Checking all of the boxes for any enthusiast, let alone Ford SVT Lightning fans, is Jason Newman’s 1993 Ford SVT Lightning. With its Coyote engine swap, twin turbochargers feeding it boost, and a TREMEC stick-shift behind it all, this Lightning has been brought up to current performance standards and then some.
Hailing from Fleming Island, Florida, Jason Newman is no stranger to SVT Lightning trucks. Engaged in exciting endeavors with Navy aircraft as a civilian in the Department of Defense during the day, Newman dedicates much of his downtime to turning wrenches on the 5 Gen 1s and pair of Gen 2s that he has owned over the years. About 4 years ago, progress stalled on the 2001 Lightning he has owned for over 20 years after he decided to transition away from the drag-focused build and return to a street-oriented approach with it.
“I was sort of looking,” Newman said of the Gen 1 trucks he would soon purchase. “I had just bought a red ’95 that had a blown motor and was going to build that one out. It had some rust and rot, and was going to require a lot more bodywork. Then I came across these two trucks locally. The ad was very poor, and I almost didn’t call about it. I let it sit for about a week, and found out it was legit, so I bought both.”
A Bit of Nostalgia
“My first Lightning when I enlisted was a red ’95, and it was stolen and totaled,” he explained. Both of the trucks in the deal, one red and one black, were ’93 models. The red one was a rolling chassis, while the black one needed a few small fixes to get it back up and running. Newman sold the latter to a good friend and began work on the red one in February of 2022.
“With it being a rolling chassis, I knew I wanted to Coyote swap it, and I wanted it to be a manual truck,” Newman said of his plans for the remaining red Lightning. The first order of business was to find a suitable drivetrain, and Newman sought a package deal. He found an engine and transmission combination from a 2013 Mustang GT, and the best part was that it not only included the 5.0-liter Coyote engine he was looking for, but also came with a twin-turbo system and a stout TREMEC six-speed manual transmission.”
“I originally wanted a positive displacement blower on a Coyote, but the transmission alone was worth close to what I paid for the entire package,” Newman told us.
Performance Packed Pickup
“For that truck, Fat Fender Garage makes a crossmember bracing kit because you have to cut…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at DragzineDragzine…