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March 2009 Gen 1 Truck Of The Month – Congratulations Don ("Theautoguy") Wallin (NLOC# 1694).
This month's Gen 1 TOTM hails from just outside the "Windy City" of Chicago, IL. Don's truck is the perfect combination for a sleeper, because although it looks stock, it can scoot down the 1320 running mid-12's. Don chose to go a different route when it came to a power adder on his truck...he went with a KB--something you don't see everyday on these trucks. Thanks for being a part of the Lightning community and congrats on being March's Truck of The Month!
1. What sparked your interest in the Ford Lightning?
When I got married back in 1996 I had an ’89 Ford Mustang LX with all of the bolt-ons. It was very fast for the time and was one of the best all around cars I’ve ever owned; that’s when my blood turned Ford blue. Unfortunately, some of the local kids started buying them and getting in serious enough trouble for the Police to identify a pattern. I soon lost the passion to drive the car as I saw a Police car in the mirror wherever I went.
It was at that time I noticed an ad for a 1993 Red Ford F150 Lightning; I figured I’d go down and take a look at it. So there I am, following the salesman around the back of the dealership, about 2 steps behind him. As we clear the building, I saw the truck. If the salesman would have seen the look on my face he would have made an extra $1500 that day!
It was the first Lightning I had seen up close and that began the love affair. I had to sell that truck back in ’99 but I bought my current one in 2004 and plan on it being in the retirement home parking lot!
2. Do you have any interesting stories about previously owned vehicles, before becoming a Lightning owner?
I have owned over 50 cars in my life from a 1970 Cadillac ambulance to 4 Trans Ams, 5 RX-7’s, a ’68 Camaro and so on. However, my favorite is my wife’s dream car; her 1987 IROC Camaro.
Most all of you know that one of the first small-talk questions you ask a girl you’re dating is, “What’s your dream car?”; so I asked this girl I was dating that question. As I was expecting to hear Ferrari, Corvette, Mercedes, Bentley or some other overpriced piece of characterless hunk of metal, she says, “I want an IROC Camaro.” She went on to say, “I want it black with a red interior, no options but air conditioning and it has to have the big engine.” I was a bit surprised; I thought that I may just have to keep her.
So, imagine how creeped out I was when I was perusing the local car ads a few months later and found…a 1987 IROC Camaro, black with red interior, no options except air conditioning and it had the factory 350! I sold the Turbo Coupe I had at the time to buy it for her the next day! I assumed it was some crazy karma thing.
Fast forward 15 years later, I still have her and we still have the car. With only 54K miles, it still looks and drives like new (the car that is:BL
!
3. What modifications have you made to your truck since you have owned it...both show and go?
Well, it was completely stock when I bought it in 2004. I replaced the bumpers and tailgate because of dents and rust but other than that, I did what I could to try to keep it “looking” stock.
The drivetrain is a different story. I bought the Kenne Bell from an NLOC member in California as a present to myself when I finished my Graduate degree. I added the necessary supporting ignition and fuel modifications along with a FTVB. Unfortunately, the #5 piston decided to chunk a section of its crown so I had to tear the motor down and rebuild it…oh darn!
The rebuild added forged pistons, roller cam conversion, balance & blue printing, AFR185’s, an Art Carr 2400 stall, a full Pickrel exhaust, a mass air conversion and a perfect Bob Kurgan tune on an SCT chip. I add a set of 30x12 MT/DRs (also from an NLOC member) to get consistent 1.64 60’ times and a best of 12.40 @ 105.
4. Do you have any interesting stories about your Lightning?
I enjoy telling people at shows and the drag strip that I still use the truck to haul mulch, river rock and move friends. However, the best story was trying to tell the wife that I had to pull the motor and rebuild it after I chunked the piston crown after a trip to the drag strip…it was so hard to hide the smirk!
5. Tell us about yourself, your hobbies, business or work, sports, family, etc.
I’m going to see 40 this year. Due to unfortunate occurrences, I was homeless when I was 18; staying with friends and sometimes sleeping in my car. Over the last 20 years I managed to gather myself, form goals and move forward in my life. In that time I found my perfect wife, earned my MBA, live in a nice home, enjoy a great family and have worked at Grainger Industrial Supply for the past 12 years. My future goals are Law School and I hope to retire at 60 as a partner in a business focused law firm. (Because we need more of them!)
