I am new to this forum. So forgive any ignorance.



I am a very large fan of the Lightning SVT truck. It is everythign i want in a vehicle. Soon and ver soon i will be in teh market for one. But before i buy one, i would like to get all the information i can. So i have some questions if anyone can answer them for me:

1 Is any year modle better than another?

2 Are tehre any typical weakeness or problems i should look for in a used Lightning?

3 This truck will offer a good response to performance addons correct?

4 What sort of price range will i be looking at?

5 What year was the body style changed to the "rounded" style?

6 What sort of gas mileage do these truck generally offer?

7 Are these 5.4L engine coil on plug?

8 Are there any dedicated magazines or books i could get a hold of to get more information?

And i realize that these questions have probably been asked before. I apologize for the monotiny of this.

Any help would be very appreciated. Thanks Guys and Gals

 

How much $$ do you want to spend??

We call these trucks "Fuel *****" and I get 10-12 MPG.

Yes it's coil on plug for each cylinder.

This forum has all the information you need, just start reading...

Good luck and post a picture when you get one!

 

and that is stock gas mileage?

but at any rate, that kind of gas mileage is fine, cuz i only drive an average of 10-20 miles a day.

are there any aftermarket systesm to upgrade the coil over plug ignition systems? or are there no options? and i realize i don;t need to worry about modifying the ignition. i just like to know my options

 

The Lightning by itself is a great truck.

Basically it is an F-150 w/ a s/c 5.4 Expedition motor that has a different piston (less compression) and beefier pistin ring.
The front brakes are bigger and better handling package.
Also a beefier tranny and rear.

If left alone a 1999 to 2004 L should run a mid 13 to low 14 second 1/4 mile (depending on the part of the country you are in and traction, weather, etc..)
The L is very reseptive to mods and you can go from mild (Chip,pulley,CAI) to wild (Built motor and upgraded supercharger or nitrous) or anyware inbetween.There is a ton of mods available(elec fan,Throttle body, Long tube headers..etc..) and very good tuners to help you.

As far as years go, Gen 2s (the round stlie ones) 99/00 are pretty much the same(360 hp steel D.S. and 358 gears), 01/02 have some upgrades (380 h.p. ,Lights, aluminum D.S. 3.73 gears..etc)and 03/04 have some more upgrades (most importantly being the 8 thread heads) .
There is other cosmetic changes throughout the years also.(wheels, grilles, lights...etc)

Issues have been Blown spark plugs (fixed in 03) and the Rods are stock. So to much extra boost or detonation and you will see a big hole in the block.
Don't get me wrong , I have run many 11 second passes on a stock block.

read the threads and learn about the Ls. You will not be disappointed.

Hope this helps.

VINNIE

 

go here, there is a very good Gen 2 faq:

http://www.svtlightnings.com/