re: advice needed for getting high miles engine rebuilt vs buying new crate engine

What's so special about a 2007 f150?

nothing, its just a really nice truck i found to buy at a really cheap price below $2k because of the high mileage and the engine ticking noise

the plan is to make a new truck out of an old truck at a cost effective way

find a regular cab v8 truck hopefully in swb so im all in at around $10k-$12k total after restoring it as close to new as possible, and that means recovering seats in most cases

you can barely find a regular cab and then one with a v8 really isnt easy to find

so far what im finding is the f150s in the 02-07 ranges and the silverados in the 03-07 years

after 07 all trucks come jacked up high so the bed rail is at arm pit height which i do not want. so im limiting searches to older then 08s so it has the body style i like

so im shopping for a truck i can get into real cheap and to be honest im not all that caring of how nice looks as long as it hasnt been wrecked and isnt rusty and im definitely not buying it if i have to paint it.

Replacing a rear differential is not routine maintenance. Rebuilding the suspension can be several grand. Electrical sensors have a finite life and can be a massive pain in the arse to troubleshoot. Water will start to leak into the cab as seals and gaskets rot, causing all kinds of fun problems. Headers and pipes will rust out, causing even a well maintained engine to run like shite. Things that you never thought could break on a truck will, because they were never built to last 20 years. Wear on one system puts stress on others, which return the favor after you swap out the one that just failed. As the truck continues to age, more parts become obsolete and your only source is ebay for used ones with no way of knowing actual condition.

Ask me how I know.

No offense but if you are even asking about getting a rebuild done then you don't know what you don't know. Your best option, and it's not close, is finding a low mileage salvage motor to swap. It should be really easy with such a popular truck. Putting any more then that into it is your decision, but you need to do it with the understanding that the vehicle will be a near constant expense going forward.

ETA:

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the plan is to make a new truck out of an old truck at a cost effective way

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Nevermind, I see that you're a dumbass. Carry on.

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He already said that he likes the truck but needs a new power plant.....I get it. When he's done, no payment and he's good for another decade or 2.

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Yep.

Did the same with my 2002 Civic commuter car.

Paid $7k for it 250k miles ago. Bout 2 years ago I dropped a rebuilt long block in it myself for around $700 and paid $1600 for a local place in Kenner to pull, rebuild and install the auto tranny. $2300 and I can put another 300k miles on it. Cant beat that ROI. $153/year cost of ownership.

Its a Honda built in 2002. Nothing out of the ordinary(normal wear items) has ever gone wrong with it. I literally drove the compression out of the block.

I do all my own work on my cars so I know this car inside and out so no surprises with a used car and because I do all my own vehicle repairs and this is a high MPG commuter car for work, Im not interested in a new vehicle thats likely going to have a lot more tech in it to go bad. K.I.S.S. philosophy.

The OP likely has the same 'buy once and keep alive forever' mentality that I have.

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The OP likely has the same 'buy once and keep alive forever' mentality that I have.

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There's nothing wrong with this mindset, but you pointed out two critical things that make it possible.

First, to come out ahead you have to put in the time and effort to do the work yourself. If you don't learn enough to stay out in front of things they will snowball. A low mileage salvage motor can be had for $1500 bucks and a swap can be done in a weekend, if you know what you're doing and have a place to work. Paying someone to swap the same motor will easily run 4-5K.

Two, if you're going to put money into an older vehicle, a good one is a japanese-made sedan. A lighter vehicle is going to experience much less wear and tear and it was made to last in the first place. When you get 20 years on something little things that cost the company an extra 30 cents on the line are the difference.

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advice needed for getting high 

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My man!

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miles engine rebuilt vs buying new crate engine 

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Oh.

Just go buy this...

AutoTrader

there are lots of critical spare parts that the mfg will not continue after 20 years. should your ecm go bad you will be scouring scrap yards for one that works

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there are lots of critical spare parts that the mfg will not continue after 20 years. should your ecm go bad you will be scouring scrap yards for one that works

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Parts for millions of trucks will not dry up for years and years.

Besides, the junk yard (auto recycler these days) is online with all the parts listed. Just like ordering from Rock Auto.

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there are lots of critical spare parts that the mfg will not continue after 20 years. should your ecm go bad you will be scouring scrap yards for one that works

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Except you can buy brand-new turn-key ECU's and there are millions of reman ones. And because these engines have enormous aftermarket support by virtue of the Mustang, you can get aftermarket ECU'S too.


There are several good companies that do reman Ford Modulars and very reputable.

LINK

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they are known for seizing spark plugs due to a poor design.

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It's a 4.6 two valve so no problems with seized spark plugs.

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Also, those engines are notorious for running through coil packs

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If you replace the boot and spring ($3) on the coil pack when you replace the spark plugs you probably won't ever replace a OEM coil pack. I have never replaced a coil pack with over 500,000 miles owning 4.6 F150s.