Being a blower company, Vortech had plenty of configurations capable of producing the required power, but what was needed was a motor. A call to Sean Hyland put the wheels in motion, as we requested a 5.4 Four-Valve. Since the original effort netted 540 rwhp with just 4.6 liters, Three-Valve heads, and a bone-stock bottom, we decided the power requirements would benefit greatly by a hike in displacement. After all, improving the power output of a supercharged motor starts by improving the power output of the normally aspirated combination. All things being equal, a larger 5.4 motor will make more power than a smaller 4.6. Since we were looking for more than just peak power, the extra torque offered by the increased displacement would also help the rate of acceleration.
Compared to the original 4.6 Three-Valve motor used previously, the 5.4 Four-Valve motor offered greater displacement, better cylinder heads and cam profiles, and the forged rotating assembly could withstand higher boost and power levels. This paved the way for a high-output supercharger that exceeded the flow capacity of the already impressive T-Trim used on the Three-Valve combination. The 5.4 supplied by Sean Hyland featured a forged reciprocating assembly stuffed into an iron 5.4 block. The forged pistons allowed us to get serious about the power production without fear of cracking a ring land.
The 5.4 was equipped with ported heads and a set of Stage 2 intake and Stage 3 exhaust cams that were designed for use with a centrifugal supercharger. We chose to run a Sullivan intake and 90mm throttle body, though the larger ports on the Sullivan intake were actually designed to match up with the larger 4V Navigator heads. The minor port mismatch probably had little effect on the power production.
Vortech specified a new reverse-rotation YSI blower capable of supporting over 1,200 hp, though we had no intention of running the motor at that power level. We were looking at making 900 hp, which would translate into roughly 750 rwhp. We liked the sound of adding a solid 200 hp to the numbers produced by the previous Three-Valve motor. This gave us 100 hp for every 10 mph needed to reach the 200-mph mark.
As luck would have it, we never got to run the car, since we ran out of time for the ambitious project (involving an engine swap, a custom transmission, and a complete suspension and brake makeover, not to mention all manner of minor modifications). While it was disheartening to have to pull the plug on the standing-mile event, the exercise gave me the opportunity to add yet another engine combination to my "Mods for Mods" series. Given the popularity of the larger 5.4 motors as potential swaps, not to mention the Lightning truck, and lucky Cobra R owners, we decided the 5.4 contingent deserved some recognition and a "Mods for Mods" series of their very own.