Did they come with mass air systems. No 4x4 on these trucks right
?s about 1st gen Lightnings
- Thread starter Jkstang78
- Start date
No Mass air and no 4X4
Matt95L I see you changed the heads and some other stuff. How well do the computes on these truck adapte to chages. If they don't have mass air I assume you really can't do much to them then. Has anyone ever converted to mass air.
there are a few people running pro-m mass air conversions, but from what i've heard and read, the cost isn't worth what little gains there would be. if you go over to the nloc and do a search there is quite alot of info on this subject.
Yeah mass air will cost you a pretty penny for sure... A lot of people have done wonders with the speed density over on the nloc.
The only reason i'd convert to mass air is for a turbo(because of the part throttle boost).Blower,n2o,and stroker setups will work fine with the stock computer(You'll need a chip or tuner for larger injectors).The stock computer does limit your cam selection,but its not that big of a deal.There are still quite a few cams that'll work with speed density.
Ford Racing sold a mass air kit ( I think it was Pro-M's kit if I recall correctly)
seems like most people I know who spent the money on it didn't really see the gains they should of. most are running the stock speed denisty setup even with lots of mods and power adders. I've seen a few 4X4's and pre-runner gen 1 lightnings but they were all converted not factory.
seems like most people I know who spent the money on it didn't really see the gains they should of. most are running the stock speed denisty setup even with lots of mods and power adders. I've seen a few 4X4's and pre-runner gen 1 lightnings but they were all converted not factory.
Here's a question. IF I was to get a s-trim (or any type of blower for that matter) heads and an aggresive cam (mostly a weekend/track warrior) with all the necessary stuff (bigger injectors, 255 fuel pump, etc.) would it be EASIER to change to mass air? I know there are a lot of guys on the nloc sticking with the speed density and just tuning it with a twEEcer, or some kind of tuner, but I was just wondering if it would be EASIER. One more question, I don't see a lot of guys buying forged pistons and rods over on the nloc, even the really fast guys. Is this because it's not necessary? or because their motors have relatively low miles? BTW my truck will prolly have about 93,500 miles or so by the time I decide to build it up and get a daily driver. Sorry for the long post, I was just curious and didn't want to post this and sound like a dumbass over on the nloc. Thanks-Josh
Soul Rebel said:
Seems like most guys I know that tried mass air didn't seem to be getting the power #'s they should be seeing for thier other mods (heads blowers etc).
I imagine that power is there somewhere but untapped due to trying to sort out the mass air. so from what I've seen it doesn't look like an easier approach. haven't tried myself and not so sure I will now after seeing others results.
The other thing is Mass air sensors are just another thing to fail, they can become fouled with debris. (they have a heated wire inside that measures air volume passing over it.)
When I did tech support for K&N we would get calls from customers mad because the Ford dealer wouldn't cover thier Mass air
due to them having a K&N filter, they claimed the oil from the filter fouled the sensor. yet Ford parts departments that were Motorsport dealers sold K&N's
under a ford part number..only differances were they were in a Ford Motorsport box and the dye in the filter oil was blue instead of red.
turned out they were having issues with thier mass air sensors later on ( a tech bulletin came our way)
the stock pistons are hyperutetic <sp?> seem to hold up pretty well
custom rods are nice but probablly overkill unless you are going to turn some high revs. I used to sell Carrillo and Pauter rods last place I worked and they were about $250.00-$275.00 per rod. ( for an 8 cylinder motor @$250.00 ea that works out to $2,000.00) might be able to buy some Crower or another brand for a little bit less but still pricy. unless you were trying to go with a long rod motor or turn allot of revs probablly better off spending money on other things and see more gains for your cash.
I'd just buy some good ARP rod bolts and have them resized.
If you want maybe have the beams polished & have them shot peened
and balanced.
BTW I bought my Lightning with 96,000 miles and I'm at 127,000 now truck runs great I wouldn't base rebuilding my motor just on mileage..I talked to one NLOC guy I met in Vegas before that used to work for Ford..his statement was look at taxi cabs they get 300,000 miles on some of those engines. I was concerned about putting a blower or turbo on my motor with 96K miles but allot have done it without issues.
If you are questioning the valve guides & seals or rings being worn out
buy or rent a leakdown tester and see. ( a leakdown tester uses compressed air to pressurize the cylinder ) chances are the valve guides/seals typically wear before the rings wear out.
if you want to spend some cash on it instead of 2K in custom rods..invest in some nice Edelbrock or aftermarket heads, oryou might check out Daves stuff @ Pickerel on the NLOC board
he does some pretty sweet blower setups using several different head units
Vortec etc. Instead of wasting money on a mass air & trick rods get one of his setups with a procharger and and intercooler.
