99 lightning "sadie"

[zlou363lx]

i bought this truck back in february with the intension of selling my SHO and dd-ing it. then i drove it for a week, and realized the MPG difference from the SHO. no way that was going to happen :lol:. when i bought it all it had was a k&n drop-in filter, a flowmaster catback, and it had been lowered. i sent my parents down to Charlotte to get it while i worked in their places at the store that they own lol.
here it is being loaded onto the trailer for the ride home
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/startthesho/0220091638-1.jpg
i bought some black '01+ tails for it off of ebay because they look a lot better lol. also some black corners and headlights to match the tails.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/startthesho/0602091844a.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/startthesho/0613091124.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/startthesho/0613091108.jpg
i also installed an autometer two pod A pillar with a wideband and boost guage
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/startthesho/0613091314.jpg


now i'm moving onto performance mods. i've done the boost bypass mod, and i'm getting an lfp valvebody in about a week. i have a billet flow quick change upper kit with the stock size pulley and a 2.76 to add about 2 more pounds. i have a 4lb lower on the way. an sct xcal2 sitting around waiting, a friend of mine is giving me a bbk CAI for it. i'll be porting the eaton, plenum, and tb next week, and putting on a DMR egr delete kit when i do that. changing spark plugs to the ngk tr6s. it should be pushing around 14-15lbs when i get the pulleys and the intake on it. it's getting tuned by cincyspeed on the 3rd. so i'm looking forward to that! i'll post up as i get the rest of the stuff on it, and i might share the dyno numbers :lol:

[white01]

Welcome to the Lightning modding world......hope it doesn't bite you to hard. Nice color truck by the way...

Rich

[zlou363lx]

lol thanks. i'm hoping that the mods i have will keep me happy after the tune. if not i'll be in deep lol

[Maximus]

Very nice!! :drool:

[zlou363lx]

Very nice!! :drool:

thank you, sir. it's going to be at your shop in a few weeks for some tuning:bigthumb

[zlou363lx]

here is a picture of it that i took the other night when i got home. i like it lol

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/startthesho/0618090027.jpg

[Dirtyd0g]

I've done every valvebody install you can think of on one of these trucks. If you aren't afraid to spend a little time reading the instructions the Sonnax Sure cure kit is awesome. It allows different levels of firmness for every shift as well. With a stock converter you won't want it really hard but when you step the converter up you will need to firm it up to make up for the slippage in the converter.
Nice looking L, one of these days I need to get me one. Better not go picking on Rich's though. That truck is nuts!
Alan

[praterjack]

This is one nice truck!!!!!

[cobra429boss]

yes , very nice truck.. Only truck i would ever own

[zlou363lx]

well i pulled the supercharger off of the engine last night/early this morning to start porting it. this thing is a pain to port, but i should have it done on friday, and back together on saturday at the latest.

here is the bottom of the supercharger marked where i want to port it.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/startthesho/0624090424.jpg

i'm going to plug at least two of the silencer holes before i put it back together to make it louder. i'll throw up some pics when it's done friday.

[zippy94]

Nice lightning, When porting blower pay attention to the inlet side more especialily the bowl before the rotors. Make sure rotors aren't flaking away, Might have to strip, And also make sure your truck has the intercooler recall done, And pull intercooler and clean. It will help with IAT2 , Having questions hit me up. Justin

[Stangman]

Awesome! I love those trucks!

[2Kblacksleeper]

I really miss mine. Thats a nice truck.

John

[zlou363lx]

i didn't get to get it tuned on friday, because i can't seem to get the stock lower off. this thing will not let go for me. anyone know of any tricks that might work?

[white01]

i didn't get to get it tuned on friday, because i can't seem to get the stock lower off. this thing will not let go for me. anyone know of any tricks that might work?

Get as long of a breaker bar that you can get. Some come off easier than others. Its been almost 8 years since I removed mine.....Good luck

Rich

[zippy94]

REVERSE THREAD,

[zlou363lx]

i know that part lol. it just doesn't want to break loose for me.

[NXcoupe]

Very long breaker bar, have to hold the engine from turning some way, usually flexplate. they are not easy at all to get off.

[zlou363lx]

they are not easy at all to get off.
i've noticed lol. i have a few tricks to try when i get home from vacation though. hopefully one of them works:lol:

[zlou363lx]

haven't done anything performance wise other than a JLT intake yet. i'm waiting until this winter to do the pullies and tune for it. for now i like driving it too much to put a pulley on and have to wait to tune it to use the extra boost lol. anyways here is what i have done. i had a screw in the driver side rear tire, and a nail in the passenger side. so i bought some nitto 555r s for it. i like them. haven't really gotten to try them though. i also painted the wheels. here's a pic- like or no?
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/startthesho/DSCN0651.jpg

[zlou363lx]

somewhat better pic. hard to get a good pic of black wheels lol
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/startthesho/DSCN0643.jpg

[Foxxx5oh]

gorgeous truck.......one of the best looking lightnings ive seen!

