new motor ideas... 4.6 mark viii? maybe?

[65fordguy]

Hey guys... Im getting kinda bored with my current drivetrain 302 mild cam and c6.. im just ready for something new.

my current thoughts are to put in a modern driveline out of a lincoln mark VIII.. 4.6 with the automatic O.D. this is the "poor mans" cobra engine... I believe the block is the only real difference between that and a real cobra?? not really sure on all that.. but its about 300hp and Auto OD.. people are putting these in classic stangs and having a blast.. and if you watch FAST N LOUD.. you probably saw this motor installed in that bump side a month or so ago...

Now, the only thing is im NOT dropping in a crownvic front end.. im sticking with beams.. debating the drop beams.. but, still beams... Any one know of these being installed in our trucks.. mine specifically is a 65..love to know what your thoughts are.. I have a 99 4.6 in my f150 and its honestly one of the best fords i've owned. and peppy.. no torque monster. but it pushes my f150 supercab along great.. and no slouch... the mark viii is even more powerful than it.. I have a friend with this motor in an old 60s merc and the mark viii gets around 25mpg.. and will burn the tires off.

if it isnt this motor.. I may be looking into a 351 AOD ( I still want gas mileage ) so 460s are out.

Any suggestions.. besides get my head examined?

here are some pics of the engine ...

[kstones63]

They can go in these trucks without a problem. Just mount it as low as you possibly can. I think that they look better sitting low than up to high.

Mine is a 95 Mark VIII. I did the wiring harness myself so it can be done. It is a lot of work and study work but it was fun and challenging to do.

Kevin

[Toyz]

Not the first time I've pointed this out, but it's a LINCOLN engine; Lincoln had it first, and the Cobra production would have never supported development costs! So, when someone comes up and says, "hey, you've got a Cobra engine in there", I retort with, "no, you've got a Lincoln engine in your Cobra!" The early Techsid blocks were extremely strong, the later alloy blocks not so much, although there's a bunch of them in Marauders running substantial forced induction. That's probably the reason behind the iron block in the later Cobras. There's quite a few differences, but as you said, 25 mpg and 13's in the quarter in a full size luxury car ain't bad at all
I would love to do a force-fed supercharged Jag AJ engine in one of our old trucks,just can't talk Momma into giving up the donor. It's a four-valve much like a slightly more compact Techsid.
Another good option IMO is the Mustang "Coyote" 5.0; the new engine is cheap, however the 'puter setups are not!
I agree with Kevin as to engine placement, when I first saw his pics, I thought WTH?, then realized what the difference was between his and others. As with anything, it's the subtle details that make the result.
Paul

[65fordguy]

Thanks .. lol, you are right.. its a lincoln motor first.. I think most people are more familiar with the cobra engine..

as far as placement goes thats what I was concerned about was height.. with the big 65 cross member, can the engine get low enough... and I've got the power steering box out of a 75 f100 ( direct bolt on replacement of the 65 ) will the added width clear it.. I already assume it will cause an issue with the 75 power disc brake booster.. but eh.. no big deal I can figure out something else for that. was also wondering if firewall mods were needed.

or if it would simply just sit in and be good to go.

[kstones63]

You shouldn't need to do any firewall mods. This engine isn't very long from front to back. I had plenty of room. I did lose the EGR valve just to clear up some room. I also have a Camaro subframe in my truck so I can't answer all of your clearance questions but I would think that it can still go down low enough with a little thought on the motor mounts. I used the small round motor mounts that are a universal motor mount sold at almost all street rod shops.

Kevin

[kstones63]

Here is a pic of the motor mount that I used.
The engine mount and the piece below the rubber mount are the factory pieces. The piece that is on the crossmember is the one that came off of the factory crossmember. They had to modified quite a bit to make them work.


This was the factory rubber mount.


This dropped it about 2" lower.

Kevin

[65fordguy]

Thanks for the info.. I could probably do something similar with the mounts.. just have to take a good look at what will work and what I can get. I met a fella last night that runs QuarterMile Mustang ... its a mustang performance shop.. the guy is really knowledgeable of the 4.6.. so, hopefully if I do this I will have a resource to pull from.