e9tac
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February 2009 Gen 1 Truck Of The Month – Congratulations Jim ("wytlytn") Mason (NLOC# 1103).
This month's Gen 1 TOTM hails from the "Tater" State—Idaho. When you see Jim's truck you can instantly tell it is one clean ride, but don't let the good looks fool you, because hiding under the hood is a Garrett GT-4088R Turbo. Not only does this truck look good, but it sure gets there in a hurry too. Thanks for being a part of the Lightning community and congrats on being February's Truck of The Month!
1. What sparked your interest in the Ford Lightning?
I have always been partial to short bed, regular cab, 2wd pick-ups. Like a lot of other guys, I was looking at the 454SS, but here in Idaho the selection wasn’t much. The local Ford dealer brought in two Lightning’s in 1995 but at that time I wasn’t in a position to buy a new truck. In May of 1998 the local Lincoln-Mercury dealer took a white 1995 in trade on a new Navigator. A friend of mine was the used car manager there and he gave me a call. One test drive was all it took and by the end of the day the truck was mine. It was one of the two I had looked at new and it had only 20K on the clock. It was my daily driver for about six months, and then its duty was pulling ski boats to the lake for a couple years. In 2003 it had around 40K on the clock when I installed a Powerdyne blower and I was instantly hooked on boost. In 2007 the truck was in storage while we were building our current house and the Powerdyne lost a bearing so I sold the kit and bought the turbo set-up. I have almost 2500 miles on the turbo and currently the truck has 51K on the clock. It was far from inexpensive but I would do the turbo again in a heartbeat. Unlike most here, my truck will probably never see a ¼ mile track. However, it is a whole bunch of fun on the street and NEVER fails to put a smile on my face when I crack the throttle.
2. Do you have any interesting stories about previously owned vehicles, before becoming a Lightning owner?
Before the Lightning I was deep into 2nd generation Camaro’s. I had owned several Z/28’s and my last Camaro was a 1975 4-spd Rally Sport that I restored from the ground up. It was promptly sold when I bought the Lightning.
3. What modifications have you made to your truck since you have owned it...both show and go?
Show:
AFS 18x9.5 Chrome Alloy rims
Nitto 404 285/50/18 tires
Reflections Steel Cowl Hood
Custom Upper and Lower Billet Grilles
Color Matched Factory Signal Mirrors
Lo-Rider Bed Cover
Summit Roll Pan
Custom Front Bumper
Hidden hitch w/Flip Plate
Complete Alpine Sound System
Bed Rug
Stainless Steel Bed Caps w/Hidden Hooks
SVT White Faced Gauges
Go:
Pickrel Performance Turbo Headers
Garrett GT-4088R Turbocharger
Tial 38mm Wastegate
Tial 50mm BOV
60 lbs Siemens Injectors
MSD AL 6 BTM Ignition
SSTOCK tuned via Tweecer
SSTOCK 2 Pump Kit
Twin 12” Flex-Lite Electric fans
JDM Intercooler
Innovative XD-16+ Wide-Band
Detroit Locker Rear End
AEM Electronic Boost Controller
Factory Tech Valve Body
Warlbo 392 Fuel Pump
Custom Single mandrel bent 4”Exhaust
Color Matched Rancho Torque Arms
4. Do you have any interesting stories about your Lightning?
Having owned the Lightning for almost eleven years I have a ton of stories. Probably the most memorable was a few years back my wife and I drove to Boise and hooked up with some of the WashLO folks who were on their way to Lightning Fest. We met at Performance Solutions, Inc. and it was great to meet Matt and tour his shop. After taking a few pictures and leaving Boise, we got to play tour guide and lead a Lightning procession for a couple of hours as we made our way home.
5. Tell us about yourself, your hobbies, business or work, sports, family, etc.
I am married to a very lovely and understanding lady who still lets me play with toys. I have two beautiful daughters and a very handsome grandson that is just a few days old. I work for an electrical utility as a customer representative in Twin Falls, Ketchum, and Sun Valley, Idaho. My main job function is to market demand side management (energy conservation) to commercial and industrial customers. My wife and I also build a new home every couple of years. We do our own design, electrical, paint, and landscaping. With any luck we will be building number six this year.
6. How long have you been a user of the NLOC.net, when did you become an NLOC member, and why did you choose to become a member of NLOC?
I have been a member here since 2000 but I have been on board with the predecessors since the day I bought my truck in 1998. I became a member to learn from other’s experience.
7. What suggestions do you have to make the NLOC.net website easier to use and navigate?
I don’t have any suggestions for improvement. I have been on other boards and this one is simply the best for me.
8. Why did you pick your board user name (screen name)?
This one is kind of funny but I really don’t like wytlytn. I used it by default when I first registered because I couldn’t think of a name that wasn’t already taken and I have just stuck with it.
9. What are your plans for future changes to your truck?
I have to be careful here because I know my wife will read this. I’ll just go with the top three on the list; a built block from PSI (I’ll be calling soon Matt), aluminum heads, and a fine tune from SSTOCK.
10. Whom would you like to thank for help\donations\support for putting the truck together??
My wife is at the top of this list, right above NLOC. Thanks also go to FMOS (Jeff) for being a pioneer by taking his truck to Silver State in Las Vegas and starting the Gen 1 turbo fever, Icepick (Dave P) for making a quality turbo kit that let me keep the A/C. Also, thanks to SSTOCK (Steve) for his advice and making it run so well with speed density. Last but not least, special thanks to Kevin, Jason, and the crew at Blue Lakes Automotive here in Twin Falls for putting all the pieces together.
