I Bought An Abandoned 2002 Ford SVT Lightning!

There’s a satirical phrase that notes, “you can judge a man’s worth by the number of hardly-running trucks in his driveway.” Not to devalue my own self-worth based on this philosophical masterpiece, I found myself desiring to jump into yet another project alongside my currently non-operable 1995 SVT Lightning. This time, however, a second-generation Lightning I had spotted had reappeared on my mental radar. There were two small problems: tracking down the owner and getting my wife to approve yet another project.

In the past, I made a fatal mistake that almost cost me dearly, all because I found a fantastic deal on a sports car. Unfortunately, that purchase was made while we were shopping for a family car for our young family, and it was done behind my wife’s back. Things continued to spiral downhill when I chose to hide said car for three days before surprising her with my new purchase. Let’s just say that I won’t be doing that again. On top of my previous mistakes, I feared the old ”this will be my last” or “it’s for sure a moneymaker” would have been denied. So, I did what any sensible husband would do: I bought her a new car and promptly went and purchased the Lightning the next day, even using her new Expedition as the tow pig.

The 2011 Expedition has a maximum tow rating of 9,200 pounds, which makes it perfect for picking up project vehicles. None of this was disclosed to the wife when we picked out her new vehicle.

Perfect From Far, Far From Perfect

I spotted this second-generation Lightning around two years ago while cruising down the interstate. It had the traditional Lightning build that most of us who attended meets in the early 2000s had witnessed: lowered with a Cervinis tailgate spoiler. The truck had not moved all those years, and despite my efforts to contact the company, my calls went unanswered. Then, I got a call from the owner of the company saying he now held the title, and we could talk numbers, but only in person.

Oddly enough, I had never been less than 20 yards from the truck, as scoping out someone’s property in Texas might actually qualify them for a stand-your-ground case if things went awry. However, when I arrived, my eyes realized that things seen from the highway are not always what they appear to be. This truck had lived a rough life before being parked, both mechanically and cosmetically.

Among the gifts from the previous owner was a mismatched pair of Infinity floor mats, a lone shell casing, a budget HID setup, an assortment of defunct phone chargers, and plenty of Corona bottle caps. Party on!

The owner informed me this Lightning was loaned to a friend, before becoming his personal parts truck for his other Lightning, which is never a good sign. He also claimed it only needed fuel pumps and a battery to start, a classic line for anyone trying to dismiss a larger fail point the truck might have. While the truck was mostly intact, I was willing to take the risk, knowing that if things went south in a hurry, I could part it out and recoup some of the funds.

The exterior wasn’t in terrible shape, with a few dents and dings throughout. Surprisingly, the clear coat had somehow survived the brutal Texas sun. The inside was where the majority of the parts had been salvaged, leaving the steering wheel resembling a backlit keyboard missing a few keys. The seat covers were my only glimpse of hope, but nope, the condition under the covers matched the rest of the interior. A mix of black and Ford’s gray interior panels rounded it out.

Under the hood was a fairly stock, supercharged 5.4-liter. The only modifications I could see were a JLT intake, aftermarket throttle body, injectors, and long tube headers. The coils looked recently replaced, which would make sense after finding a box of old coils, spark plugs, and even a fuel filter haphazardly thrown in the bed of the truck.

Discovering a box of old parts might seem like a blessing, but more often than not, it indicates that someone else has already been in the engine bay, misdiagnosing and replacing items at will.

Gambling Man

While I tend to carefully calculate vehicle purchases, this one was bought on a whim with the hope the engine was not toast and the transmission shifts smoothly. Besides, the wife’s honeymoon stage with her new vehicle typically doesn’t last long enough for me to wait in the shadows to purchase my next bad decision. So, with a U-Haul car hauler hitched up, we struck a deal, and the Lightning was heading to its new home with me. Of course, not before having six grown men fight the resistance of two flat tires while heaving the F-150 onto the trailer.

Once home, the problems immediately arose. The key I was given would unlock the truck, but when turning the ignition on, the dashboard would flash “theft” at a rapid rate—an indicator that Ford’s Passive Anti-theft system (PATS) did not recognize the key’s immobilizer. An easy fix through the SCT Performance programmer, I was hesitant to throw tuning into the mix with a questionable truck. After a quick drive down to convince the owner that the second key he withheld was needed to start the truck, I was able to get the truck to fire off. However, the rough idle and short drive made me feel like there was a fueling issue.

Before I dropped the tank and pulled the pumps, I decided to test fuel pressure with an AutoMeter electric fuel pressure gauge. Manually watching the fuel pressure indicated a fault in either the high/low-pressure switch or a fuel pump problem. Now, what better way to test fuel pumps than to craft a makeshift fuel system away from the vehicle, including the use of a spare battery to supply voltage and a milk jug as a fuel cell?

The potential for a driveway bonfire was high, and it eventually became a reality with a mist of fuel spraying from the Y-connector. In what seemed like seconds, a single spark engulfed one pump and worked its way through my fuel contraption. Concealing the fire would have been impossible, as the roofing company had a bird’s-eye view, even taking a work break to watch my amateur hour transpire.

At this point, I knew the engine ran, albeit poorly, and that the fuel system needed a major overhaul, among many other things. My first goal was to turn the neglected Lightning into a truck that ran as smoothly as it did when it left the Oakville, Ontario Ford plant. Once the truck was in stable condition, I wanted to begin prepping it for my future goals.

Goals And Aspirations

Now for the fun part. With my first-generation Lightning set up for the street and strip, I wanted my second-generation to become what Ford had intended it to be from the start: a sport truck that could tackle the road course, autocross, or any other racing that pairs the engine’s performance with a complete handling package. If you’ve been around the Lightning community long enough, you might remember names like Stan Martin, who open road-raced his Lightning in the 140 mph class; or Leonard Vahsholt racing to the clouds in the legendary Pikes Peak event. These are my aspirations, as well, albeit maybe toned down to match my skill level, but something that provided me a few more turns than, well, one.

In recent times, George Dias has campaigned his Ford Lightning in the Optima Ultimate Street Car Challenge.

One great thing about living in central Texas is the short distance to tracks. Aside from having Circuit Of The Americas only 20 minutes away, Harris Hill Raceway, a smaller and more accessible track, offers elevation changes, off-camber and blind corners to advance my abilities. To experience differences in a shorter span, SPOKES, SASCA, and NCCC all offer autocross events throughout the year. Attending these events, getting the seattime in, and showcasing what a now 20-year-old truck can do with the right products could prove to be extremely fun.

Time To Get To Work

With one Lightning awaiting a heart transplant, another needing a lot of tender loving care, and a wife who is well past frustrated with the amount of non-running vehicles present in the driveway, it’s time to get started. After all, the neighbors are starting to talk about “that guy with too many trucks,” and I can’t help but think they’re talking about me. So, stick around as I start preparing Project Zeus for its new life and corner-carving abilities.