Engine Swap comparison

[88Vic]

Which motor would work better if I swapped one of these into a box? A 4.9L Inline 6, or a 3.4L V8? Both are good engines, but which would hold up better in a box? The numbers:
In an F150, the 4.9 makes 148HP @ 3400RPM, and 257ft. lb. of torque @ 2200RPM.
In a SHO Taurus, the 3.4 makes 240HP @ 6500RPM, and 225ft. lb. of torque at 4800RPM.
I'm not thinking of doing either, I was just wondering which would work better.

[88Vic]

Also, the 4.9 is a OHV 2-valves per cylinder, and the 3.4 is a DOHC 32-valve.

[DuceAnAHalf]

the 3.4 is 20 HP more and 70 ft/lbs less than my 97. It would be slow as hell, and you would have to run 4.10 or steeper gears. Is there even a RWD transmission that will bolt up to it? 6500 RPM on a Panther driveshaft is a recipe for disaster.

[88Vic]

Yeah, I thought about that after I put it up. The 4.9 would be a lot better. But I have seen people who mount the engine the right way and convert to RWD in a Taurus. I don't know what transmission they use, but i've seen it on the internet before. I don't remember where I saw it though.

[grandpaslincoln]

An HO 5.0 would be easier to put in

[N A]

"...I'm not thinking of doing either, I was just wondering which would work better".

The SHO motor would look wicked bad ass when you popped the hood. It's the more efficient motor of your two choices too.

[88Vic]

The SHO motor would look wicked bad ass when you popped the hood. It's the more efficient motor of your two choices too.

It'd look good, but it performes well at high RPMs. I'd much rather have a little less power, but have it at low-mid RPMs.

[Fordman75]

The 300 inline 6 (4.9L ) is one of, if not the toughest engine Ford ever built!! They are rock solid dependable and can take one hell of a beating!!

Plus they do have the ability to make some good HP when built right. I know a guy that runs one in his front engine dragster and he runs 8.90's in the 1/4. And that's with a 2.47 rear end gear!! And his motor is N/A. No blower, turbo or laughing gas. He runs 3 Holley 500cfm 2V carbs and is making right around 650 hp. But he used to work for Ford and he definately knows his way around a racing engine.

Oh yea and the 300 just looks sick with a multicarb setup!!

[N A]

It'd look good, but it performes well at high RPMs. I'd much rather have a little less power, but have it at low-mid RPMs.

Mandatory 4.10:1 or 4.56:1 gearset. Think 32-valve DOHC modular Ford motor Mustang Cobra.

[gadget73]

4.9 would actually be able to motivate the car out of it's own way with authority. It would be no high end screamer but you'd actually be able to get to the next stoplight before you got old.

[N A]

The SHO motor and 4.56 gears would do the job.

[Fordman75]

Yea but the SHO will have to work a hell of lot harder then the 4.9L would. The sho engine might be cool in a real light weight car but not a Panther. Way too much weight. That's like sticking a turbo 2.3L in a F250! You are just going to shorten the life of the engine for not much benefit.

And you can build a 300 to pull real hard from idle right thru 5500 rpm.

[88Vic]

The SHO motor, good gears, and performance parts could work well in a Panther, but you'd have to do some serious weight removal like: removing the back seats, taking out the front seats and putting in a racing seat, changing the hood, trunk door, and body panels to Carbon Fiber. But that would be expensive and stupid. But if you really wanted a Panther and that engine, that's what you'd have to do. I've got too much free time to be thinking up this stuff.

[88Vic]

Also, the Taurus SHO takes Premium, so a Vic with a 3.4 would also need Premium. Another con for the 3.4L.

[Mercracer]

You are forgetting that the Taurus 3.4 only mates to the FWD transmission. You are forgetting that it does not use conventional motor mounts.
It would be less costly and many times more simple to bolt in a 4.6 4V Cobra motor to a CV/GM than it would a SHO motor.