It’s no secret that ford needs to replace its 6.8-liter, Triton, V-10 that’s currently found in heavy-duty trucks. It was originally expected to be replaced by a 7.0-liter V-8, but a reliable source to someone at SVT Performance has opened the door to speculation that we could eventually see a 7.3-liter V-8 that rocks out a cast-iron block and pushrod valve actuation. That’s right, a step backward from the OHC setup automakers have been using a lot lately.

Why Would Ford Go Back to Pushrods?

Overhead cam engines are the big cheese these days, with a major portion of engines on the road today sporting a camshaft above the heads. Central camshafts and pushrod-controlled valves have almost seemed like a thing of the past, and here Ford comes ushering in what could be a whole new generation of pushrod V-8s. Over time word has been that Ford would replace the V-10 Triton and the 6.2-liter Boss V-8 and that they could be replaced by a 7.0-liter. With that said, Ford’s heavy-duty engine program is going by the codename “7X” so there could be a number of engines spawned from this new engine program, including a 7.0-liter and a 7.3-liter, among others.

Back to the point at hand, going back to the pushrod style of valve control would make for a smaller engine overall, and decrease weight as well. Since a pushrod-style engine uses just one camshaft in the center, Ford’s dropping some serious weight. Plus, since there are no cams or timing belts to sit on top of the head, the engine could be used in a multitude of vehicles. Word has it that weight could be further reduced by going with a graphite iron block.

As far as power output goes, good luck finding specs because there aren’t any out there yet. However, with the Triton V-10 delivering 320 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque, this next-gen V-8 will need to cover at least that ground. This thing is destined for heavy-duty trucks, so power and torque output is paramount. Ford’s largest V-8 at the moment delivers some 385 horsepower, so that’s probably a good starting point if you want to guess. Either way, it will be interesting to see what comes from this development and just what Ford will be producing from its Windsor plant next.

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