The Generation One Ford F-150 Lightning (produced from ‘93-‘95) was always considered an underdog when compared to the second generation (‘99-‘04) Lightning F-150s. While the ‘93-‘95 Lightning was no slouch in the power department, it fell far short of what its supercharged big brother produced. Having been a part of the Lightning enthusiast crowd for quite some time, the first generation Lightning owners are always trying to show the Gen 2 guys what they can do.
Chip Clark's ‘93 Lightning is one of the finest examples of a high performance Gen 1.
Photos courtesy of NLOC.
So, what makes this truck so extraordinary? Well, Clark didn’t buy the truck with the intention of it becoming one of the meanest Lightnings on the road. It was bought with the intention of just being a stock tow truck, but eventually the performance enthusiast within him took over.
It started out with a simple cylinder head and camshaft upgrade to the stock 351 Windsor, then evolved into much more. The initial combo included a set of
AFR heads, a
Trickflow Stage 2 Camshaft, as well as the supporting modifications (such as a mass air conversion and upgraded transmission). However, that only held Clark over for so long, then it was time for more power via forced induction. He went over the whole driveline, upgrading to a TKO 5-speed transmission and adding on the
Vortech S-trim centrifugal supercharger.
The final result? A tire shredding 550 rwhp and 570 rwtq. Chip also built the custom longtube headers, full 3” exhaust, and the complete fuel system himself. The truck hasn’t seen the ¼ mile in its current configuration yet, but based on estimations and ¼ mile calculators, this truck should be well into the 11-second range. Clark isn’t done yet - he is still planning on more modifications in the future, including a frame-off restoration, a twin disk clutch, and upgraded bell housing.
This is one Gen 1 Lightning that was built the right way. It has Gen 1 styling, with power that could romp on the stock Gen 2 Lightnings all day long. This is one of my personal favorite lightning builds of all time. Congrats, on a job well done!
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