[Stangman]

I want it, lol

[beefcake]

did you do the valvebody? they aren't that bad really, i did my own before

i'd go with a factory tech valvebody

http://www.factorytechtransmissions.com/

greg built the 4r100's for ford forever, had his valvebody in both my lightnings and they worked flawlessley, even my 10.7 lightning

[zlou363lx]

i haven't gotten to do that yet. i may be getting a new valvebody for it this month hopefully. i'll probably go with one of those since you speak so highly of them lol

[mustang8998]

Looks good!

I think I saw you, at the UDF, on crescentville and Mosteller. It may have been a week or two ago.

[zlou363lx]

if the wheels weren't black at that point then it probably was me. i was over there a few weeks ago.

[mustang8998]

Seems like they were black. I may be wrong.

I did see a SBZ, or a Vinny sticker, on the back window.

So, what are the chance that there are two white Lightnings with black wheels, on here?

[zlou363lx]

wasn't me then. i don't have stickers. i know that rich (white01) has a white one. not sure about wheel color though lol

[white01]

wasn't me then. i don't have stickers. i know that rich (white01) has a white one. not sure about wheel color though lol

Stock 03 wheels. I have a Dirtydog sticker on my rear window.

Rich

[2Kblacksleeper]

I've been reading about factory tech bodies not holding up well lately. It seemed like his work was killer till he hooked up with Jasper then it went down hill. I talked to him a few times and he is a nice guy.
Just do lot of reading up before you buy.

John

[zlou363lx]

finally some updates on the lightning. i've gotten quite a few things in the past few months for it. i got a c&l plenum and elbow, sct BA2800, 255lph fuel pumps, nx shark nozzle, nx window switch, factory tech 2c valvebody and trickflow deep trans pan and a billetflow snub idler setup for it. i got the valvebody and trans pan on the other night, and just got the stock lower pulley off today at the expense of hitting my elbows hard on the fender. i now have some deep bruising, but it was well worth it lol. i also took the intercooler off and soaked it in purple power to get the nasty oil off of it. it looks new now.

i also ordered some smoked foglights to replace my broken ones and some HIDs for the heads and fogs. 35w 6k for the heads and 35w 8k for the fogs. and some grillecraft black mesh grills for it. i'm debating on ordering an electric fan controller and popping a mark8 elec fan in the stock shroud.

[mustangboy]

We need to see some pics of the plenum and elbow installed;):bigthumb

[zlou363lx]

lol. i'm getting there. i should be able to get that stuff on this weekend.

[zlou363lx]

well i'm about ready to get it out again. waiting to finish installing my driveshaft loop this week, but! i have made some progress. it at least starts and idles again. it's lowered 1.75 in the front and 3 out back also i put some black mesh grillecraft grills in, and i got my HIDs in and working. here are a couple pictures.
lights off-
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/startthesho/lowered.jpg
lights on-
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/startthesho/hids.jpg

you can see the grilles in both pics and in the first one you can see my new smoked fogs lol.

p.s. kenny, i'll get a better picture of the engine bay so they can see your amazing work on the plenum and elbow lol

[zlou363lx]

also it's going to cincy speed on the 12th(for sure this time) for the tune. i can't wait to finally get to drive it again!

[zmcnutt]

looks good man cant wait to see it in person

[zlou363lx]

got her out and washed up last week, and went down my street to get some new pictures of her.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/startthesho/DSCN1413.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/startthesho/sadie1.jpg

two more days until the tune. too bad it's supposed to be rainy out for the next week. i won't be able to enjoy it yet! lol

[chris91]

Looks damn good man! Hope I never end up in front of you with those lights on, they look bright as hell! lol

[WARMACHINE]

That is a nice looking truck!!

[5.0calypso93lx]

Save for the headlights, I agree with everything you've done with the truck. Looks bad ass for sure!! I want one of these soo bad...

[zlou363lx]

Save for the headlights, I agree with everything you've done with the truck. Looks bad ass for sure!! I want one of these soo bad...

the housings or the hids?

and thank you to those who says it looks good:bigthumb

[5.0calypso93lx]

the housings or the hids?

and thank you to those who says it looks good:bigthumb

Not a big fan of the housings and depends on how you did the HID's haha. Is it a retrofit or are they just HID bulbs in those housings?

[zlou363lx]

fair enough lol.

i did the hid bulbs in those housings. i haven't found a projector housing that i like yet.

[5.0calypso93lx]

fair enough lol.

i did the hid bulbs in those housings. i haven't found a projector housing that i like yet.

These are what I have in my fox housings without the ugly chrome outer housings:

http://store.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=141&osCsid=4e9fffd8016e0d970f70999744fc2dda

[zlou363lx]

finally got a picture of the engine bay to show kenny's work on the plenum and elbow. well, craig took it while i was at the shop, but whatever lol.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/startthesho/sadie.jpg

here's a picture on the dyno, again by craig.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/startthesho/sadie1-1.jpg

i was guessing the it would make 400(+/- 20) and 460(+/- 40). i guessed pretty well as it made 387/476 to the wheels at 14psi with adam's tuning. first pull was 337/448(peak). it pulls hard now lol. there is a vid up on cincyspeed's facebook page.

thanks again, guys!