The last major engineering change prior to 2004 was 2001. That type of decal wouldn't change until an engineering change was made.

 

Yeah someone def put an 01 gas tank on that truck, prob many other 01 parts after the wreck. My 2004 sticker says 2005 Lightning.... My 2001 sticker says 2001 Lightning.

 

guess you missed the pic from my 2004 (another) with the 2001 decal. I'm original owner as well.

 

you guys got ripped... Must have been early model trucks. They prob wanted to use up some old tanks that were kicking around the warehouse.

 

What's your build number? I notice Austin's is a early build #314, I don't know my build number yet (have my certificate coming in the mail) but know from the Carfax report it was originally purchased in the fall of 03 so maybe my build is a early build too and maybe your's is a later built with a new run of gas tanks?

Anyone else with a early build 04 or any 03 wanna crawl under their truck to confirm this? My motor build date according to the sticker on the block is something like 15/04/03, does that sound about right for a early build 04 truck?

I also know some other weird inconsistencies with these trucks- some where CA state smog certified, and some weren't (regardless what state they where purchased). So I do believe there will be inconsistencies from truck to truck-same year model. Just need someone else to climb under their truck to confirm this.

 

Austin, when you get a chance, can you check the sticker on your motor and tell me what the build date is? Just curious.

 

Well if that's the case, I'm perfectly fine with that. Just worried about owning a mixed and matched truck from an unknown incident from sometime after the brand new purchase.

Can't wait to get my build certificate and check the build number threads to see if anyone on here is the original owner. Man-O-man what I wouldn't do to be able to buy another brand new off the showroom floor Lightning!

 

April 11, 2003

 

Thanks. My motor date is 15/04/03 (yours 11/04/03) and door sticker 08/03 (yours 09/03) so we're pretty close on dates, can't wait to get my build certificate (SVT said I'd get it mid-january).

It was too dark out to get a good pic with my 7 year old camera, lol, they came out blurry every time.

 

My 2004 is tagged 5/01/04 but the tag on the tank says 2005 for some odd reason. My 2001 is tagged 8/16/01 and says 2001 on the tank. i guess I just got lucky. Both my trucks were built in the last month of production

 

geez, ihad to run outside to see what mine said. mines a 2003 L gas tank says 2003, engine says 1/27/3003. truck build date is 2/03. woo hoo wonder how early on production mine is

 

You guys make a big deal out of nothing. OEM's order parts in batches and re-order at a certain inventory level. Even if the part was made in 2001 and installed in 2004, its still brand new. When you buy new parts from a dealer, they could be several years old. This stuff isn't like yogurt with an expiry date and best before...

 

Like I said, that's 100% perfectly fine if that IS the case which I hope it is. But the thing is I'm not the original owner and when you see a part with a 2001 sticker on a 04 it kinda makes you wonder what the story is with the vehicle. Was it a 04 that was totaled and then rebuilt with a 2001? If I paid retail for a 04 and the values the 04's are still selling at used which I'm perfectly fine with, and then found out later it was a totaled out and rebuilt with a older vehicle, I have every right to be upset about it.

Would I be able the sue the dealer and make them buy it back if that was the case with mine? Or at least be refunded the value of the depreciation of a wrecked/rebuilt vehicle vs the regular price?

If production 03's where labeled with 03 stickers, how the hell did tanks labeled 01 make it all the way to the 04 production vehicles then? I can't make sense of that - wouldn't they have used up all the old tanks by then on the previous years?

Oasis report on the vehicle only shows sticky front brake caliper repaired under warranty and Carfax didn't show anything out of the ordinary as well, but that doesn't always show everything if it wasn't reported.

I guess I'll just have to trust Austin all by himself, lol, or just get rid of the vehicle if I'm always going to be worried about it's past history. I'd still be much happier to see a couple more. Anyone else with early build 04's out there care to check for me?

The truck is a native NJ truck (it was bought new and sold used here). I can't wait to get the build number when my certificate arrives to check the build number threads to see if it was a member of the forum here - that should make for an interesting conversation.

 

 

Bingo... It IS just the plastic cover (one on the front, one on the back). When I was rotating my tires and doing some undercarriage cleaning & detailing I found the actual sticker on the actual gas tank (not the cover).



Well... this unsolved mystery is solved....lol.