These are my cheapest mods to date. $38 worth to be exact. I love the tips and the way they sound, so I wouldn't care if everybody hated them. I especially like how there's no gap between the pipes now and that big hole is filled up. But I can't decide on the brake calipers. I saw a white L at a show and it had red calipers and looked great. I've seen red trucks with them and they looked great too. But, I'm not sure about black with red calipers. I painted them instead of powdercoat in case I didn't like them. I still can't decide. What do you guys think?

Sorry for the darkness and rain - It won't quit here.










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Jim
Black '00
#1,757 built 3/30/00
Clear corners
JDM street program
JDM 2# blower pulley (ordered)
J.L. Stage II ram-air
90mm MAF
FRPP Oval throttle body
Twin 40 series Flowmasters
3.5" chrome tips

 

The tips look awesome. Where did you get those for under $40? The red calipers are ok. I think I would have gone with black myself! Of course, the black would soak up more heat, which would be bad. I guess that's why I've left mine alone.

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2000 Black Lightning
#1326 of 4966
Born on 03/20/2000
PSP Chip
PSP Filter
Best time: 13.248 @ 104.4 mph

 

Jim, the tips look just like the ones that you get with the Bassani system, polished stainless and larger size. They seem to fill in the space perfect. I like them. As for the calipers, it's kind of got that Porsche look to it, but it's hard for me to decide if it looks good or not. It does stand out, but it could be good looking or an eyesore, depending on your taste. If it were my truck, I think I would do them gloss black, and paint the Lightning logo on them in silver.

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SAL - TEAM PSP
web- www.powersurgeperformance.net
E-mail sales@powersurgeperformance.net
tech@powersurgeperformance.net
F-150 Online Supporting Vendor

 

Tips look great, where did you get them, and do they bolt on using the existing hangers?

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01L,Lowered, Black,F1 Hood,Downey SST,Straight Pipes,Chipped........ Toy: 91 Heritage Softtail Classic/Lowered
...... ......

 

Looks good, I have been debating about painting mine red also. So now I know what my black L would look like. Where did you get the tips?

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2000 Black Lightning
1972 Gran Torino Sport

[This message has been edited by T-Bone (edited 05-25-2001).]

 

Hey GForce,

That looks great. The tips really fit the hole nicely and the polished stainless is a whole lot easier to clean, at any cost.

I just installed the BABolt tips and I think they look fantastic as well, though not as big, and certainly more expensive.

The red calipers are the way to go. What did you use to paint them? And what was the procedure? I'm feeling pretty lazy but I want to do them as well. Good job!!



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2001 Red Lightning Delivered 3-15-2001, 2" Aim Lowering Shackles, Hitch Removed, Group Purchase Floor Mats, Modified Light Switch for Fogs, JDM Filter Kit, Single-Bladed T/B, Keyless Entry, Magnaflow 14568, (BABolt) Polished Stainless Exhaust Tips 22% Tint, Chrome '00 Rims, Bed Rug, M Pulse Lo-Pro Tonneau, Other Goodies. Best Time: 13.41 @ 104.37 mph

2000 Red Lightning - #835 of 4966 Sold 3-8-2001

2001 Yukon Denali White, All Stock

My Zing.com Album Click Here

 

Now THAT is a great idea!

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2000 Black Lightning
#1326 of 4966
Born on 03/20/2000
PSP Chip
PSP Filter
Best time: 13.248 @ 104.4 mph

 

I think I'm going to go with blue calipers on my black truck.

Daniel

 

Hey Gforce
Those tips look realy good, where did you get them. The calipers look good also. Send me an e-mail of where you got them. Redsvt@aol.com

 

Wow... I really like those tips... They look great, especially considering the cost!! Where did you get them?? Easy to put on??

I actually think I like the red calipers on a black L... Not sure if I would do them on my L, but they do look good...

 

Jim,

Both Mods look great. I love those tips.

------------------
Later,
Chuck
Black 00
Chuck's Lightning Page

 

Man, dial-up sucks. I've been trying for 1/2 an hour to get on here.

Well, my tips are just run-of-the-mill chrome extensions you see sticking out the back of many 4x4 running around my area. They're not the cheapy, screw-held, K-Mart ones though. They're 3 1/2" in diameter and about 18" long, so they stick back in there pretty far, which looks good, I think. You can see the chrome under the truck thru the bed gap in the last pic above. They were in stock at my local Flowmaster dealer, which is just a little hole in the wall for a shop. $18 each. And my red paint was $2 something, so there's the $38 in mods.

Here's a pic of my muffler installation. This guy really did things right and my bends are really smooth. I expected a loss of HP with the Flowmasters over the Magnaflow. But my sensitive, dyno proven, ***-o-jet tells me I've picked up probably 10 hp over the Magnaflow setup I had. And this without an X or H pipe. The gasses come out faster at idle too. I think my last installation was so shoddy, that was the culprit in my poor track times in Columbus. So I'm by no means knocking Magnaflow. It's a quality piece too.



What04,

Those Babolt tips are awesome and I would've surely bought them had I not done mine first, because I was just hoping mine would look decent because I hadn't seen mine on any other L's. So I was just gambling.

As far as the painting goes, my calipers were beginning to rust in spots, so that's what made my lazy rear do something. I pulled off both wheels on one side of the truck at a time and thoroughly scrubbed the calipers with a brush and liberal amounts of brake cleaner. I used three cans total, because if you want it to stick, it can't be clean enough. Then I masked with 2" tape all the stuff I didn't want turned red. Then I took a plasic shopping bag and covered the rotors and other large areas and used a screwdriver to jam the plastic into the space between the bottom of the outboard pad and hub. I would've removed the calipers, but I was afraid that might make them squeak if they were disturbed, so I just took my time and carefully covered everything. I used 500* engine paint, called Universal Red. I'll check the brand name when I get home, but it was good stuff. It went on smooth and glossy without runs. I put 4 coats on each caliper total. I would spray one and then do the other, allowing 15 minutes dry time between coats. Then do the other side.

I'm glad some of you like the red, I still can't decide after 2 weeks.

 

Can you send a pic of the tail pipe install from under side??? And is our pipe 2.5 outside diameter?

 

Gforce & What04,
Both of those tips look great(I don't want to start the TIP wars). Gforce - Any chance you could post a underneath photo?
Please both of you feel free to rub it in about how much easier it is to clean your truck, this way I may get pi$$ed off enough to do this mod.

 

ally69 & Redneck Ferrari,

No problem, I'm at work so I'll have to do it later this evening. Two local guys that have seen my chrome tips are doing it too because it fills the ground effects cutout so well. In fact, one truck is being done this minute.

One thing I need to make clear is that mine are not a simple swap like What04's are. BaBolt's design PERFECTLY replaces what you have. I'm not sure the stock muffler, or Magnaflow 12568 for that matter, is short enough to allow my tips. Maybe, but it would take an artist with pipe-bending skills. The 12468 or equivalent stainless version would probably work though.

Straight pipes would be a breeze for you guys running straights, and cheap to boot with a performance advantage. Now there's the best of all worlds!!