My future lightning conversion
09-24-2016, 11:26 PM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
My future lightning conversion
The Lightning Ford should have built
Hello everyone, it’s been quite a while. As a full time college student working full time I am finally in a comfortable place where I can start throwing serious money at my truck which I have decided to do instead of buying a used car (was thinking about a 1st gen ctsv, or an e39 M5 for a while). So due to the large amount of sentimental value I have towards the truck, instead of just buying a lightning, I have decided to turn my truck into what is, in my eyes, the perfect lightning. My truck is a 2002 f-150 xlt 5.4 scab 2wd flair side. My biggest gripe with the lightnings is that they only came in single cab. Not to slam the single cab, but it is not really one of my favorite configurations aesthetically anyways. At least ford should have offered an scab variant lightning. So now to the build, now keep in mind that I do realize this entire project will take quite a bit of money and I don’t anticipate finishing it in at least a year or two. But I am serious about finishing this project. This isn’t just some fantasy dream.
The first thing I need to do is get the truck repainted. It is currently cranberry red, looks quite faded, has begun oxidizing on the doors as well as the roof which also now has a thin layer of rust. Of course when it comes to paint jobs you really get what you pay for. I don’t need a 10k pebble beach quality paint job, but I certainly don’t want a cheap 500 maaco paint job. I was hoping to spend around 5k on paint and the minor body work it needs. I’m also considering having a clear bra professionally installed. Ideally the whole truck, but I need at least the rear fenders covered. I still occasionally use the truck for my construction job, a lot of stuff goes into and out of the bed over the fenders. That choice will come down to price. I will also have the bed rhino lined, and will get a black soft vinyl toneau cover.
The next thing I want to do is put on a 2/4 lowering kit of the truck. I not only want to lower the truck without compromising what little steering feel there is, but also slightly improve the handling of the truck if possible. I have been looking at the full belltec kit that comes with nitro gas shocks and struts, new springs, drop shackle and hangers. I have heard how difficult it is supposed to be to remove the factory hanger rivets, but I do have access to a shop with the proper air tools and floor lift. In addition I will get hotchkis sway bars, and urethane bushing kit paired with new raised white letter tires will aesthetically complete my perfect lightning look and handling. I have almost all I need to do this so far saved up and plan on starting asap. However for the next few mods it will take some time to save up the necessary funds.
The next step in this build is to put in a much stronger lsd with 3.73 gears. The differential will need to stand up to 500hp easily and should only take a few months to save up for. The next thing will be a new built 5speed auto trans that can also stand up to around 500 hp. I would truly love to swap in a 6 speed manual trans but after looking at the interior I just can’t figure out a way to have the shifter work properly and still look like it was always designed to be there, so unfortunately for now It will have to be an auto. Finally the fun part, I want this truck to put down 450rwhp. The other thing I did not like about the original lightning was the fact that it came with a twin screw supercharger, I know this will sound petty but I just can’t stand the high pitch wining sound roots and twin screw blowers make, I do however love the sound of turbos spooling up combined with the blow off valves. I don’t want to turbo this truck though. After some research it basically came down to buying cheap Chinese headers or have a shop custom weld and install the turbo for me which would not be cheap relatively speaking. So I have decided to procharge/ intercool my truck instead. This is where I also really need your guys’ help. Again because of the sentimental value I have towards this truck I just can’t bring myself to take out the engine and swap something else in. I know again it sounds dumb and will cost me extra money to do it, but I have to keep the original engine, or the block at least. That is why I won’t just swap in a lightening engine instead. So I plan on fully building up the motor. She currently and 195000 miles and has never had a single major issue. The truck originally belonged to my parents who were adamant about scheduled maintenance. The entire truck is completely original; the only things that have been replaced are usual parts such as alternator, water pump, spark and freeze plugs, and a few miscellaneous solenoids in the egr system. The engine still runs nearly perfectly still. First I plan on having the engine removed and built from the bottom up with a forged crankshaft, forged pistons and all overkill bearings and gaskets. The heads is where I need help. In a boosted application is it really beneficial to get 4v heads, or will having ported 2v still work nearly as well with the addition of say a slightly bigger ported intake? Which way is more cost effective and reliable with 500 crank hp. Some aggressive cams designed for boosted application is also a must as well as 42lb injectors and the proper fuel pump. With the forged pistons and cams how much boost will I have to run to get to 500, and with that amount of power would it be worth having the cylinders sleeved and get the appropriate pistons at the same time? Finally with a custom dyno tune my perfect lightning build will be complete. Again I do realize that this is going to take a long time, a lot of research as well as a lot of money, but because I have decided to put all my money into the truck that I otherwise would have financed for a car instead. This will basically be my daily driver for another 5 or so years. So there it is. My entire vision for my truck all laid out. Any answers, concerns, ideas, or just general knowledge are of course welcome and. I will definitely need yours guys help to get all of this done over the next two years. They say the best way to start a build is to plan it all out first. Thank you for taking the time to read through all of this, I know it was a lot,
Thanks have a great day
-Mark in Temecula.
Hello everyone, it’s been quite a while. As a full time college student working full time I am finally in a comfortable place where I can start throwing serious money at my truck which I have decided to do instead of buying a used car (was thinking about a 1st gen ctsv, or an e39 M5 for a while). So due to the large amount of sentimental value I have towards the truck, instead of just buying a lightning, I have decided to turn my truck into what is, in my eyes, the perfect lightning. My truck is a 2002 f-150 xlt 5.4 scab 2wd flair side. My biggest gripe with the lightnings is that they only came in single cab. Not to slam the single cab, but it is not really one of my favorite configurations aesthetically anyways. At least ford should have offered an scab variant lightning. So now to the build, now keep in mind that I do realize this entire project will take quite a bit of money and I don’t anticipate finishing it in at least a year or two. But I am serious about finishing this project. This isn’t just some fantasy dream.
