Sal recommended the 6-pound...
Sal recommended the 6-pound lower pulley kit from his Power Surge Performance kit. This lower blower pulley effectively raises the boost from a stock level of 8-10 psi all the way up to 14-16 psi. The kit comes with a nicely machined pulley, a correct-length belt, necessary hardware, a hex-head socket, an installation tool (motor lock tool), and-most importantly-a carefully prepared set of instructions.
5.0&SF: What is the basic concept behind the SVT Lightning?
Sal: The basic concept for the original Gen 1 Lightning was simple. Summed up best in Ford's own words: "The essential ingredients for a memorable driving experience are an engine that breathes deeply during a rush to redline and a chassis that balances poise with predictability. Blend these cardinal virtues with finesse and you've got a passionate driving machine."
The creators of the Gen 1 Lightning wanted a truck that was more than a gas-guzzling, poor-handling, straight-line-only performance truck such as the 454 SS of the day. The Gen 1 is the ultimate balance of performance-feeling at home whether on the dragstrip, road course, or towing your boat to the water.
For the Gen 2s, the theory was the same, but technology allowed a different breed of truck to emerge. The Gen 2 concept is more of a "plush and powerful" truck. There is no exterior road noise, and fit and finish is vastly improved. The steering is less respon-sive and the seats don't grip you like in a Gen 1. Some of the performance feel is traded for driver comfort. The Gen 2 has a nice, docile ride to it under normal driving, but lay into the throttle and it's a whole new ballgame. The massive power of the blown 5.4 takes over, and you realize you're in no ordinary truck. Instead of being all-around balanced as was the Gen 1, the Gen 2 is more of a balance between comfort and brute force, with good looks and utility thrown in for good measure.
5.0&SF: What year was the first Lightning, and what were the biggest improvements over the base F-150?
Sal: The first year was 1993. The majority of the truck was different from a standard F-150. People don't realize just how much was different. Let's begin with the foundation-the frame. The Lightning frame was thicker-0.170 inch versus 0.143 inch on the regular F-150-and it had brace plates welded on the kick-up over the rear axle. This kept chassis flex to a minimum and contributed to the Gen 1's amazing handling. All the suspension parts were unique to the Lightning, which was also lowered 1 inch in the front and 2.5 inches in the rear, as compared to a stock F-150. The 17-inch rims had a zero offset and were wrapped in 275/60-17 Firehawk GTA tires. The rear suspension also had a factory slapper bar in the leaf spring pack, and the truck had thicker sway bars and Monroe Formula GP shocks front and rear. The Lightning had a quick-ratio steering box, standard 4.10 gears, an aluminum driveshaft, and transmission internals taken from the diesel unit.
Under the hood, the Lightning R-code 351 featured iron GT-40 heads, a GT-40 upper and lower intake, a 65mm throttle body, tuned stainless headers, and an all-stainless true high-flow dual exhaust. Cosmetically, the Lightning came in your choice of red or black monochrome for 1993, with matching front air dam and integral foglamps. The body parts had no trim and were all smooth. The '93s wore the prismatic Lightning decal on the bed sides and tailgate. Inside, the Lightning had a special gray interior, with fully adjustable sport seats with embroidered Lightning logo and full XLT trim. All this added up to a truck that had a total package of handling, straight-line performance, stylish good looks, utility, and an overall fun factor.
5.0&SF: What are the production numbers for each year?
Sal:
1993: 5,276
1994: 4,007
1995: 2,280
1999: 4,000
2000: 4,966
2001: 6,381
2002: 4,726