1969 Ford F100 / 2002 Ford Lightning "Thunder's Truck"

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After running all the wires through the passenger side fender well, we decided to protect them with a custom inner fender splash shield. The original Ford design did not have a protective panel in this area, but they also did not have Electronics installed inside the fender.







We mounted a series of reservoirs next to the radiator including coolant overflow and supercharger coolant.



The customer wanted a new steering wheel, but we all liked the look of the original style wood wheel. One trick we've learned is to clear coat the original style wheel with automotive clear. This provides a very comfortable wheel with long-lasting polyurethane clear protection.

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At this point, we installed an Odyssey Battery, added fluids and fuel, and started the truck. It had an issue because the original Ford ECM was looking for the factory dashboard assembly as part of the security system and would not activate the fuel pump. However, our friends at GRC Performance reflashed the ECM and removed the security function. After that, the truck fired right up! We actually took it for a few test drives and it drove like a 2002 lightning. It was a success!

Next, the tasks turned to the aesthetics. The goal was to restore the 2002 chassis, engine, and suspension to a new appearance, tidy up the underhood and floors on the cab, but not do any paint work to the outside of the cab or bed. We also wanted to paint all of our new bracket tree that we had made for the conversion. Apart it comes!

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We had sent many of the parts of up to the media blaster, which revealed some areas that required repair.







We did not want to disassemble every single piece, so the supercharger and engine would be cleaned and detailed as assemblies.

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Next, many paint booth loads of parts would be cleaned, hung on racks, masked, and painted with the appropriate coatings. Most parts received black epoxy and then a black Imron industrial coating.

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The chassis was also media blasted and coated with Axalta epoxy and Imron satin black paint.

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With the cab off the frame, it was easier to access some of the areas that required metal finishing. These included filling unused holes on the firewall and finishing off the rear cut-out over the frame rails.







The finished firewall was primed and painted with Imron satin black.

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Once the chassis parts were cured, the crew then began the reassembly of all the chassis and suspension components. We installed a new set of Bilstein shock absorbers, new brake rotors and pads, new suspension bushings where they were needed, and made the chassis a roller once again.





The chassis almost looks square with the wheels and tires bolted on!









The bottom of the cab was stripped clean, and treated to our epoxy and Imron coating process. Then, it was coated with 3M Body Protection coating to reduce noise and prevent stone chips.

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Inside the cab, the crew scuffed the old paint and repaired metal were necessary. After seam sealing, the interior black surfaces were all restored with new satin black paint.



The gray is a high-solids primer sprayed on the areas to be block-sanded smooth.

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After the inside was sanded and painted black, the cab went back on the frame for the last time.







The engine was in excellent condition, so the crew merely degreased it and did some minor disassembly for better paint application.