How Long Can/Will Your Gen1 Last?

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

B E N

FRF Addict
Joined
May 1, 2019
Posts
1,236
Reaction score
1,159
Location
Frederick, CO
It's funny, we debate this. When the gen 2 lightning came out it made 360hp and everyone thought it was ludicrous. Now we are being petty over what amounts to being a displacement number. Either engine makes more hp and torque than any gas truck engine from before 2009, except the 460 or 454 which while making good torque were ultimately 225hp engines with a 3 or 4 speed transmission. The v10 made lots of torque as well but it has even less aftermarket than our neglected 6.2l, chevrolets 6.0 truck engine was durable as all get out but didn't make the power.

Time marches on, the gen 3 coyote eclipsed the gen 2, the 6.2l is dated, on its way out of the production life cycle, it had a great run but the aftermarket never embraced it because of the coyote. That is the way of the world, keep getting better. The responsibility of the hot rodder is to put that new tech in the old thing. Guys have been doing it since the V8 came out in mass in 1932.

For whatever reason raptors dont see a lot of swaps, too "sacred". It certainly isn't because the 1st gen 6.2l ford is some sort of exotic power house. Just pig iron, in a really, really good truck.

I hope as time passes, and the 6.2l start to fail we start to see more stuff put in them, 6.7l diesels? Whipplecharged and cammed 7.3l godzillas? The "lowly" coyote, maybe with a V7 YSI? Who will be the first to drop in a twin turbo 6.2l LS? How about an old school 572 with a roots supercharger on top? Gen 2 hemi with a tunnel ram? A pair of Tesla motors and a bed full of battery cells? How about back date one with a flathead? Hydrogen fuel cell with a motor at each wheel?

The trucks will never die, just keep modernizing. They are, after all... just trucks.
 
Last edited:

Gary E

Full Access Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2017
Posts
939
Reaction score
771
Location
Medford, Oregon
He's talking about the Powerglide comment.

I'm simply using that as an counter example to your "more gears is always gonna win" mantra. You are not accelerating during a shift.

Of course nobody is putting a Powerglide in a Raptor.

Misquote. Did not say "more gears is always gonna win". If someone is going to make comparsions, they ought to use similar equipment.

These engine posts have deviated a long way from the title of the thread.
 

B E N

FRF Addict
Joined
May 1, 2019
Posts
1,236
Reaction score
1,159
Location
Frederick, CO
Of course you do. You are going to defend what you have regardless of its worth or status, that is human nature. I do the same. I like my 6.2l just fine. But if it blew up and I was going to replace it I would look long and hard at other more efficient, more powerful options.

No deviation from the thread. The way to keep these alive and interesting is to keep them fresh and at the top of the heap.
 

Nesc204

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2018
Posts
395
Reaction score
444
Wow. Somebody touched a Nerve here. Lol.. Either way no matter how much you want to look into this. THERE'S NO REPLACEMENT FOR DISSPLACEMENT. And the 6.2L is just a Extremely RELIABLE Beast of an Engine. One can make anything go faster. Simple cheap mods can turn that 6.2L into anything you want to do. Its a F ing truck dudes. Shaving weight and different engine swapping I mean come on it's a RAPTOR. Daily drive it, maintain it and Enjoy it. If yinz want a speed Demon and something that handles for a track then buy a Mustang
 

vegascarnut

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2018
Posts
256
Reaction score
173
Location
Henderson, NV
I do think that in these trucks, giving up any torque is a bad idea—they're trucks! So, the 6.2 is going to win there almost all of the time, and then with a blower you'll be making big fat torque even lower in the power band. You don't need 7,000 RPM in a truck, IMO. The only engine I could see being ACTUALLY better in every way could be the 7.3 that was mentioned. That engine is very nice. My 6.2 with the Roush still puts a big stupid smile on my face every day.
 

