Up next F-100 TAKEOVER TOUR It’s about time someone told those C10 guys who’s boss Published on June 20, 2023 Author Jon Hansen Tags custom ford lightning, custom svt lightning, f150 lightning bumper, ford lightning, ford lightning 4 link suspension, ford lightning custom, ford lightning custom interior, ford lightning lifted, lifted ford lightning, svt lightning, Share article Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Mail 0 Ride The Lightning | Joel Buchanan’s 2002 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning Joel Buchanan’s 2002 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning THERE COMES A TIME IN ALMOST EVERY MAN’S LIFE WHEN HE CHOOSES TO SETTLE DOWN WITH THE ONE WOMAN HE REALLY CARES ABOUT, LEAVING EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE PAST. When Joel Buchanan of Jacksonville, Illinois, hit this point in life, it was game over. Yet, when something ends, something else always begins, and that’s where Joel’s F-150 comes into play. Just a few weeks before getting married, he purchased the truck from a local Ford dealer, 1 of only 4,726 Ford produced that year. The truck, an ’02 F-150 SVT Lightning, was nicely optioned from the get-go, but Joel could not leave the SVT alone. What started as small mods began to snowball into larger scale changes, which led to where the truck, appropriately named Game Over, sits today. From stereo upgrades to static drops and wheel changes, the Ford went through many iterations during the ensuing years. Once Joel realized that he needed to give in to the mod bug completely, he didn’t hesitate. Starting with the suspension, he and the FH Customs crew began putting together his ideal kits. Using a cantilever system combined with a parallel 4-link setup, the team assembled the rear of the F-150 to function well with the Belltech drop spindles and Airlift setup they’d mounted up front. They also narrowed the rearend 2 inches to allow perfect fitment of the aggressive wheels that would soon call this truck home. Powered by a 500-hp Whipple-supercharged V-8, no thin, weak wheels could be considered. After much debate, Joel chose a set of staggered Raceline Majestic wheels, custom brushed with red accents.Subscribe to our weekly newsletter With the suspension wrapped up, the rest of the modifications began. Starting with a 2.5-inch steel cowl hood, billet grille and custom lights all around, the Lightning was starting to really take shape. Paint was one of the two things Joel let someone else do for him. Being very particular about who was cut out for the job, Joel chose Jeff Schroeder of Attitude Custom Airbrushing and Paint. Laying out the Galaxy Gray and Brandywine Kandy from House of Kolor, Jeff tied in the red accents on the wheels, adding skulls to the graphics by hand. Those same colors were draped over the guts of the truck’s micro-suede interior too. A large Memphis stereo setup was organized to make sure the Bassani exhaust wasn’t the only thing Joel heard when cruising. With endless hours of custom fiberglass work, along with an amp rack and a unique pod setup under the tonneau cover, Game Over is a force to be reckoned with whether parked or on the move. Joel Buchanan picked the perfect time to settle down. With his wife by his side, the two now have the perfect ride in which to cruise off into the sunset. ST THE HAND-LAID GRAPHICS AND STRIPING PERFECTLY ACCENT THE PAINT. THIS CUSTOM SWITCH SETUP IS SO CLEAN IT LOOKS LIKE A FACTORY OPTION. THERE’S NOTHING SUBTLE ABOUT THE POWER THIS TRUCK PACKS UNDER ITS HOOD. IN CASE THE CAB DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH SOUND, THERE ARE MORE CUSTOM ENCLOSURES IN THE BED. [divider]TRUCK SPECES[/divider] OWNER Joel Buchanan 2002 Ford F150 SVT Lightning Jacksonville, IL ENGINE Shop: FH Customs, Joel Buchanan Ford 5.4L supercharged V-8 Meziere electric water pump Motor City 200-amp alternator LFP electric deluxe cooling fan kit Ported and polished lower manifold and mid-plate Polished throttle body Custom 4.5 aluminum intake pipe and oval K&N filter 3.4L Whipple polished supercharger with 15 psi Valve covers painted to match Magnum Powers polished idler bridge Metco pulleys 2002 Ford 4R100 automatic transmission Aluminum driveshaft Bassani exhaust Rearend narrowed 2 inches on each side Moser axles 3.73 gear ratio Billet diff cover CHASSIS & SUSPENSION Shop: FH Customs, Joel Buchanan KP Components front ’bag cups and Air Lift Dominator 2500 ’bags RideTech front shocks and relocation kit Modified stock control arms Belltech 2-inch drop spindles KP Components rear cantilever system with parallel 4-link, pan-hard bar and shocks Air Lift Dominator 2500 ’bags Wilwood rear disc brakes WHEELS & TIRES 22×8.5 and 22×12 Raceline Majestic with brushed finish and red powdercoated accents 255/35R22 and 335/25R22 Pirelli Scorpion Zero BODY & PAINT Shop: FH Customs, Joel Buchanan Stylin’ Concepts 2.5-inch steel cowl hood Billet grille SVT Lightning front bumper Bedrug bed floor Clear taillights Century tonneau bed cover Depo projectors headlights Brushed aluminum gas filler House of Kolor Galaxy Gray and Brandywine Kandy Hand airbrushed and pinstriped Shop: Attitude Custom Airbrushing and Paint, Jeff Schroeder INTERIOR & STEREO Shop: Custom Upholstery, Mike McKean and FH Customs, Joel Buchanan (stereo) Micro-suede and ruby metallic Cut-down passenger seat Matching ruby headliner Brushed aluminum dashboard overlays Auto Meter Pro Comp Ultra Lite gauges Raceline Imperial steering wheel brushed and painted to match 2003 Harley F-150 inner door handles Custom switch panel by Chris Conrad (the12fast4u) Wide top Ford Expedition console Custom hand-laid fiberglass kick panels and subwoofer enclosure painted to match Custom hand-laid fiberglass subwoofer enclosure and linearactuated amp rack in bed Fiberglass pod attached to the underside of the tonneau cover housing the Memphis 6.5s Kenwood double-DIN head unit Memphis wiring Memphis M Class components Memphis Power Reference 10-inch subwoofers Memphis MClass fivechannel amplifier Optima Red-Top battery §§ Dynamat Xtreme sound deadener Custom fiberglass enclosures
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