Congratulations to Jim and his 1995 White Gen 1 Truck of the Month, February 2009!
This month's Gen 1 TOTM hails from the "Tater" State—Idaho. When you see Jim's truck you can instantly tell it is one clean ride, but don't let the good looks fool you, because hiding under the hood is a Garrett GT-4088R Turbo. Not only does this truck look good, but it sure gets there in a hurry too. Thanks for being a part of the Lightning community and congrats on being February's Truck of The Month!
1. What sparked your interest in the Ford Lightning?
I have always been partial to short bed, regular cab, 2wd pick-ups. Like a lot of other guys, I was looking at the 454SS, but here in Idaho the selection wasn’t much. The local Ford dealer brought in two Lightning’s in 1995 but at that time I wasn’t in a position to buy a new truck. In May of 1998 the local Lincoln-Mercury dealer took a white 1995 in trade on a new Navigator. A friend of mine was the used car manager there and he gave me a call. One test drive was all it took and by the end of the day the truck was mine. It was one of the two I had looked at new and it had only 20K on the clock. It was my daily driver for about six months, and then its duty was pulling ski boats to the lake for a couple years. In 2003 it had around 40K on the clock when I installed a Powerdyne blower and I was instantly hooked on boost. In 2007 the truck was in storage while we were building our current house and the Powerdyne lost a bearing so I sold the kit and bought the turbo set-up. I have almost 2500 miles on the turbo and currently the truck has 51K on the clock. It was far from inexpensive but I would do the turbo again in a heartbeat. Unlike most here, my truck will probably never see a ¼ mile track. However, it is a whole bunch of fun on the street and NEVER fails to put a smile on my face when I crack the throttle.
2. Do you have any interesting stories about previously owned vehicles, before becoming a Lightning owner?
Before the Lightning I was deep into 2nd generation Camaro’s. I had owned several Z/28’s and my last Camaro was a 1975 4-spd Rally Sport that I restored from the ground up. It was promptly sold when I bought the Lightning.
3. What modifications have you made to your truck since you have owned it...both show and go?
Show:
AFS 18x9.5 Chrome Alloy rims
Nitto 404 285/50/18 tires
Reflections Steel Cowl Hood
Custom Upper and Lower Billet Grilles
Color Matched Factory Signal Mirrors
Lo-Rider Bed Cover
Summit Roll Pan
Custom Front Bumper
Hidden hitch w/Flip Plate
Complete Alpine Sound System
Bed Rug
Stainless Steel Bed Caps w/Hidden Hooks
SVT White Faced Gauges
Go:
Pickrel Performance Turbo Headers
Garrett GT-4088R Turbocharger
Tial 38mm Wastegate
Tial 50mm BOV
60 lbs Siemens Injectors
MSD AL 6 BTM Ignition
SSTOCK tuned via Tweecer
SSTOCK 2 Pump Kit
Twin 12” Flex-Lite Electric fans
JDM Intercooler
Innovative XD-16+ Wide-Band
Detroit Locker Rear End
AEM Electronic Boost Controller
Factory Tech Valve Body
Warlbo 392 Fuel Pump
Custom Single mandrel bent 4”Exhaust
Color Matched Rancho Torque Arms
4. Do you have any interesting stories about your Lightning?
Having owned the Lightning for almost eleven years I have a ton of stories. Probably the most memorable was a few years back my wife and I drove to Boise and hooked up with some of the WashLO folks who were on their way to Lightning Fest. We met at Performance Solutions, Inc. and it was great to meet Matt and tour his shop. After taking a few pictures and leaving Boise, we got to play tour guide and lead a Lightning procession for a couple of hours as we made our way home.
5. Tell us about yourself, your hobbies, business or work, sports, family, etc.
I am married to a very lovely and understanding lady who still lets me play with toys. I have two beautiful daughters and a very handsome grandson that is just a few days old. I work for an electrical utility as a customer representative in Twin Falls, Ketchum, and Sun Valley, Idaho. My main job function is to market demand side management (energy conservation) to commercial and industrial customers. My wife and I also build a new home every couple of years. We do our own design, electrical, paint, and landscaping. With any luck we will be building number six this year.
6. How long have you been a user of the NLOC.net, when did you become an NLOC member, and why did you choose to become a member of NLOC?
I have been a member here since 2000 but I have been on board with the predecessors since the day I bought my truck in 1998. I became a member to learn from other’s experience.
7. What suggestions do you have to make the NLOC.net website easier to use and navigate?
I don’t have any suggestions for improvement. I have been on other boards and this one is simply the best for me.
8. Why did you pick your board user name (screen name)?
This one is kind of funny but I really don’t like wytlytn. I used it by default when I first registered because I couldn’t think of a name that wasn’t already taken and I have just stuck with it.
9. What are your plans for future changes to your truck?
I have to be careful here because I know my wife will read this. I’ll just go with the top three on the list; a built block from PSI (I’ll be calling soon Matt), aluminum heads, and a fine tune from SSTOCK.
10. Whom would you like to thank for help\donations\support for putting the truck together??
My wife is at the top of this list, right above NLOC. Thanks also go to FMOS (Jeff) for being a pioneer by taking his truck to Silver State in Las Vegas and starting the Gen 1 turbo fever, Icepick (Dave P) for making a quality turbo kit that let me keep the A/C. Also, thanks to SSTOCK (Steve) for his advice and making it run so well with speed density. Last but not least, special thanks to Kevin, Jason, and the crew at Blue Lakes Automotive here in Twin Falls for putting all the pieces together.
Congratulations to Jim and his 1995 White Gen 1 Truck of the Month, February 2009!
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