Ford Truck Enthusiast Builds Crazy-cool Lightning Tribute
Unique 1997 Ford F-150 XL flareside has SVT Lightning style, but its big block engine and gearbox are out of heavy duty work trucks.
The second-generation Ford F-150 SVT Lightning is an awesome truck. Even 15 years after it went out of production, it looks like something we’d want in our dream garage. With up to 380 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque from its supercharged 5.4-liter V8, it still has enough get-up-and-go to make Camaro drivers nervous. But given its focus on street performance, short bed, and single cab, it’s not exactly the best F-150 for hauling and towing heavy loads. So what if you want a Lightning, but need a work truck?
You can do something like what Richard Carpenter from the YouTube channel Dicky’s Garage did. He faced the same dilemma. Instead of getting two trucks, Carpenter built one that satisfied his desires and necessities. He said, “I just really couldn’t bring myself to working a Lightning so what I did is I bought a work truck and I made it as much a Lightning as I could.”
He got a 1997 F-150 XL flareside and added a Lightning front bumper, a set of chrome Lightning wheels, and Lightning badges to make his truck look like Ford’s potent pickup. Thanks to eBay, he was able to get a side-exhaust setup. “Obviously, the truck is not a clone of a Lightning. It’s just something paying homage to those trucks. You know, they say the best form of flattery is imitation and this is definitely some imitation.”
Carpenter regularly hauls tools and parts and cars around with his truck so instead of bolting the supercharged V8 from a wrecked Lightning into his F-150, Carpenter looked to Ford’s heavy duty trucks for an engine and transmission. The parts he found make his build “numbers-matching” in a very different way. The motor and gearbox for his 1997 F-150 are from 1997 Ford trucks. “The transmission is a ZF five[-speed manual] from a F-450.” He goes on to add, “Better yet, I got a ’97 F-350 engine in it. This has a 460[-cid] big block.” That’s right – 7.5-liters of American grunt and get-it-done.
The 460 sounds just as big as it looks on paper. Carpenter has someone (we’re assuming it’s his wife) rev it up. For being stock, the big block sounds fantastic. As the revs climb, the side pipes lets out a thick, throaty roar. That turns into a snarl as the RPMs go down.
Carpenter built a truly unusual vehicle. It’s a grab-bag full of Ford goodies. Could he have gotten more power out of a tuned Lightning engine or Coyote swap? Definitely. Would either one of those have made his truck as unique as it is now? Not a chance.
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