ive got 3.73s in it right now i read your whole reply and yea it makes since, but im one of those guys that like to pull up to a stoplight right beside a nice camaro or mustang and blow their doors off. im looking to kind of turn it into a sleeper was the plans. i could go with a 5.0 swap but i want something im gonna beable to bolt right up to the tranny thats in it now.
Then I have a suggestion for you, first install the grabbiest gears you can stand to live with on the highway on a long trip.
a 4.0 will get it's best highway mileage at ~2250rpm
then? Go shopping for a Nitrous Oxide system and a spare
engine for when you push it "too far".
If I were bottle feeding an engine to play traffic light bingo
I'd pick something cheap and replaceable that I can get cheap
junkyard replacements for.
That and an AAA membership to get you towed home when
you grenade it and you are golden.
Yeah, you can turd polish every part of the engine to make it
work better with nitrous...
About as far as I'd go in "optimizing" a 4.0 for bottle feeding
it would be to put TM93 heads on a 99-01 short block.
This would lower compression a bit (allowing a bigger shot)
and the later bottom end vibrationally "stable" to 6000rpm.
The early six bolt crank 4.0 isn't.
I'm from a group of "old timers" who with humor and a large
dollop of truth refer to Nitrous as "supercharger in a bottle"
which in essence is EXACTLY what it is.
I'm not sure if someone GAVE me a new, old stock Ford Motorsport
Paxton Kit for a 4.0 if I'd actually put it on my truck (who am I kidding?
Hell yes I would!) but I'd install Nitrous FAR faster.
Personally I'd love to have about a 50-60hp shot, but I'd be just a bit cautious I'd use two rev control switches, one to trigger the system
on at 2250rpm and turn it back off at 4000rpm.
BTW, if your truck is a 5sp? spring the $219 Summit wants
for a Hurst Billet plus shifter a quick accurate shift is worth
quite a bit.
AD