PorterW1111

FRF Addict
Joined
Apr 19, 2020
Posts
1,456
Reaction score
2,063
Location
Florida
It's funny, we debate this. When the gen 2 lightning came out it made 360hp and everyone thought it was ludicrous. Now we are being petty over what amounts to being a displacement number. Either engine makes more hp and torque than any gas truck engine from before 2009, except the 460 or 454 which while making good torque were ultimately 225hp engines with a 3 or 4 speed transmission. The v10 made lots of torque as well but it has even less aftermarket than our neglected 6.2l, chevrolets 6.0 truck engine was durable as all get out but didn't make the power.

Time marches on, the gen 3 coyote eclipsed the gen 2, the 6.2l is dated, on its way out of the production life cycle, it had a great run but the aftermarket never embraced it because of the coyote. That is the way of the world, keep getting better. The responsibility of the hot rodder is to put that new tech in the old thing. Guys have been doing it since the V8 came out in mass in 1932.

For whatever reason raptors dont see a lot of swaps, too "sacred". It certainly isn't because the 1st gen 6.2l ford is some sort of exotic power house. Just pig iron, in a really, really good truck.

I hope as time passes, and the 6.2l start to fail we start to see more stuff put in them, 6.7l diesels? Whipplecharged and cammed 7.3l godzillas? The "lowly" coyote, maybe with a V7 YSI? Who will be the first to drop in a twin turbo 6.2l LS? How about an old school 572 with a roots supercharger on top? Gen 2 hemi with a tunnel ram? A pair of Tesla motors and a bed full of battery cells? How about back date one with a flathead? Hydrogen fuel cell with a motor at each wheel?

The trucks will never die, just keep modernizing. They are, after all... just trucks.
exactly this, at this point im pretty sure the only thing that will remain of the gen1 in my book is the cab. The drivetrain, suspension, frame, fiberglass front and rear conversions, interior...all gets updated but the cab is the only remaining part haha
 

W0n70n

Full Access Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2020
Posts
184
Reaction score
202
Location
California City, CA
exactly this, at this point im pretty sure the only thing that will remain of the gen1 in my book is the cab. The drivetrain, suspension, frame, fiberglass front and rear conversions, interior...all gets updated but the cab is the only remaining part haha
I am personally in the camp that the 6.2l BOSS in a few years will end up being one of those "new junkyard gold next LS killer etc. etc." once more of the superdutys go end of life and the LS market hits the point of too much weight being put into the name and the cost skyrocketing even more. I am probably wrong but if it does happen we will actually see a surge of aftermarket development once the powerplant sees wider adoption. TLDR she could just be a late-bloomer
 

EricM

FRF Addict
Joined
May 11, 2016
Posts
3,545
Reaction score
3,301
Location
OHIO
BEN

Problem with Tesla motor swaps and the like is they have (and will likely continue to have) that **** on lockdown. There are PLENTY of wrecked Teslas, but you just don't see any swaps happening.

We will need stand alone motor controllers and battery packs to re-use the motors in junk EVs. Otherwise you are trying to swap it all. Every sensor, wire, the OE battery, the dash. Without every part happy and talking to each other, none of it will work as designed, and even then, if it can phone home- it may brick itself.

Consider something as simple as putting a Ford 10 speed in a Gen 1 Raptor. Ford puts the 10 speed behind the 6.2L in F350s right now. It bolts right up- but how do you control it? How do you make it play nice with the Gen 1 hill descent, etc... The answer is you don't. You can't run the new stuff, since it won't control your old stuff- and vice versa. Run both? 10 years back it used to be common to do a piggy back EFI system to run the engine only, and leave the ECU to run everything else- but that don't fly nowadays with everything on a common databus.

The new cars and trucks are essentially stuck with the drivetrain they come with for life. Without MAJOR modifications to every system in the entire vehicle you simply are not doing what you are imagining. There will some random shop that does it at some point, and the odd few individuals with a ton of time or money on their hands- but changing the drivetrain of a Gen 1 Raptor (or 2 or 3) is essentially impossible for your a typical auto enthusiast with a nicely stocked garage and toolbox- which I'm pretty sure is who you are talking about doing such a swap.
 
Top