'94 Lightning Mods
 

I'm to the point again where I HAVE to do a little more tweaking on the old girl. With fuel prices being as they are I'm try to do stuff that'll improve fuel mileage as well, and I don't want to open up the engine cause it ain't leaking anywhere yet.

I already installed the F-250 Inlet tube, and it has helped pick up just a little power at speed, and about 1 mpg. I'm also currently running a custom 2.5 inch cat back with 40 series Flowmasters.

I think my next mods are gonna be the Bassani Off Road H-pipe, electric fans, and the 30% underdrive crank pulley. Just wondering if y'all have any input or warnings on these modifications before I start spending money.

Thanks.

Can anyone tell me how many cfm I'll need to look for in an electric fan?

You should gain some hp with the fan/pulley combo...shouldnt have any probs...im looking to do that same setup on my F-150....good luck on it

Jeremy

As much as possible. =P

It might be to your advantage to run a pair of smaller cfm fans as opposed to one large one.

an aftermarket ignition upgrade is always good to have.

I think I've decided against the elecric fans for one reason...just my luck it'll short out or the motors will burn up and cook my engine. She's got 138k on her and still purrs like a kitten, I'd rather not run that risk. I think I'll just go with the pulleys and slow everything down instead.

Mustang...I tried a Jacobs ignition once and saw no improvement. I think it's just hard to burn more fuel when the stock system is already burning it all. Changing the plugs every 25k and they're always gorgeous. A chip may be a good idea, but I think I'm gonna try the H-pipe (I ordered it today) and the pullies first. Thanks fellas. :-wink

PS: If I run nitrous or a blower...I'll definitely upgrade the ignition.

Try March Power and Amp Pulleys, a Phenolic spacer, and some 1.7 roller rockers. Those mods combined with the intake tube brought me up 2-3mpg. It also helps a lot on those trucks to bump the timing, if you feel like paying for premium.

Oh, and those mods also made me .4 sec quicker.

I bumped the timing up when I first got the truck; got maybe .5 mpg and better response out of it. I installed the Bassani off-Road X-pipe this weekend and love it. Great sound, minimal interior noise, and better performance and mileage...I'll get exact mileage numbers when I fill up today. The Bassani is a quality piece, but why do they send it with only one EGR tube? I cut off the one that it came with and welded in fittings for two in the stock location. Other than that, it's a perfect fit.

I think I am going to try the March Power and Amp pulleys, I've heard good things about them. They're not suppose to effect charging and cooling...and I don't really need my A/C to hang meat or all that power steering assist.

Screw it...I'm gonna go with the Perma-Cool 18in fan in the stock shroud. That should do everything I need it to, plus it'll appear stock to the casual observer. :-wow

i tried the perma-cool fan & it didn't pull enough air to keep a/c cool enough to keep it from over heating... if you don't have a/c it will be ok. i got a fan from an early model lincon. & it seams to work fine & used the wiring kit that perma-cool sells. i cut the shroud down on the lincon fan to fit inside the stock shroud. i have been running this setup a week now & it seams o.k.

I put an MSD 6a ignition on there and it makes a decent difference on the low end.

I had a '93 Lightning and one thing that gave the most the fuel saving was to put a flat fiberglass lid on the back. I also converted mine to Mass Air. I can't remember if all '94's where mass air or speed density. Also a 3.73 gear wouldn't kill the performance and will help a little with gas.

I installed a fiberglass tonneau 3 years ago...my mpg didn't change much at all. I seriously considered the 3.73, but it would hurt performance somewhat...and I'm all against that...I think I'm just gonna drive the dern thing. Maybe build a little better scoop for my air box and let it ride.