Skritch
Moderator
July 2010 Truck Of The Month – Congratulations Cort (lightning02001) Schmidt ! (NLOC #2791)
The Sunshine State of Florida is home to this month’s Truck of the Month. While the truck spends it time in Orlando the owner finds himself mostly in Saudi Arabia. When Cort does get back home to Florida it makes the Lightning that much more enjoyable to both drive and wrench on, forever making improvements to his ride to reflect his vision of the Lightning. Very interesting is how he came to own this truck and the pristine condition it was in when he purchased it. Cort also talks of the importance of family and how they have looked after his Lightning while he is overseas even managing to snag a few trophies on his behalf !
Read on to learn more about Cort and his Lightning then join in the congratulations to Cort Schmidt !
1. What sparked your interest in the Ford Lightning?
I've grown up a Ford fan but mainly Mustangs until I saw the Gen 2 Lightning come out. I instantly fell in love with the whole concept, but at the time I couldn't afford one. I remember going up to the Ford dealer every chance I got just to get a look at one and I knew someday I would have one. I just had to be patient.
2. Do you have any interesting stories about owned vehicles, before becoming a Lightning owner?
The only other interesting story I have is about my very first car. I was a high school student and my folks wanted me to learn the value of money. I saved up $800 and bought a 1988 Honda Civic hatchback from a neighbor. It didn't run so my Dad and I had to push it down the street to the house where I eventually got it running. I definitely learned the value of money and a few other things along the way.
3. What modifications have you made to your truck since you have owned it...both show and go?
Since I have lived overseas almost the entire time I’ve owned the truck, I only have a few weeks out of the year to work on it so it’s still definitely a work in progress, but I think I’m off to a pretty good start…
Show Mods:
Cervini's ram air hood with washer nozzle delete
Upper and lower billet grills
Ventvisors
15% tint
3 train horns
Carbon Fiber dash and interior
Carpeted low-profile tonneau cover
Bed Rug with custom Lightning logo
20" SVT replica wheels
Powder coated brakes
Lowered 2” front, 4” rear
Viper Alarm w/ Remote Start and train horn alarm
Full Alpine stereo with 7” touchscreen flip out, navigation, iphone hookup, 10” type R sub,
floating amp rack and backup camera.
Hidden hitch
Go Mods:
3 gauge pillar with custom Speedhut Revolution nitrous pressure gauge, fuel pressure gauge,
Dynotune Nitrous Control Center, line lock status light, fan override switch, and line lock
momentary switch.
Steering column pod with Aeroforce Interceptor gauge
Hurst Line Lock
LFP 4# lower pulley
C&L true flow plenum
Airaid CAI
Bassani exhaust with high flow cats
LFP electric fan
NGK TR6 spark plugs
NX wet nitrous system with purge, remote bottle opener and bottle warmer.
VMP tuned with boost bypass and EGR shutoff.
Nitto drag 305 drag radials on the Stock 18” wheels
Optima yellowtop battery
4. Do you have any interesting stories about your Lightning?
I do actually. When I used to work as a mechanic at a Chevy dealership in 2005, an 85 year old man traded in the Lightning to buy an SSR…yeah I couldn’t figure it out either but I wasn’t going to complain. I actually had to do the used car inspection on the truck and when I saw it was a Lightning I couldn’t believe it! My time had finally come! I was worried when I first went to look at it that it would have been in bad shape but it was immaculate! Not even a scratch in the bed and it only had 29,000 miles on it and it was 4 years old already. The best part about it was that because I was an employee at the dealer, I only paid $750 over what they gave him for trade-in, and you know how low those can be. Ever since the day I took it home I have loved this truck and it’s never worn off! The truck is now 9 years old and still only has 40,000 miles on it.
5. Tell us about yourself, your hobbies, business or work, sports, family, etc.
Well, I currently live and work in Saudi Arabia as a field engineer for a well-known defense contractor maintaining and operating Tank simulation equipment. When I’m not working I take my quad and four wheeler out to the desert and just ride for miles. The desert scenery can be pretty amazing. I’ve also recently just gotten into scuba diving since I live very close to the Red Sea and diving here is amazing!! I am the youngest in the family with 2 older sisters. I’ve got a great family and awesome friends! When I come home for vacation, I love going on car cruises or to SCCA races with my Roush Mustang or taking out my Big Dog chopper for a day of riding. And of course taking the Lightning to the drag strip. I definitely have fuel running through my veins needless to say. Cars are a huge part of my life. Working on them is very therapeutic to me and driving them is even that much better!
