much higher would it sit on a 5.4l?

Drop mounts and k-member spacers may be able to keep it under a mild hood if not the stocker right?

 

it looks like the intake situation is almost solved. the 2 options soon to be available pretty much cover everyones needs. you are working on headers, so thats another thing checked off.

All we need are the parts, and for people to start using them.

The shockwave is about to hit. The best thing that can happen for the 5.4l craze if for people to actually be driving them and cleaning house with them.

 

I suspect that as word gets out about building these things... word will also get out that the cost is really high. Sounds like an average price for building these things is 10-15k (depending on accesories like xmission)... If I had known that the cost of my project was going to be 18k (as current projections look) I would not have done it. I would have bought a premade engine, maybe that nice GT500 engine.

 

probably me too...

 

hence why my car is still 100% stock. i'm not diving into it untill i see that it will be worth the cost. For almost 2 years i've been doing research, following this thread, and trying to figure out how to make everything work. i've also been doing the same for other platforms. I understand that those of you who have started are still pretty much the first of the breed and all the experimentation costs money.

Most people here aren't just throwing 5.4l's into their cars anymore. They are going ***** out with custom everything built from the ground up. It costs major money no matter what car you do that with.

Once the HPS intake hits the market, the 5.4l swap could still be a budget project with great returns. And it still is without the intake.

I know my first swap (if i do get around to it) will be a stock longblock 5.4l with either the HPS and bolt-ons or the TTI/Maggy blower i posted about. Start with something mild, but keep it always running and never down for too long of a period at a time.

I don't want to have my car down for months or possible a year. This project appealed to me because it seemed like something fun, easy, and cheap. It still can be, you just can't get ahead of yourself. I want this to be a project i can enjoy as it grows. Not something that was bone stock when it was parked and became a $20k built machine the next time it started.

If you don't mind, could you do a cost breakdown. I and others reading will greatly appreciate it. I'd like to know what is costing how much and ect.

 

This is me lol
Mine was supposed ot be a simple 8k max swap... and i turned into an expensive beast...
And i will post my money break down...

 

*This post is for the 4V DOHC... so you can skip if your not interested.

(this is the second time i'm attempting to write this so i may miss something)
I talked to scott today at sullivan and he gave me some specs for an ideal cam shaft for nat. asp. application with their intake
is should have 230 degree intake & exaust maybe a few more degrees intake .. and a 0.485 lift, and the most important part was for them to have a 109-110 degree lobe seperation. sean hyland's stage 2 and 3 are close but not an exact match. he suggested a mod max cam, but since their site has been down all day we couldnt find the exact model he was looking for.
i'm just going to buy more cam shafts and hold onto mine (sean hyland turbo grind) for when i apply turbos. Scott said they've seen 500 flywheel hp on an agressive drag race build (nat. asp.) with their intake... so its possible. I just wanna beat the porche's, and modded corvettes, and camaros at the office.

i also talked to Hogan Manifolds today and they said prices for custom jobs are 3100 w/o water crossover and 3200 w/ cross over. they sent me some pics and they look real nice and are custom made to fit the application and are designed to be compatible for future boost applications.
Ok i cant remember anything else but i'm sure i missed something so.. theres always tomorrow.

 

I've got copies of all but 1 invoice at the office and i'm keeping a spreadsheet on my work computer. I'll try to get it posted in the next day or so...
I've been driving my 4.6 SOHC since i first bought it in 2001 and have never had a problem with it... i'll be sad the day it comes out.. but hopefully the 5.4 will be completly ready to go and down time should be 1 week or less.

 

haha, yeah my inital projects were 5k and 2-3 months w/o tranny... boy was i friggin stupid.

 

These are my prices on what things cost....
I know this can be done cheaper by not buying alot of this.
I will seperate top half from bottom and so fourth, some of these pieces i dont have such as the cams, but i know that for a 4 valve they are going to be about 1300...
THESE PRICES ARE ALSO FOR A 4 VALVE.... not a 2V so 2V was actually going to cost me alot less since i already had the parts....

BLOCK: 600 (bored,decked, honed)
Forged Manley Rotating Assembly 2200 (balanced)
DSS Main Support 320 (not needed on modulars)
Melling Billet geared oild pump (330 +30 for the oil pickup tube)

Heads: New 04 Navi Heads 500
Port polish: 850 (MMR Stage 3)
Followers: 400
Lifters: 300
Cams: 1300
Injectors: (used 100)
Valve Covers: 100
Intake manifold: Sullivan 700
Alternator bracket for relocation of the sullivan intake: 100
New alternator cause of relocation: 175
Oil filter relocation cause of intake: 150
Sullivan plenum: 200
BBK Dual Bore 65mm throttle body: 350

T-56 Transmission with a 26 spline, flywheel, clutch, and aluminum driveshaft, i got this with 7300 miles on the whole trans... for about 2300 shipped.... so that cut down on some of my cost

Full UPR Front Suspension 800 + sruts...