The first thing I need to do is get the truck repainted. It is currently cranberry red, looks quite faded, has begun oxidizing on the doors as well as the roof which also now has a thin layer of rust. Of course when it comes to paint jobs you really get what you pay for. I don’t need a 10k pebble beach quality paint job, but I certainly don’t want a cheap 500 maaco paint job. I was hoping to spend around 5k on paint and the minor body work it needs. I’m also considering having a clear bra professionally installed. Ideally the whole truck, but I need at least the rear fenders covered. I still occasionally use the truck for my construction job, a lot of stuff goes into and out of the bed over the fenders. That choice will come down to price. I will also have the bed rhino lined, and will get a black soft vinyl toneau cover.
The next thing I want to do is put on a 2/4 lowering kit of the truck. I not only want to lower the truck without compromising what little steering feel there is, but also slightly improve the handling of the truck if possible. I have been looking at the full belltec kit that comes with nitro gas shocks and struts, new springs, drop shackle and hangers. I have heard how difficult it is supposed to be to remove the factory hanger rivets, but I do have access to a shop with the proper air tools and floor lift. In addition I will get hotchkis sway bars, and urethane bushing kit paired with new raised white letter tires will aesthetically complete my perfect lightning look and handling. I have almost all I need to do this so far saved up and plan on starting asap. However for the next few mods it will take some time to save up the necessary funds.
The next step in this build is to put in a much stronger lsd with 3.73 gears. The differential will need to stand up to 500hp easily and should only take a few months to save up for. The next thing will be a new built 5speed auto trans that can also stand up to around 500 hp. I would truly love to swap in a 6 speed manual trans but after looking at the interior I just can’t figure out a way to have the shifter work properly and still look like it was always designed to be there, so unfortunately for now It will have to be an auto. Finally the fun part, I want this truck to put down 450rwhp. The other thing I did not like about the original lightning was the fact that it came with a twin screw supercharger, I know this will sound petty but I just can’t stand the high pitch wining sound roots and twin screw blowers make, I do however love the sound of turbos spooling up combined with the blow off valves. I don’t want to turbo this truck though. After some research it basically came down to buying cheap Chinese headers or have a shop custom weld and install the turbo for me which would not be cheap relatively speaking. So I have decided to procharge/ intercool my truck instead. This is where I also really need your guys’ help. Again because of the sentimental value I have towards this truck I just can’t bring myself to take out the engine and swap something else in. I know again it sounds dumb and will cost me extra money to do it, but I have to keep the original engine, or the block at least. That is why I won’t just swap in a lightening engine instead. So I plan on fully building up the motor. She currently and 195000 miles and has never had a single major issue. The truck originally belonged to my parents who were adamant about scheduled maintenance. The entire truck is completely original; the only things that have been replaced are usual parts such as alternator, water pump, spark and freeze plugs, and a few miscellaneous solenoids in the egr system. The engine still runs nearly perfectly still. First I plan on having the engine removed and built from the bottom up with a forged crankshaft, forged pistons and all overkill bearings and gaskets. The heads is where I need help. In a boosted application is it really beneficial to get 4v heads, or will having ported 2v still work nearly as well with the addition of say a slightly bigger ported intake? Which way is more cost effective and reliable with 500 crank hp. Some aggressive cams designed for boosted application is also a must as well as 42lb injectors and the proper fuel pump. With the forged pistons and cams how much boost will I have to run to get to 500, and with that amount of power would it be worth having the cylinders sleeved and get the appropriate pistons at the same time? Finally with a custom dyno tune my perfect lightning build will be complete. Again I do realize that this is going to take a long time, a lot of research as well as a lot of money, but because I have decided to put all my money into the truck that I otherwise would have financed for a car instead. This will basically be my daily driver for another 5 or so years. So there it is. My entire vision for my truck all laid out. Any answers, concerns, ideas, or just general knowledge are of course welcome and. I will definitely need yours guys help to get all of this done over the next two years. They say the best way to start a build is to plan it all out first. Thank you for taking the time to read through all of this, I know it was a lot,
Thanks have a great day
-Mark in Temecula.
09-25-2016, 12:01 AM
#2
I'm not sure where to start, but expect to spend $15,000+ on your truck.
Built engine capable of putting that kind of power down will cost you in the ballpark of $6,500
Procharger will cost you just as much if not more.
Injectors will need to be at least 60lb if not 80lb
You're going to need a transmission to handle all that power too $2-2,500
Paint job like you said will be 5-6000.
You must really love that truck to be stupid like me and throw a bunch of money at it
Built engine capable of putting that kind of power down will cost you in the ballpark of $6,500
Procharger will cost you just as much if not more.
Injectors will need to be at least 60lb if not 80lb
You're going to need a transmission to handle all that power too $2-2,500
Paint job like you said will be 5-6000.
You must really love that truck to be stupid like me and throw a bunch of money at it
09-25-2016, 10:06 PM
#3
Senior Member
Some notes from me, fresh out of school and having tons of cash in my pockets and what looks like a ton of time on my hands but is really no money in my pockets and a schedule that gets busier than the president.
Keep your old truck for a winter truck. Buy your 99-00 HD f150. Not having to do any extra work (rust repair, repaint, ect) is a blessing and you can get right to lowering the truck and going after performance.
By keeping your winter truck, your new HD stays parked in the garage for the winter and stays nice for the summer. IF you can afford to drop 10k+ on repairs, surely you can afford the extra costs for insurance and registration.
Good luck and have fun searching the south for that Harley.
This is an old photo of my pair of trucks.
