Literally Lightning

SVT Lightning enthusiast Darren Pellechia of Cedar Park, Texas, built his ’02 Ford SVT Lightning F-150 so that he could show it and boot it along, as enthusiasts will do from time to time. Of course, the genuine Lightning mural treatments are the most obvious things you notice first about Pellechia’s F-150. The Custom Crafters Lightning silver paint and Von Otto Lightning murals adorning the truck are certainly attention getters, but there’s a lot more to it than that.

As Pellechia says, The truck was supposed to be a daily driver, and my 1997 F-150 Super Cab that I had already started was supposed to be my show truck. Then one day my wife, Lynn, said to me, Why don’t we turn the Lightning into a show truck instead? After all, they’re far more popular. I said now I have to start all over again!

So began the transformation from factory wild to really wild. Although the Lightning F-150’s suspension is already an awesome piece of engineering straight from the factory, Pellechia fine-tuned it with the addition of a pair of Eibach Sport 1-1/2-inch-lower front springs and Bilstein gas-charged front struts. Out back, the F-150 also features a Belltech 2-inch-lowered shackle kit, Bilstein gas-charged shocks and Cal-Trac traction bars.

Pellechia also updated the Lightning’s 5.4-liter Eaton-supercharged mod motor with a set of Power Surge billet-aluminum engine pulleys, a K&N-filtered Accufab 75mm throttle body, and a combination PSP and Nitrous Express 75hp Express Shot nitrous system. Other engine upgrades include an LFP electric cooling fan and, of course, lots of engine compartment detailing. Backing it up is an Art Carr-prepared Ford AODE featuring an Art Carr 2,500-rpm stall-speed torque converter.

Of course, the SVT lightning is already known for its good looks; but Pellechia made it look even better with custom upgrades such as a smoothed tailgate, a rolled rear pan and APC clear taillights. He also filled in the windshield washer holes and replaced all the badging with airbrush painting. The mural on the bed cover features an AC-130 Spectre jet fighter, along with the Lightning logo, Pellechia said. In fact, lightning bolts and other sundry forms of awesome art can be found throughout the entire machine.

Inside Pellechia’s Lightning you’ll find even more Von Otto murals, along with the factory gray and black suede upholstery. Interior upgrades include an Alpine 1VA-D900 DVD with 7-inch screen, Infinity two-way 5×7 front speakers, MB Quartz 6-1/2-inch two-way rear speakers, a Crossfire five-channel amplifier, two 10-inch JBL subwoofers, Auto Meter Phantom fuel pressure and transmission temperature gauges, billet-aluminum gas and brake pedals and billet interior knobs and controllers.

Pellechia is a member of the Austin Lightning Owners Club (ALOC) and the Houston Area Lightning Owners club, as well as the National Lightning Owners Association. ‘Probably my proudest achievement to date was winning first place back to back at both the first and second annual All Lightning Fest, held at Heartland Raceway in Topeka, Kansas, as well winning first place at the 2004 Houston Autorama and first place at the 2005 Waco Autorama. Yeah, howdy, we’d say that’s quite an accomplishment for a project that was never supposed to happen.