2005GeeTee

I have a 2005 GT Mustang. It just so happens I can get my paws on a 2011 5.0 Mustang GT engine, 6 speed manual trany, ecu, wires, and gage cluster. Car was t-boned but still fires right up no issues. My question lies in regards to for 8 thousand dollars is it worth it or is it worth more to build up my 4.6.......My 4.6 only had 49 thousand miles on it right now and its bone dry stock......please all input needed, let's make this thred the drool!!

Getportfolio

I'd upgrade my 2005 if paid off or nearly paid off or plunk the 8k on a used 5.0. If your budget permits regarding monthly payments. That's a lot of coin. You can get the same fun factor with a lot less headache. Or just wait it out until the the 15s come out. Let me know if you need me to hold the 8k for you until then

EastTNMustang

What are your plans for the car? Do you plan to hold onto it for a few more years? Track or daily drive?

$8k is a lot of $$$ when you could use that $8k as part of a trade up to a 5.0

slostang

I would trade the car and put $8,000 down on a 5.0.

Boomer

It would be unique, but I'd rather either S/C it before doing a motor/tranny/etc swap for less HP.
or
Use that money for a trade up on top of the car.

The newer cars are so much more than our gen, and I LOVE my car...but I'd get a newer 5L in a heartbeat.

retfr8flyr

Listen to these guys. Trade or sell your 05 and get an 11-14 5.0. You will be money ahead and it will be worth something if you want to get rid of it in the future.

2005GeeTee

I just don't feel the body lines of the newer ones, those just seem to soft for me. I'm keeping my 05 gt for sure. But I've been reading up in the dohc 4.6l 3v, as well as the good old revamped 5.0. Both are awesome in their own leagues. But rather then go through the headache of swapping etc, I'm just going to start off slow and work my way into Mustanghood. Start off with the basic, learn my engine inside and out, and then go from there, thanks guys!!


I wouldn't mind the 6 speed manual though for sure...

F_Serra

I kinda have the same question has you do friend. For now im more in the way to charge my 4.6 and then in the future maybe.. just maybe i could go to a 5.4 from the GT500 but not for now and i want too keep my 06 for life. With your 4.6 with a supercharger, pulleys and a few more tricks you can go 600 horsepowers, thats more than enough. Like i said before im with you, the 05-09 lines for me are much better than the new ones.. more bad *** imo

slostang

blower, pistons, rods, cams and E85

retfr8flyr

I have a 4.6L 3v in mine and my street tune for pump gas is 600rwhp @15 lbs of boost. You don't have to go bigger for more power. If you really want a big engine then do the GT500 swap and go 5.4 4V. You can use all the GT500 parts, headers, computer and such, so it's much cheaper. There have been several guys go this route.

2005GeeTee

Awesome, but me and my 4.6 are starting to bond, Lois Lane (mustang) said she just wants every bolt-on and tune, then a turbo charger (one day).....lol!

Tony Alonso

It's a SOHC, not DOHC, valvetrain configuration. This, to me, is a positive of this engine in terms of smaller size up top. Some people find it a negative because it limits how far up you can rev or make power, but forced induction will overcome that!

2005GeeTee

Totally understandable. I'm still learning, I think maybe mine is sohc as well. I have a 4.6L 3V. 2005 GT


^^^...obviously point proven I'm still learning...lol!!

Tony Alonso

All of the 4.6L V8 engines from 2005-2010 were SOHC. If you look at the size of the cam covers and compare them to the cam covers of a 1999/2001/2003-04 Cobra or an '03-'04 Mach 1, you will see a difference in the width. That is one visible sign.

This is a cutaway drawing where you can see the single cam on the exposed part of the valvetrain.

2005GeeTee

So true I just checked, compared mine with the neighbors daughters, yup the width is diff. So mine is sohc. Which means kick a$$ right?

2005GeeTee

That makes since too after looking at the diagram my engine is more noisy on the left side, right under the cover is the cam? That must be a thin piece of aluminum I hope. Makes total sense now my Ford Five hundred sounded the same way, it was a sohc v6 sho motor, sounded like twins, why are ford motors kinda noisy? I'm a ford guy only owned to fords my whole life, and they both kicked you know what but under the hood you can hear movement. Kinda cool but push rods are super quiet why is that?

Tony Alonso

Some people think it's not so kick a-- because the engine revs less than than the DOHC versions, and that the heads are more restricted in airflow than 4V heads.

I say, it's a nice streetable engine that runs on 87 octane with a solid torque curve. I like the one in my 2010 GT (last of the 3V 4.6s) because they took the improvements they made for the 2008/09 Bullitt engine and applied them to that model year.

I think it really depends what you define as "kick a--"

Tony Alonso

There is a single cam on each side of the "V" but the arrangement is called a SOHC configuration because there is one cam actuating all 3 valves for each cylinder. The cam covers were made of magnesium in 2005, and I then I think they switched to aluminum for a couple of model years, and then went back to magnesium. Some people didn't like the way the cover discolored over time. Some also mention the noise of the valvetrain and the injectors being noticeable.

In the 5.0L, there were foam noise suppression pieces installed on the fuel rails in the area of the injectors to quiet some of the noise. Not really sure why the noise exists, and I haven't really compared it lately to an old 5.0L pushrod engine (or other engines in different cars).

My hearing is kind of damped out anyway from too loud 80s music so I don't notice it - haha!

bob

I doubt the current injectors use an actual pental and instead use a disc but that's where the noise comes from as the pental or disc opens and closes during operation creating a ticking noise. Even more so on a DI engine.

Anyways the 4.6 3v is a fine motor, its only real flaw is a combuston chamber that is more prone to pinging than its 2v and 4v counter parts.

Its a shame Ford didn't include the oiling circuit for the cam phasers in all of the mod blocks, how sweet would the 5.8 block from the current Shelby be as its all aluminum and features a bigger bore to boot.

The taller deck height might have proven a little problematic under the stock hood but that extra 70+ cubic inches would have been worth it.

Boomer

And the earlier motors with the HT spark plugs