I bought a thing

"MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s" (mastermario)
06/27/2019 at 21:19 • Filed to: wrenching, BOUGHT A THING, Ferd

Thi s thing specifically. A Ford 4.9 I6 from a ‘96 for only $50. According to the seller it ran but was definitely not doing so on all cylinders. I needed just the alternator bracket since I broke the one on mine trying to break a bolt free (why Ford decided threading a steel bolt into cast aluminum was a good idea is anyone’s guess). Junkyard wanted $75 just for the bracket, then this popped up on CL and I jumped on it.

I’ll probably end up tearing into it to see what’s wrong and use this engine to build a turbo 4.9 which is my end goal for my truck.

DISCUSSION (15)

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
06/27/2019 at 21:40

I love those old 4.9s. Back before emissions became a big issue, most of our GSE at LAX was powered by these engines. They were bulletproof and smooth, and I hated to see them replaced with V6 models with all their computers and catalytic converters. They just didn’t seem to take the abuse that the ramp rats could dish out like the old 4.9s.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/27/2019 at 21:45

They do have a lovely torque curve which makes the most of the somewhat low power they make. They really are just tractor engines that were shoved into a truck and I love it

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
06/27/2019 at 21:49

When your vehicle can't exceed 30 mph on the airport, the low-end grunt meant all the difference when towing a bunch of cargo or baggage.

shop-teacher > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
06/27/2019 at 22:08

Nice buy!

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > shop-teacher
06/27/2019 at 22:15

I was close to pulling the trigger on one for $150 a few months ago (before I broke my bracket), glad I waited now

shop-teacher > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
06/27/2019 at 22:26

Definitely.

Clown Shoe Pilot > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
06/28/2019 at 00:14

Mrs Non-Robinson: Morning Mrs Robinson.

Mrs Robinson: Mornin Mrs Non-Robinson.

Mrs Non-Robinson: Been shopping?

Mrs Robinson: No, ... I’ve been shopping.

Mrs Non-Robinson: What’d you buy?

Mrs Robinson: A piston engine.

Mrs Non-Robinson: What d’you buy that for?

Mrs Robinson: It was a bargain.

AdverseMartyr > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
06/28/2019 at 00:46

so you got a $25 discount for pulling the bracket off yourself. 33% off isn’t a bad savings.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
06/28/2019 at 11:04

I had one of those engines in a ‘95 F-150. All the torque and pulling power of a V-8. And all the fuel consumption.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
06/28/2019 at 12:21

While not know for fuel economy they generally did better than the V8s, especially the carbu rated ones. While the fuel injected engines make more power they generally get worse fuel economy, the older carburated ones were known to get into the 20s for fuel economy.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
06/28/2019 at 12:35

Nice!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
06/28/2019 at 14:16

On the highway, perhaps... I never got 20 MPG anywhere in mine. mine had a manual, and it would tow just about anything.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
06/28/2019 at 14:39

I get 14-16mpg pretty consistently with larger tires and a lift, if it were stock I could see getting 16-18mpg. Mine’s a manual as well and it will pull anything, just slowly. It struggled on the freeway with our 24ft boat.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
06/28/2019 at 18:38

I am a big-time fan of manual transmissions, but if I were going to be using a work truck or a work van, I think I'd want an automatic transmission behind a V8 engine.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
06/28/2019 at 20:55

Me too. I love my truck but towing is so much nicer in an automatic. I miss my K3500, but couldn’t justify keeping it. I have my truck for truck stuff and my wife’s Yukon with the 6.2 is more than adequate for our towing needs