Ford's redesigned F-150 truck for 2004 was an instant hit, and teasing the general public with the Lightning concept stirred the imaginations of truck owners who desired a little more than the average enthusiast.
By 2005, though, there was still no word of a new Lightning, although the aftermarket was hot on the mod trail. One of these companies was Granatelli Motor Sports (GMS) in Oxnard, California, which decided to take this '04 F-150 beyond what a mere lightning strike might do.
The main reason for this project was a request from the folks at NASCAR, who approached GMS about building a pace truck for the Craftsman Truck racing series for 2004. J.R. Granatelli, president of GMS, has been known for building numerous high-powered custom vehicles, so a call was made to Ford, which supplied the foundation for this project.
Starting with a standard-cab fleet truck that was equipped with air conditioning, a 5.4-liter Three-Valve engine, a not-so-comfy vinyl bench seat and not much else, GMS yanked the powerplant to give the cylinder heads a three-angle valve job and advance the stock cams a tad.
With the motor out, the body was stripped and the custom bodywork began. David Schwartz Sr. and David Schwartz Jr. of Euro Body in Reseda, California, along with J.R. Granatelli, pulled off all the stock panels.