what makes a modular engine modular, and whats the diffrence between a modular and a traditional engine?

Answer 1

Some of these answers are amusing. Modular basically meant that it only required very minimal changes to make different versions of the engine family.

"The Modular V-8 didn't get its name from its design. The name was derived from its manufacturing plant protocol--Modular--because the engine plant can be changed out in a matter of hours to produce different versions of this engine family. That said, the Modular V-8 and V-10 engine family is certainly different from our proven pushrod V-8 engines of yore. for one thing, it is huge, impossible to fit into a classic Mustang or Fairlane without significantly modifying the front end. However, it's a nice fit for the big Fords--the Galaxies and Customs. It's also a comfortable fit for the classic F-series pickups. Sit a 4.6 Mod motor next to a Boss 429, and you will find the 4.6 and 5.4 engines are larger in every respect. They're large, yet small, with displacements of 281 ci and 345 ci, respectively. What makes these engines so large is their wide overhead cam cylinder heads. In this first half of our look into the Modular engine family, we'll get you acquainted with the Modular short-block and its internal nuances. Next month, we'll wrap things up with a look at cylinder heads and induction for the Modular family." Mustangs & Fords Magazine.

Answer 2

The ford modular V8 4.6 is so called because the main bearings are joined together on a section of the engine. That is to say ,instead of five individual bearings they are made onto the bottom 1/3 of the block. This entire piece bolts onto the rest of the engine block and then the oilpan bolts to it. This is supposed to give the engine a structural rigidity that is superior to individual bearings. It would also prevent someone from getting the main bearing caps mixed up.
Has nothing to do with camshafts!

Answer 3

Modular i've seen them being referred to modern Ford engines, they are unlike the old style of "Pushrod" OHV (OverHead Valve) engines that has one cam that pushes all 2 valves per cylinder.
These ones are OHC( OverHead Cam) engines that has sometimes 1 or 2 camshafts in each valve cover when talking about V6 - V8 - V10. So some cars come with SOHC (Single OverHead Cam) and some with DOHC (Double) with either 2,3,4 valves per cylinder. The ones with 4 valves per cylinder always come with DOHC setup.
So actually a "pushrod" compared to a "Modular" engine is that Pushrod's make good torque in the low end but they don't have a lot of RPM, and the "Modular" make good torque when talking about V8's and up but they have a higher RPM than the pushrods due to more valves and camshafts