The first all-new 2004 Ford F-150 rolled off the assembly line on June 10, 2003. Under the hood was Ford Motor Company's 100-millionth V-8 engine.
Ford used the event to commemorate the 70 years that have passed since their first mass-produced V-8 engine rolled off the assembly line. That engine featured an innovative "flathead" configuration, a side-valve engine made possible by block casting techniques developed by Ford engineers.
The new engine, a 5.4-liter, 3-valve Triton™ V-8 will be optional equipment on 2004 F-150 trucks. It will give the trucks 300 peak horsepower and 365 foot-pounds of torque, improvements over the previous 5.4-liter Triton.
It is the first modular V-8 Ford engine to use variable-cam timing to optimize intake and exhaust valve operation across the rev range, generating both lower-speed torque and high-speed horsepower while minimizing exhaust emissions.
It features three valves per cylinder, two intake and one exhaust, which Ford designed for better breathing to enhances power and efficiency.
The three-valve design features a central sparkplug that allows complete, even combustion.
New charge-motion control valves in the intake runners enhance air-fuel mixing at low rpm, improving low-end torque.
Source: Ford Motor Company Press Release