I'm on the NLOC too most of the guys there will help you out if you ask..might get a few smartasses but most are willing to help a Lightning brother out..sorry for how lengthy this got
good luck..hope something there helped-Ralph
Ps remember with these trucks they are heavy 4600 lbs or more depending on addons Torque is what launches you, Horsepower is more a factor on top end. if you look at the stock motor spec it was 250 HP & 350 ft lbs torque.
Ford did thier homework.
think about where you will spend most of the time driving it at..(2000-3000 RPM typically )you want to to make power there..for example: if it makes all its power at 5000-6000 rpm it won't be useful or driveable on the street.
you want the thing to have tons of grunt coming out of the hole. so what if it runs out of steam at 5000 rpm if you build a high reving motor you will have to tailor your torque converter in the transmission with a higher stall etc.
(moral think about the whole picture)
Last edited:
Thanks for the post LightningSteed. When I throw a blower on, I'm prolly gonna go with vortech as Dave doesn't make the procharger kits anymore, althoughI did buy my full exhaust from him, maybe he'd be willing to make an exception... j/k I wish. Yeah, I noticed that the hyperereutic (no idea how to spell that either) rods seem to hold up pretty well also, by the sheer number of fast guys sticking with them. My goal is to have a low13, high 12 second truck without juice and able to be daily driven if need be (which it won't) here in Hawaii, which is a lot harder to do than on the mainland (not knocking any of you guys, but our ONE track isn't the greatest, and humidity plays a really big factor) Thanks again-Josh
Soul Rebel said:
oh thats too bad he's not doing that kit anymore SVT150Tim has one on his truck I was impressed by the workmanship of it.he's running 12.9's now stock bottom end with Daves Procharger kit & a banks intercooler.
Does dave do a mount for the vortech still ? his plates are nice & stiff on the blower mount.
I was selling him K&N's awhile back but I don't work at that distributor
anymore so haven't talked to him.
I would think conentrating on the blower and some good heads to make it breathe right would get you where you want to be.
Allot of people have reccomended the Edelbrocks to me
not sure how they compare to the AFR's & Trick Flows.
At least your'e pretty close to sea level, the guys that run LACR here (palmdale CA) is at about 3000 ft altitude.
I gotta think living in Hawaii has to outweigh the downsides
plenty of guys have ventured down this road in the NLOC so might as well learn from thier experiences.
I want a turbo for mine, but don't know of a kit that has CARB emissions exemptions for smog here in CA which can be a hassle. I liked the kit Silver State was doing but not sure about them. I'm guessing smog isn't an issue there being surrounded by ocean.
one thing with a turbo is you aren't using power off the crankshaft to turn it.
Matt95L said:
Disregard this post i bought a Pro-M kit for my truck this winter ;-)
After i hooked up the wideband and saw how bad my A/F ratio was i had too.
Last edited:
Haha! COuldn't resist Matt? :thumbsup: LightningSteed, I really don't think Dave even makes the thicker Vortech brackets anymore, unless you know him pretty well, which sucks for me because I don't really. Yeah, I was looking into some afr 185's prolly and like I was saying an s-trim. I know the paxton kit needs to be modified a little in order for it to work. Thanks again-JoshMatt95L said:
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2001
- Messages
- 58
Josh looks like you talking some big $$% now.I guess you wanna keep up with the Gen 2's at the track. Just remember the stock vortech will only net you 14's at our track. Thats with a lot of belt slippage too. If you're adding heads and cam on top of that thats another story. If you want to learn more you shouldn't be shame to ask the BIG BOYS. Just PM them, they always helped me out and answered all my questions. You should talk to Dennis (Huffentuff) about a vortech on a high miler and stock block. He hasn't popped off a valve cover or removed the smog pump or upgraded anything to the engine's internals and his truck is a monster. He was bored and told me to call him up all the way in New Jersey. He's a nice guy and taught me a lot.
Cool. Thanks a lot Todd, man hope we can meet up at the track when you get better. Yeah, hanging with the gen 2 guys at the track, kinda really makes you feel slow. I just wanna show everyone what a gen 1 can really do; I hate going up to the line and the announcer says, "hey there's the older model Lightning" and when I finish "they're not nearly as fast as the newer ones" Maybe I'll try pm some of the big boys, but I am going to be running a 5.0 HO cam, afr 185's, and an s-trim, hopefully by late next year. (looking for a better job) Still waiting to see and hear your baby in action too.-Josh
Maybe I'll try pm some of the big boys, but I am going to be running a 5.0 HO cam, afr 185's, and an s-trim, hopefully by late next year. (looking for a better job) Still waiting to see and hear your baby in action too.-JoshUsers who are viewing this thread
