Now that the Lightning was ready to lay down some serious power, Eric's attention quickly shifted to the rest of the drivetrain. A Pro Mod Powergide was called into action to handle the gear changes during each quarter-mile blast. A 4,000-stall Neal Chance Pro-mod converter transfers power to the gearbox, which spins the custom 4-inch chrome-moly driveshaft. The stock rearend housing was swapped for a Fab-9 replacement, which is more than capable of handling the added power. The new aluminum center section was filled with a Moser spool and 40-spline, gun-drilled Moser axles. Power is transferred to a set of 15x12-inch Bogart wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson rubber to help keep this Lightning glued to the track.
The majority of the stock...
The majority of the stock interior panels were kept to give the Lightning a stock appearance.
Weight transfer is controlled with a set of QA1 adjustable struts and custom QA1 springs, with a set of tubular control arms from AJE Racing holding it all together. The new rear-end housing is held firmly in place by a custom Pro-Mod-style four-link and wishbone suspension, with Strange double-adjustable shocks and Hyper Coil springs keeping the tires planted under hard acceleration.
After all was said and done, Eric and his Lightning tore up the track with a stout 8.58 at over 161 mph. That's impressive considering his truck still weighs in at 3,850 pounds. By the time this story hits newsstands, Eric will have shaved a few more pounds off this slick SVT. With the addition of larger turbos and a little weight reduction, 7-second passes may be within reach.
 Bogart wheels wrapped in Mickey...  Bogart wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson rubber sit in all four corners and help this powerful pickup stay glued to the track. |  |  Hard launches at the dragstrip...  Hard launches at the dragstrip are now routine for Eric and his slick SVT Lightning. |