Electronics- FAST wideband - 380
i already have an SCT Livewire

MISC:
Timing cover: 150
Headers: stock 04 cobra 60
wire kit for cutting wires 30$
Shipping on all this but the transmission about 500$
gaskets and seals all together was about another 500$

Fuel system:
04 Cobra tank and 2 GT supercar pumps 600
Lines, Y blocks, Regulator for boost about 450 total.
Fuel rails, 200

Puts me at 14,575 (i know i left out some stuff... but not a whole lot)

and future add ons will be a HP Twin Turbo kit (about 7,000 with all the add ons i want)

I could not reuse alot of my 2valve stuff so i had to buy alot of this... which sucked... 2 valve was going to cost me several thousand less cause i could reuse alot of the stock parts...
2 valve swap is defintly more wallet friendly...

I kinda wished i stayed 2 valve too... that rumble from a N/A 2 valve sounds so good...

 

My plans are a bit more modest. yet still should make for a beast of a car. heres my "to-do" list i would try to follow.

-brake upgrade
-suspension: front and rear, ect.
-fortify the t-45: input shaft, synco's, clutch ect.
-find a stock longblock. pref. lightning
-TTI blower

enjoy 400rwhp+ and 500+rwtq.

I still have yet to set a real budget. so IDK what i will or wont be able to get away with, but i'm not looking to get too wild all at once.

 

too bad none of you guys were closer to alabama. i have a block and crank in my garage plus almost everything else needed.

 

I've lived in Alabama... I'm not scared. I would have drove too ya........ $13,000 ago.

 

I just found out today they don't make a turbo kit for the 5.4L which will fit in my 98 mustang... but I bought turbo grind cams ($1k)

Can ANYONE confirm this, and list the forced induction options for the 5.4L? If not, does anyone want to buy a $6k 5.4L shortblock?

 

Probaly should have researched that first...

Anyway, you can put a centri charger on it or go with the TTI setup.

 

i live in southwestern LA. Bama isn't that far away.

 

hellion kits should work. are you SOHC or DOHC? there have been multiple turbo 5.4l mustangs.

i'll dig up and find them. you will have to most likely modify a 4.6l turbo system. but it will just be the turbo hearders that will give you trouble.

 

All this talk about costs being more than expected, i figured i should share something to cheer you guys up.

Talking with a friend of mine, i found out he has over $10k already invested into his term cobra and he's just doing the basic KB 2.8H set-up. So, price of car included he's in it for almost $40k and has a non running car just like most of you guys.

 

i have searched for deals on the boards and ebay since i started this project and i have under $8k in my complete project minus the car but it is paid for so i didn't count it. i'm doign a remote mounted twin turbo setup with the new LT's as soon as they are done. also i'm going to wait for the hps intake so i with the intake price i should still be under$10k.

 

my swap project has cost me about 6k all in so far and it's a pretty decently built combo. I did wait for killer deals and even worked a few out like GP's and such to get the prices I wanted to pay. It's all about effort. Less effort on your part will = more $ spent pure and simple. We've had a few do the swap for less than 2K all in so it's possible but if you want to set it up for more serious output like most of us do then you'll also want to spend more for better parts. Once we can get the new parts to market things will pick up. I'm still way happier with NA power than I'd ever be with a blown 4.6 so for me it made perfect sense.

A lot of people that get a hardon for a 5.4 swap just want the feel of the cars we grew up with that had the benefit of larger displacement engines. I'm sure many more don't know what they want but they're sure a 5.4 will get it for them. Most of the latter would be just as well served by a blower as a they would a 5.4.

 

my first swap cost me 500 bucks. i bought adapters from dan and a non-pi 5.4 out of a van for 400 bucks. the rest was carried over from the 4.6 i had.



- this weekend i should be putting in hunter's(sleepingGT) 5.5 in his car since he is stuck in med school. i'll take aton of pics for everyone to drool over. his will be a NA 5.5 with all the boltons and a healthy shot of hell fast juice.......

 

if i could get 30mpg AND have fun i would have kept the 5.4.

 

2.73 gears and a 6speed would get 30mpg on the hwy i bet......

 

The cruising RPMs would be too low with those gears.

 

a buddy has a 07 gto 6.0 with the 6sp and 3.41 gears and averaged 27mpg on the hwy recently.

 

hmm thats good... the new mustangs are supposed to have the "power on demand" feature so it will run on 4 cyclinders tell you stick your foot in it... well supposibly...

So i think they will get much better gas mileage im going to drop back down to 3:27's i have 3:73's now... and with the T-56 i should get prettty decent highway mileage..

Some guy on corral is doggin the issue of a 5.4 is way to expensive so im about to drop my list of pieces and what i have paid including cost of car to show i will have less then 25k total in a car that can easily produce 750+

 

Yes i just emailed HP and they said they wont be making a kit nor do any of there current kits fit.... so i asked if the headers atleast would work, and i can custom fab the rest... also sent a email to MMR after i got that email waiting a reply seeing if maybe they will atleast make the hot pipes... if the hot piping is made everything else is cake....