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 became a member back in 2008. I came across the site when I needed to get some info on some mods I was planning and just recently became a paid member due to all the great info and help I’ve gotten.
7. What suggestions do you have to make the NLOC.net website easier to use and navigate?
The site is so well established now that I think all the needed changes have been implemented already. Definitely a lot of good info on here!
8. Why did you pick your board user name (screen name)?
Really straight forward. Just the year and make.
9. What are your plans for future changes to your truck?
I’ve actually got pretty big plans for it when I come home from assignment soon. I plan on building a bullet proof block and hopefully installing it while the current motor is still in good running shape. Every mod I have done to my truck so far can all be easily reversed for value purposes. No drilling into anything has been a big part of all I have done. These trucks are modded so much nowadays that it is hard to find a near original one. I definitely have the mod bug but have always kept in the back of my mind that I need to keep the ability of returning it back to factory many years down the road from now. This is why I want to keep the original motor in good shape. As far as other additions to the new motor, I plan to do pretty much everything you can think of under the hood and the suspension. The exterior is pretty much done now
10. Whom would you like to thank for help\donations\support for putting the truck together?
Most of the work I have done myself but I would like to thank Stephen Paul, owner of Next Level Inc. for helping out in some of the areas such as trim that I just was never good at and Justin Starkey, owner of VMP tuning for setting me up with an awesome setup! I would also like to thank a couple of my close buddies Gerald Badoz, Matt McCoy, Gabriel Boggs, Chris Caruso and John Dunning for being around to lend a hand or to just keep me company while I worked on the truck. Most importantly I’d like to thank my mother Robin, my father Keith and my sister Kacey, for taking care of it while I am overseas. They have been a HUGE help by keeping it clean and covered, starting it up and driving it while I’m gone and also taking it to car shows where it has done very well. My family is second to none and I really appreciate all their help!!
Congratulations to Cort and his 2001 Silver Ford Lightning for Truck of the Month, July 2010 !
The Sunshine State of Florida is home to this month’s Truck of the Month. While the truck spends it time in Orlando the owner finds himself mostly in Saudi Arabia. When Cort does get back home to Florida it makes the Lightning that much more enjoyable to both drive and wrench on, forever making improvements to his ride to reflect his vision of the Lightning. Very interesting is how he came to own this truck and the pristine condition it was in when he purchased it. Cort also talks of the importance of family and how they have looked after his Lightning while he is overseas even managing to snag a few trophies on his behalf !
Read on to learn more about Cort and his Lightning then join in the congratulations to Cort Schmidt !
1. What sparked your interest in the Ford Lightning?
I've grown up a Ford fan but mainly Mustangs until I saw the Gen 2 Lightning come out. I instantly fell in love with the whole concept, but at the time I couldn't afford one. I remember going up to the Ford dealer every chance I got just to get a look at one and I knew someday I would have one. I just had to be patient.
2. Do you have any interesting stories about owned vehicles, before becoming a Lightning owner?
The only other interesting story I have is about my very first car. I was a high school student and my folks wanted me to learn the value of money. I saved up $800 and bought a 1988 Honda Civic hatchback from a neighbor. It didn't run so my Dad and I had to push it down the street to the house where I eventually got it running. I definitely learned the value of money and a few other things along the way.
3. What modifications have you made to your truck since you have owned it...both show and go?
Since I have lived overseas almost the entire time I’ve owned the truck, I only have a few weeks out of the year to work on it so it’s still definitely a work in progress, but I think I’m off to a pretty good start…
Show Mods:
Cervini's ram air hood with washer nozzle delete
Upper and lower billet grills
Ventvisors
15% tint
3 train horns
Carbon Fiber dash and interior
Carpeted low-profile tonneau cover
Bed Rug with custom Lightning logo
20" SVT replica wheels
Powder coated brakes
Lowered 2” front, 4” rear
Viper Alarm w/ Remote Start and train horn alarm
Full Alpine stereo with 7” touchscreen flip out, navigation, iphone hookup, 10” type R sub,
floating amp rack and backup camera.
