I get tickled and lol about the Lightning purist. To me buying a production auto is just that, you are not the only one on the block. Guess ya'll have to go that way becuase you dont have any imagination or mechanical abilities. It my guess also many live in a condo for the same reasons.

Buy a newer 4.6 F-150 put a chip in it 38 lbs injectors a Kenne Bell Blowzillan @9lb of boost and a 60lb NO2 kit and turn the dyno at more than 450 HP, crank it on up and you will be shorter on engine life and have over 600 hp to the rear wheels.

Lets see 15,000 grand for a good used F-150, computer burn at $400. Kenne Bell Blowzilla $3900.00 and another $5000 for tires wheels, throttle body, upgrade to trans. what have you got fpr $29,000 a F-150 that can smoke a production run of the mill Lightning.

Then do a little running title for title an sell the loosers Lightnings.

Man don't let the purist guys get you down.

lets see we have. lightning's, Cobra's, Gt's, Viper's,Corvette's, Cyclone's, Twister's Roadrunner's, on and on. Yet they all have one thing in common they are production run and anyone with money could or can buy one.

Sound like ya'll are saying look at me and what I can spend. If the guy wants to clone on he can, if he wants to build something to thrash even the hottest prodution car he. Bottom line he/she is going to do what he/she wants to do.

I remember what the guys all said when Shirley Muldowney got her Top Fuel license. Now look at what they say.

Never run of the mill with me.

 

That was a pretty bold statement. Have you actually read most of the comments on this thread?

Sure, you can take a standard F150 and build a truck that will outrun a Lightning. And if you do, you should be very proud. My comments were about someone building a truck and putting the SVT and Lightning emblems on it. It's all about the fact of calling it something it isn't.

I feel the same way about vintage cars. Don't go and buy an old Mustang and put reproduction parts on it and call it a Shelby. It may run just as well and look as good, but it isn't a Shelby, and it never will be.

Build away and have fun!

 

Get a 99 flare side and put a blown small block in it, but get a bigger blower then the lightings, and name urs whatever the heck u want to and kick all of there butt's

 

I know what this guy is after. I have been building my 96 into a lightning for a couple of years. Slowly but surely, I am getting the look I want. I do agree with those who say not to badge it, though. It's a F150 and will always be. Build what you want, its more fun than buying. But as for your question, I prefer the old technology, The 302's and 351's or be bold and make a big block fit (it must be posssible), 429's are fast and fun.

 

Pretty cool, I want to do a 96 Bronco the same way. Heck perhaps even a 94-> (new interior/changes).


Since Ford offers a HI-PO truck it's easy to say 'I'd like to build a Lightning type'...those guys are usually the ones making trucks much more than the lightning ever was.

It's the guys that ask 'what are the partnumbers for the lightning badges and *appearance* options from the Ford Catalog?'

heeh...

 

If you're going to build one use a v-10 plus a supercharger It will cost you but it man would it be fast (hmmmmm v-10 in the tens)

 

Yea, we got screwed!!! Take a $20,000 truck and put a $3,000 blower on it and sell it for $33,000!!!!

No, the Lightning is not sacred, but it is a name that means something. It is MORE than an F-150 with a blower. The SVT team did some great work to build a truck that can produce nearly 400 HP stock, run the 1/4 in the 13's and out handle many sports cars.

We are proud to own our Lightnings. No, we didn't build them with our own hands, but that doesn't make them bad. And, nobody here is trying to tell people who build their own trucks that theirs are bad.

If anybody wants to build a truck, GREAT!!! Have a ton of fun doing it. I know in my younger days I loved getting all greasy and dirty working on cars. No matter what you do though, if it wasn't a Lightning when you started working on it, it never will be.

 

I am going to get two lightning seats, a chin spoiler, the 120 mph speedo, and a painted rear bumper, and call my F-350 Powerstroke 5-sp a lightning mebbie I should just call it "thunder"

 

Thunder or Blunder? What ever you call it just don't call it a lightning, heck call it a spark if you want to.

 

I need a supercrew but would like performance approaching a lightning.

What mods would be worth it?

 

nuff said guys, to each his own. im gonna make some badges and sell it to you guys its gonna be nice 5.4 H.P.(high performance) your gonna like it

 

why not check into a '03 Harley-Davidson Edition F150 . . . it's already got everything your looking for.

BTW guys, The lightning is much more then just a "$20,000 truck with $3000 Eaton blower " . . . but then if you don't know, you really should do a bit of research

 

There are limitless possibilities to what you can do. The body kits will fit and make it look good (along with a cool paint scheme). Any of the engines you mentioned can be built, but it comes to how much power you actually want. Do you want EFI (electronic fuel injection) or carburated? How much cash are you wanting to put in? Is this going to be a daily driver?

Your questions lead to more questions that need a little more specific answers. I can think of a number of ways to go with what you are looking into doing. Even with what you have mentioned, I think it would be a very nice ride!

That is why I am building mine the way I want. Don't worry about this badge or that badge - do it the way you want. If you like Lightning badges, use them. If not, leave them off. Its your ride...



P.S. - Welcome to FTE!!!

 

There seems to be a taboo around here in regards to the HD in that if you don't own a HD bike, don't own the truck. :P I'm not sure if I prescribe to that but I'm sure I'd catch hell if I did go and get one.

At any rate I'm likely to build my own project truck but partly the reason over just getting an L (which is my ultimate dream/plan) is that I have a wife who needs to have a car to drive and where I live (in Calgary) a lightning isn't a very useful truck for all seasons, in fact for really only 6 months tops. As such it would be in the garage half the year and I would need my other vehicle accessible and reliable.

I have a 2002 Protege 5 I'm paying off and I still have a couple years before it's done but come this upcoming summer I will be deciding if I can put myself into enough debt to buy a Lightning, even a used one. 99/2000 L's have dropped under $30,000 cdn now so I'm hoping that by summer they will be available in the low to mid 20's. If they are then it's viable. If it's not I go find a suitable 97 up stepside for $10-12,000 and go to work.

I do agree on the badges though, that's just tacky, like the kid I saw driving an 87-93 2.3L Mustang with 5L badges on it and one polished chrome exhaust tip from an actual 5L LX stang. Pretty bad considering it wasn't hopped up or anything (turbo etc.).

 

I once jokingly thoght of putting a super charger on my 91' F-150 Nite edition and calling it a "Niteling"