Hi everyone, Well I have finally given in and sold my <coughcamarocough>.... And in a few hours I will be picking up my Dark Blue 2002 Lightning.

I have a few questions, hopefully you guys can help me out...

1. Are there any common flaws?.. Meaning, In my 95 SS camaro, they were nototious for.... bad window motors, t-top leaks, window switches going bad.. etc..etc..

2. I modded the heck out of my SS.. actually.. I had a 383 stroker in it. I do want to do some minor mods to the L, but I am not familiar with the ford engines AT ALL. What are a few simple starting mods? I do not want to get crazy with it, it seems like a fast truck already, i just want to give it what it needs to crank out about 400hp.

3. If your going to list mods, please do not use abreviations, because chances are I will not have any clue what your talking about...

4. I have always had n/a cars.... with the SC, what are does and donts?


thats all for now, im sure i will think of more...

ohhh... one other question... I pulled my system out of the camaro... 2 12's .. 2 amps.. any chance in hell of these fitting somehow into the truck or no? and.. if not, what DOES fit?

thanks guys.

 

Hello. and wlecome.

I'll warn you you'll be flamed for not *searching*. But... I always give newbies a 10 post break. After that your road kill!

The basic "chip, filter, pulley" will be the standard answer. With these (a 4# lower), some cold air, and a 1/2 way decent track you can see high 12s. In the summer heat you'll be in the mid to low 13 range.

Should you decide to use a "FTVB" (FACTORY TECH VALVE BODY) I would recommend a traction aiding devise first. Not so much for traction as it is to keep the rear end from over rotating upon those shifts. (believe me it will. Some have broke driveshafts)

For what it's worth check out my web page for where I'm at on mods and times.

Rich

 

Well, as the owner of a 2002 L, I would recommend going to the (cough, cough) NLOC website and look thru the 2nd gen newbie info there; it's a pretty good intro.

Easiest mods: superchip and intake air device. I had a K&N that just dropped into the stock airbox, but this spring bought a ramair hood with inlet dumping right in area of airbox, so I bought a JLP ramair box for it.

You could also get a 4 lb pulley for the crank without going to a tuner (Mike Troyer@ superchips here can get you a tune-in-a-box with a regular superchip 1714, I think). But even this is a can of worms: many feel the 4 lb pulley warrants a colder range plug.

 

first of all, welcome to the Lightning community and the site. I'm sure you'll love your truck. second of all, as was mentioned above, learn to use the search feature, there is TONS of info in the archives if you learn how to find it.

the trucks like to launch spark plugs out of the heads, which takes the threads with it (major problem) and can result in costly repairs, so keep your plugs torqued down. steering clunks (minor problem). cracking fog lights, intercooler leaks on the 99-00 trucks, warranty voiding for mods, if you have mods and a crappy or even decent tune the truck may with or without warning launch it's connecting rods out the side of the block creating not so pretty holes in the cast iron that allow you to see your crankshaft and remaining rods and pistons(this is not a joke)! some will say that the trucks are plagued with problems, both of mine have been relatively trouble free as far as Ford's work is concerned.

the best bang for the buck is a chip or handheld tuner and a lower pulley (4 or 6). (if your truck has never had the pcm scraped for a chip, then I'd highly recommend using a handheld tuner if your truck is still eligible for warranty repair) have your truck dyno tuned by a reputable tuner if at all possible. I have had great results with www.teamjdm.com and www.powersurgeperformance.net I'd also recomend an open element filter for sound alone (it really wakes up the supercharger whine) and a Factory Tech valve body makes it shift the way it should have come from Ford.

with the above, you will notice a NIGHT and DAY difference in the way your truck feels, drives, and performs. the chip and pulley alone should net you about 400hp and easy 12.80s or better at the track on street tires (depending on your location, as different tracks, climates, and geographic locations will have dramatic effects on your trucks performance.

DO pay close attention for any signs of spark knock/ detonation/ pinging/ pre-ignition. if your tune is right, it shouldn't be a problem, but the supercharger adds to the possiblity of the above, which is a major engine killer on these trucks.

um, maybe i'm forgetting something obvious, but our stock superchargers are relatively trouble free, and don't require much special attention. you might want to unplug the electrical connector on your boost bypass solenoid(free) to prevent any unwanted boost dumps in the middle of a run.

just my .02

good luck, and enjoy.

later,
chris

 

Hey chris, thanks alot for all of the info. very helpfull already.

while im here...... what are the avg. prices for the chips?

 

Get a custom tuned predator or a sct 9100 hand held programmer. Cost is $375-$425 depending on where and who you buy it from.

NOTE: Like the others have said make sure you keep the plugs tight. I'd check them every oil change if you could. You cant get a correct tq reading on them. The standerd is that you thread them in untill it bottoms out and go 1/16th of a turn past that. When you put a socket on them and if it feels allready tight DONT over tighten them as you can strip the threads out.
The bottom end problem, rods in particular seems to become a problem when you tune is risky and you pushing over 450/550. I do beleive that that stock fuel injectors and pumps and starting to max out @ that point and may be the cause of people losing there motors.
Dont worry and have fun...I have over 200 passes in my truck now in the last 5 months and most have been with me pushing 404/508 on a slightly agressive tune and I've no problems..yet!

 

rules for modding:

don't add a pulley without a chip.
when you add a pulley change spark plugs accordingly
one of the first things you should get are traction bars to prevent the rear end from twisting and snapping the driveshaft.
Cat Backs add nothing for power, but make it sound much better.
the FT VB is a MUST HAVE.


BPU:
4# lower pulley
Chip
FT VB
traction bars..
CIA or modify your existing stock intake
this will keep you happy for a while.

then:
send the supercharger out to be ported (30 rwhp)
need the chip reburned
E-fan and water pump upgrade
CAI

Then:
Slicks or ET Streets on 16" rim
Drive shaft loop
6# lower
reburn of the chip
phenolic spacer


a couple things to keep in mind.
you WILL FIND oil in the intake and throttle body, it's normal. only side effect is the innercooler gets coated with oil and doesn't work as efficiently. Clean it once a year and you ar good to go.

 

What he said

Suavy

 

Chris (superfords) doesn't the head thread fix come a little more than halfway after the 02 production began? I think they made !~4700 of them. MyNewBlue02, I'd suggest you call 1800fordsvt and finding your build number. if it's past the halfway point, you *should* be ok with the spark plug-launching issue

also, congrats on the truck. best.color.evAr!!! (no offense you sonic blue guys )

-Mike

 

http://www.proboxrocks.com/ford/97-03f150regular.shtml