Extensive attention was paid to the interior where Eric added gauges, an Alpine stereo system, and a host of other custom touches.
The puny powdered rods broke apart and the engine finally let go after 27,000 miles of fun and many runs with the juice. It was a golden opportunity for Eric to have Mark Biddle and Adam Day of Panhandle Performance build a bulletproof engine that could endure boost and nitrous-no matter how much of it was crammed into the 5.4L engine.
A stock Lightning block was bored, and a set of custom CP pistons (8.5:1 compression) was dropped in. The forged pistons were attached to the extremely popular Manley steel rods, which are stronger and lighter than the factory pieces. The steel crankshaft is held in place with the stock main caps, and a Melling oil pump was added to lubricate the modular engine properly. Day and Biddle gave the factory aluminum cylinder heads a Stage III port job and added larger intake and exhaust valves from Ferrea. Custom camshafts from Comp Cams were installed on top of the cylinder heads.
A Whipple/Ford Racing W140AX 2.3L supercharger is mounted on the factory lower intake manifold (which was port-matched to the heads) and intercooler. The Metco pulleys spin the twin-screw blower hard enough to produce 19 psi of boost. Air is sucked into the blower via an Accufab single-blade throttle body, an SCT BA2800 MAF sensor, and a huge K&N air filter. Adding fuel to the engine are twin Walbro 255-lph fuel pumps and 60-pound fuel injectors. A custom flip-chip from Sniper was programmed by the speed demons at Panhandle Performance. Installation of the massive engine into the truck's engine bay was done with help from Jud Stansell.
Other go-fast goodies that enable this 5.4L to hunt and kill Cobras are a heat exchanger from Lightning Force Performance and a hit of nitrous. The LFP heat exchanger dropped the intercooler water temperature by around 35 degrees and has larger capacity lines. Preventing heat soak is important for chance encounters with the enemy while cruising around on the streets. If the 19 psi of boost isn't enough to get the job done, then Eric can easily turn on the NOS kit and add 75 hp at the hit of a button. All said and done, this Lightning throws out 612 rwhp and 650 rwtq sans nitrous. A whiff of laughing gas jumps the peak power output to 677 rwhp and 698 rwtq. Brian Plemons of Precision Metal Polishing and Machining went crazy under the hood to give it the bling Eric desired. Keeping it clean isn't a problem since Eric owns a detailing shop.
An Expedition upper console adorns the Lightning's headliner. The climate controls were moved up top to make room for a TV/DVD player in the dashboard.
The truck rolls lower to the ground, thanks to the aforementioned Belltech lowering kit, aided by a set of Johnny Lightning Performance chrome traction bars, Belltech shackles and hangers, a pair of Strange 10-way adjustable rear shocks, and QA1 adjustable shocks up front. The stock 9.75-inch rearend has been enhanced with a Detroit True-Trac differential and 4.10 gears. A Lentech 2,800-rpm-stall torque converter sits in front of the factory transmission, though a BTS transmission is scheduled to be in the truck by the time you read this. Eric also added an aluminum driveshaft to the driveline.
Eric knew he had the performance end of his Lightning covered with the excessive modifications. It was time to turn his attention to the interior of his potent pickup. Longtime-friend Dave Legra was commissioned to perform the makeover, and as usual, Eric wanted to push the upgrades to the limit.
After consulting many other owners on SVTPerformance.com, the decision was made to add an Expedition overhead console. The climate-control knobs were moved to a new panel to make room for a TV/DVD player on the dashboard. The center pocket on the center console was converted to a switch panel for nitrous activation as well as other accessories.
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Towing or racing, Eric Gulas' '01 Lightning was built to knock the '03-'04 Cobras from the SVT throne. |  |