Hidden hitch
Go Mods:
3 gauge pillar with custom Speedhut Revolution nitrous pressure gauge, fuel pressure gauge,
Dynotune Nitrous Control Center, line lock status light, fan override switch, and line lock
momentary switch.
Steering column pod with Aeroforce Interceptor gauge
Hurst Line Lock
LFP 4# lower pulley
C&L true flow plenum
Airaid CAI
Bassani exhaust with high flow cats
LFP electric fan
NGK TR6 spark plugs
NX wet nitrous system with purge, remote bottle opener and bottle warmer.
VMP tuned with boost bypass and EGR shutoff.
Nitto drag 305 drag radials on the Stock 18” wheels
Optima yellowtop battery
4. Do you have any interesting stories about your Lightning?
I do actually. When I used to work as a mechanic at a Chevy dealership in 2005, an 85 year old man traded in the Lightning to buy an SSR…yeah I couldn’t figure it out either but I wasn’t going to complain. I actually had to do the used car inspection on the truck and when I saw it was a Lightning I couldn’t believe it! My time had finally come! I was worried when I first went to look at it that it would have been in bad shape but it was immaculate! Not even a scratch in the bed and it only had 29,000 miles on it and it was 4 years old already. The best part about it was that because I was an employee at the dealer, I only paid $750 over what they gave him for trade-in, and you know how low those can be. Ever since the day I took it home I have loved this truck and it’s never worn off! The truck is now 9 years old and still only has 40,000 miles on it.
5. Tell us about yourself, your hobbies, business or work, sports, family, etc.
Well, I currently live and work in Saudi Arabia as a field engineer for a well-known defense contractor maintaining and operating Tank simulation equipment. When I’m not working I take my quad and four wheeler out to the desert and just ride for miles. The desert scenery can be pretty amazing. I’ve also recently just gotten into scuba diving since I live very close to the Red Sea and diving here is amazing!! I am the youngest in the family with 2 older sisters. I’ve got a great family and awesome friends! When I come home for vacation, I love going on car cruises or to SCCA races with my Roush Mustang or taking out my Big Dog chopper for a day of riding. And of course taking the Lightning to the drag strip. I definitely have fuel running through my veins needless to say. Cars are a huge part of my life. Working on them is very therapeutic to me and driving them is even that much better!
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 became a member back in 2008. I came across the site when I needed to get some info on some mods I was planning and just recently became a paid member due to all the great info and help I’ve gotten.
7. What suggestions do you have to make the NLOC.net website easier to use and navigate?
The site is so well established now that I think all the needed changes have been implemented already. Definitely a lot of good info on here!
8. Why did you pick your board user name (screen name)?
Really straight forward. Just the year and make.
9. What are your plans for future changes to your truck?
I’ve actually got pretty big plans for it when I come home from assignment soon. I plan on building a bullet proof block and hopefully installing it while the current motor is still in good running shape. Every mod I have done to my truck so far can all be easily reversed for value purposes. No drilling into anything has been a big part of all I have done. These trucks are modded so much nowadays that it is hard to find a near original one. I definitely have the mod bug but have always kept in the back of my mind that I need to keep the ability of returning it back to factory many years down the road from now. This is why I want to keep the original motor in good shape. As far as other additions to the new motor, I plan to do pretty much everything you can think of under the hood and the suspension. The exterior is pretty much done now
10. Whom would you like to thank for help\donations\support for putting the truck together?
Most of the work I have done myself but I would like to thank Stephen Paul, owner of Next Level Inc. for helping out in some of the areas such as trim that I just was never good at and Justin Starkey, owner of VMP tuning for setting me up with an awesome setup! I would also like to thank a couple of my close buddies Gerald Badoz, Matt McCoy, Gabriel Boggs, Chris Caruso and John Dunning for being around to lend a hand or to just keep me company while I worked on the truck. Most importantly I’d like to thank my mother Robin, my father Keith and my sister Kacey, for taking care of it while I am overseas. They have been a HUGE help by keeping it clean and covered, starting it up and driving it while I’m gone and also taking it to car shows where it has done very well. My family is second to none and I really appreciate all their help!!
Congratulations to Cort and his 2001 Silver Ford Lightning for Truck of the Month, July 2010 !
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