Jump to content

Mike Levine says the new 7.3 would "fit" in Mustang and F-150 Raptor


Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, 2016RS said:

I've owned 2 3.5 Ecoboost F-150's. My current one is a 2018. Very satisfied with the power and towing ability.
Do you know what CAFE Standards are? With most of the sedan's going away Ford needs to squeeze every drop it can to meet those MPG standards. Especially with most sedan's going away.

The CAFE for cars and for Trucks are two separate calculations, cars going away actually gives Ford less headaches meeting tougher  mpg limits. It's crazy but the rules actually reward manufacturers for building bigger less efficient vehicles and punish them for making smaller more efficient gasoline vehicles..

Edited by jpd80
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, snooter said:

A big block stang or finally a real motor in the raptor....dumbest move ford ever did putting in some turbo pos in the raptor...yea i would at least visit a ford dealership due to fact as of now they have nothing worthwhile to even go look at...id luv to see a big block stang

No where in your inane statement is the phrase "I would love to purchase" or words to that effect....you sound like an honorary member of the "Panther mafia" where they would all cry about Ford not building a full frame, rear drive V8 powered sedan so they could pick up one used at auction from a police fleet.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

To me, the raptor is a no-brainer application for the 7.3. The engine matches the persona of the truck to a tee.  The weight penalty isn't that big and far less of a problem in a truck than a mustang. Perhaps make it an option if need be.

The mustang on the other hand I'll admit is a stretch. It would almost certainly require an aluminum block version and I doubt Ford is going to eat that development cost for a single "boss 429" edition of the Mustang, awesome as that would be. However, the raptor could use the aluminum version too, so maybe it's not as far fetched as some may think....

Edited by Sevensecondsuv
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a 2013 Raptor with an MBRP exhaust. It was burly sounding. It also ran strong. Went to trade on a new 18 Raptor (long story- wife and I were trading the Raptor and her Expedition in on one vehicle as I received a company car). All was good until the test drive. Had the family of 4 in the new one and while it ran good, the sound didn’t fit the presence of the truck. If it would have had a quiet exhaust, maybe I could have convinced myself to spend $75k. Ended up buying a loaded F250 diesel. For far less money  

im personally stoked about a “big block” pushrod motor hitting the lineup. Yes, the example they are building is tuned for heavy truck use. But being pushrod, it’s a cam and intake change away from turning it into a stronger motor suitable for performance. I built a 351W to replace my 302 in my 91 Mustang. The stock from Ford 351 was also tuned for truck use. Guess what? I changed heads, cam, intake, exhaust and I tell you it’s stupid fast for such easy changes. This motor (7.3) has a forged crank and 6 bolt mains. The heads have to flow well. So, the architecture is there for easy changes to move the powerband around. Even the LS guys on the Sloppy Mechanics FB page are excited to get their hands on it. Not that they are an authority but the LS has a cult following due to their simplicity and affordability. This 7.3 may give us Ford fans a way back into the same grassroots conversations. It’s undeniable a used Coyote motor is at least 4x the cost on average compared to a LS. Then to swap into our older Ford’s is a challenge due to space and controls. Let alone hot rod it before the swap.

And then there’s the Hemi. A buddy has a 71 Duster. Pulled a 150k Hemi out of a Ram and changed the cam and valvesprings (cheap). Dropped it in, upped injectors, added a cheap China turbo, and tunes it himself with a $500 microsquirt. Put down over 800 hp and runs 5.90’s in the eighth. He drives it everywhere in the summer. He has spare motors he has been hoarding and got them cheap. That market has went away for some of us Ford guys and arguably we started it with the old 5.0 motors. Ford really gave it away to GM and Chrysler starting with the 4.6. 

Im not saying the current Mustang isn’t competitive- the new 5.0 has shown it’s capable. 

Ford has nailed it with their OHC program and ecoboosts. But they have left a void for a large group of customers that enjoy the torque rich nature of a pushrod motor and the simplicity of maintenance and modifying. I say offer both the pushrod motor in a performance variant for the Raptor and Mustang along with their current offerings and let us choose. I’d buy a Raptor in a heartbeat if it had a V8 again.

 

 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, Steve557 said:

Because Ford’s building a new big block and the Raptor is supposed to be the baddest truck Ford builds. EB V6 is the most overrated motor on the market today from Ford. The 7.3 would put out similar power NA, should be more reliable long term, cheaper to build, and sound a heck of a lot better. It’s not like the EB’s have earth shattering fuel economy either.

