4.6l sohc or dohc

59flatbedford · Feb 9, 2010

so my main question is if i decide to swap a 4.6l into my 89 ranger which one should i go with, sohc or dohc. If im thinking right the sohc is narrower making it an easier install, but the dohc i could get an aluminum block and they make more power and torque. is this right. Im thinking of maybe finding like a wrecked mark 8 or something to get the aluminum 4.6l dohc and then hooking that to the 5speed tranny and t case out of an f150. Is this possible and will it cause my have to build crazy ass wiring harness.

zukirider21 · Feb 9, 2010

are the 3 valves dohc? if so, if its much easier to do an sohc swap then do that unless you can get a 4 valve motor (navigator, cobra, etc.) they're nasty ass motors.

59flatbedford · Feb 9, 2010

well i think that a lot of the dohc blocks were aluminum which would save a bunch on weight. which would be good i dont want to have to but 8in lift coils in to get 4in of lift. lol.

zukirider21 · Feb 9, 2010

haha i hear ya man, im goin with 2" leveling coils for my 302 swap and i doubt i'll see more than an inch of lift from them...

i remember a while back on that pass time show on speed there was a foxbody with a stock 32v navigator motor. over 100k miles, and that thing was NASTY. i think it ran a low 12 and the torque was pretty intense.

i say you should definitely go for it! people always talk about doing modular swaps but few end up going thru...

Mac · Feb 9, 2010

I think the SOHC motors are 5" narrower than the DOHC motors. The three valve are alum and weigh 435 LBs dressed, 300 HP stock. Ford sells a stand alone wiring harness and computer for them (about $1150). Slap on a M90 SC and you can be up around 425 rwhp.
Dave

59flatbedford · Feb 9, 2010

well i dont think i need a supercharger or 400+ horspower. so are the 3v a sohc then and if so what would they have came in. and also i heard that they lightened the block in like 01 and also reinforced weak spots. I also heard that in 99 the improved the hell out of the heads. so if this is true i would want an 01 or up 3v 4.6l out of a what????also if i get the manual trans out of a f150 would i want the wiring harness out of it or would i want it out of the car i get the motor from.

Mac · Feb 9, 2010

'05' and newer Mustangs came with the alum block, think the Explorers did after '04 or 05' also. The later 4.6's are a lot different than the earlier blocks. Hope you're talking about a 4x2. For a 4x4, have to find a trans out of an F-150. The wiring is a whole lot different on the newer 3V motors. They actually have three CPU's now, all mounted up on the front passenger fender.
Dave

59flatbedford · Feb 9, 2010

well my truck will be a 4x4. hence the f150 trans and tcase. so would i be able to take a engine out of a 05+ mustang hook it to the f150 5speed manual and manual t case. If i did this would i need a wiring harness out of a manual mustang or would the one out of the f150 work. or would i need a custom one.

Mac · Feb 9, 2010

I'm not going to stick my neck out on any wiring questions, especially something new like this. That's one reason I mentioned the stand alone wiring harness from Ford. Best to get both wiring diagrams and go thru both and see what problems. Breaking new ground is never easy.
Dave

59flatbedford · Feb 9, 2010

well the one that ford list (at least the one i found) says that it is for the ford racing 4.6l crate engines so im not sure whether that would work with a production motor or not. this might turn into a very interesting project if i can ever afford to start collecting parts.

THE H.P FREAK · Feb 10, 2010

HI!... I'd go 5.4L....

Nater · Feb 10, 2010

Well if space was an issue, a 5.4L would be a extremely tight fit. It was a tight fit when I put it in my mustang.
As far as the heads go, in 99 they put the PI heads on the mustang. If you really want, you can use a 96-98 4.6L block and put the 99-04 heads and cams on it and have about 20 more horses from a stock 99-04 setup.
In my personal opinion, I think you might be asking for problems by putting a 3v setup. Either way either 2v, 3v, 4v, you are looking at a lot of time tuning the truck.

281Ranger · Feb 10, 2010

I won't try to tell you which version of the 4.6 to go with. From a wiring stand point there is one that would be easier to swap into an older vehicle using the factory wiring, the '93-'95 Mark VIII. It uses the old EEC-IV system like in the '94-'95 5.0 Mustang and doesn't have PATS. Just an FYI.

Teddyzee · Feb 10, 2010

And I'll second what MAC hinted at-

all Explorer 4.6's (SOHC) were aluminum block/heads...

A SOHC would likely be an easier fit, and a blower makes up for any lost power.
But I'd still be more impressed with the DOHC!!!

fordmike1 · Feb 10, 2010

59flatbedford said:
so my main question is if i decide to swap a 4.6l into my 89 ranger which one should i go with, sohc or dohc. .

If you are going to do this swap it wont be easy with either engine. :dunno:

59flatbedford said:
Im thinking of maybe finding like a wrecked mark 8.

This would be an easy one to find and you could use the wiring harness from the mark VIII to make things a little easier for you. :icon_thumby:

4.6l sohc or dohc

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