Just watched a TFL video where the owner says his second gen Raptor does 2 mpg better towing than his 1 st gen.

More hp/tq and better mpg.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the highway, the 3.5L HO Raptor gets the same fuel economy as the 2.7L I4 in the Silverado.  You won't match that with a 7.3L.

Other than the sound, I just don't understand the crazy desire for the 7.3L in the Raptor.  IMO, you get less for more by switching the 3.5L HO out for the 7.3L.  Unless, of course, you slap a super charger on the 7.3L, but that's apples to oranges when comparing stock trucks.

Remember how the 6.2L F150 didn't get the EPAS when the rest of the lineup did?  That tells you how much heavier the 6.2L is than the 3.5L.  Figure the 7.3L is a bit heavier.  Even if it's only 150 lbs, that's a lot of extra weight over the front suspension of a truck built to run at high speed off road.

Now, if the truck was a rock crawler, I could possible see it, and that engine would definitely be sweet in the off-road version of the Super Duty.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We dont care about weight penalty, we dont care about mpg, we dont care if it can handle the twisties...what we do care about is a legit pushrod big block put in the mustang for the first time in 48 years...i would rather see the 7.0L shoehorned in but thats a minor historical redux

I drove a panther for years...did i have to worry about a carbon monoxide issue my current 2015 explorer suffers from even after the so called "tech fix"???....i drive with window down every time i am in the explorer....our 2019 explorer is order and equipped....our entire fleet is explorers eith exception of 1 charger and that thing is a piece of shit....no other way to describe that piece of junk...

Edited by snooter
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We know Ford execs are tight lipped (remember the hot water Jim Owens got into for "Venon kills demons")........so why would Mike Levine say this? Testing the water?

A big block Mustang should appeal to me, but a high-tech S550/S650 with a relatively low tech (pushrod/no DI etc) V8 just doesn't seem to gel. Unless they do an aluminium block version, it'll just be far too nose heavy.....and I'd be surprised if this 7.3 can better the current 460hp (or 480 in the Bullitt) of the Coyote. Sure, the 7.3 will have it beat on torque (I assume around the 600 lb/ft area??), but right now, and I can hardly believe this old dinosaur is saying this, but a hybrid Mustang with a V8 plus and extra 200 lb/ft from the batteries might actually be more appealing. Sure, that'd be heavy too, but that weight wouldn't not be over the nose to the detriment of handling.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Twin Turbo said:

We know Ford execs are tight lipped (remember the hot water Jim Owens got into for "Venon kills demons")........so why would Mike Levine say this? Testing the water?

 The simplest answer is that he's hinting at a possible 7.3 V8 Mustang or F150 for SEMA  and that's all.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/9/2019 at 2:29 PM, jpd80 said:

Just saw the video of the 7.3 manufacturing plant, that cast iron block is huge and heavy with that extended skirt....

 

I might disagree with that!  Though that block looks fairly large, I see a lot of light weight casting techniques in it.  Notice the webbing, contours around bolt holes, thin walls in low stress areas.  Looks to me like someone spent some time engineering excess weight out of it.  One of the features that make the Chevy LS such a popular swap engine is that there are several versions that have aluminum blocks, and LS's so equipped are very light for their output.  The flip side of that is GM never bothered to re-dimension the LS block for iron, and I have always thought the iron LS's are too heavy.  Looking at the 7.3L, I have a feeling it might not be too heavy all things considered.  I would really like to know what that block weighs.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Ford kind of tipped its hand when F-150 Limited switched over to Raptor-spec 3.5 EB HO instead of the normal 3.5 EB. It's a more civilized on-road performance truck vs. Raptor's all out off-road performance.

I believe Ford will eventually offer the 7.3 on Raptor... I agree with those saying it fits the character of the truck.

But I also believe Ford will keep the 3.5 HO around. Maybe a F-150 ST or a new F-150 Lightening?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At this point a new lighting would require some really serious horsepower. Otherwise it'd just be another Tremor (not that those weren't cool too). Im thinking 600 hp, so that leaves the full GT-spec 3.5eb or a supercharged coyote as the existing engine options for a new lightning. The existing raptor-spec 450 hp 3.5 isn't enough. A 7.3 could hit the 600+ hp target easily enough in naturally aspirated form, but I'm not sure the powerband would be well suited to a truck at that point.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...