My wife and I have no children but did manage to “adopt” my 19 year old niece three years ago. In doing so, we gained a new understanding of parenting and have enjoyed it. (Mostly) We are now ready to be Grandparents once she meets the right doctor, humanitarian or rich business owner! (…but her current truck driving boyfriend will do.)
My passion for cars and repair has helped keep my mind sane and padded my bank account when it was needed. I’m at a point in my life where I’m able to help those less fortunate than myself by fixing their cars for free; sometimes parts included. It’s been a great way to incorporate my hobby into a charitable contribution to my friends and the community around me; its extremely rewarding.
When I can scrape up some extra time I try to make it to the drag strip and shows. However, between the wife, the house, the car maintenance and work, that time is hard to find. I do make time on good weekend nights to go out cruising in the Lightning, the bike or the wife’s Camaro.
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 originally joined back in ’98 when I bought my first Lightning. I let it lapse for a few years after I sold it but rejoined after I bought the one I have now. I joined because I wanted to get to know some of the other Lightning nuts out there but I stayed because of …well, the same Lightning nuts!
7. What suggestions do you have to make the NLOC.net website easier to use and navigate?
This site has been great for all of the years I've been here. If I had any suggestions it would be to make a way to provide better seller feedback and a more mobile friendly access.
8. Why did you pick your board user name (screen name)?
My screen name is the first part of my e-mail address. I got the e-mail address back in ’95 and have had “Theautoguy” as part of every e-mail account I’ve had since.
9. What are your plans for future changes to your truck?
I already have a Detroit Locker sitting in the garage but its waiting until I determine if I’ll need to change out the 4.10 gear for a 3.73. However, I will be swapping out the stock 5.0 Mustang cam to a more mass air and blower friendly stick and have it retuned accordingly. I am also thinking about installing a methanol injection kit. My goal is to drive to the track, swap the tires, run in the 11’s and drive it home…with the A/C on!
10. Whom would you like to thank for help\donations\support for putting the truck together??
Well first, my wife. She has the understanding of a best friend, the patience of an angel and a smile that makes the worst problems seem small. The next person most responsible for help is a friend of mine named Craig. His help on the motor was instrumental. Nothing like having an engineer show up with a full set of calipers and a yard of flex-a-gauge who has also built and owns a street driven Fox body in the 8’s! The next most supportive group of friends is NLOC. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and understanding from the best, most patient group of enthusiasts on the web!
Congratulations to Don and his 1993 Black Gen 1 Truck of the Month, March 2009!
This month's Gen 1 TOTM hails from just outside the "Windy City" of Chicago, IL. Don's truck is the perfect combination for a sleeper, because although it looks stock, it can scoot down the 1320 running mid-12's. Don chose to go a different route when it came to a power adder on his truck...he went with a KB--something you don't see everyday on these trucks. Thanks for being a part of the Lightning community and congrats on being March's Truck of The Month!
1. What sparked your interest in the Ford Lightning?
When I got married back in 1996 I had an ’89 Ford Mustang LX with all of the bolt-ons. It was very fast for the time and was one of the best all around cars I’ve ever owned; that’s when my blood turned Ford blue. Unfortunately, some of the local kids started buying them and getting in serious enough trouble for the Police to identify a pattern. I soon lost the passion to drive the car as I saw a Police car in the mirror wherever I went.
It was at that time I noticed an ad for a 1993 Red Ford F150 Lightning; I figured I’d go down and take a look at it. So there I am, following the salesman around the back of the dealership, about 2 steps behind him. As we clear the building, I saw the truck. If the salesman would have seen the look on my face he would have made an extra $1500 that day!
It was the first Lightning I had seen up close and that began the love affair. I had to sell that truck back in ’99 but I bought my current one in 2004 and plan on it being in the retirement home parking lot!
2. Do you have any interesting stories about previously owned vehicles, before becoming a Lightning owner?
I have owned over 50 cars in my life from a 1970 Cadillac ambulance to 4 Trans Ams, 5 RX-7’s, a ’68 Camaro and so on. However, my favorite is my wife’s dream car; her 1987 IROC Camaro.
Most all of you know that one of the first small-talk questions you ask a girl you’re dating is, “What’s your dream car?”; so I asked this girl I was dating that question. As I was expecting to hear Ferrari, Corvette, Mercedes, Bentley or some other overpriced piece of characterless hunk of metal, she says, “I want an IROC Camaro.” She went on to say, “I want it black with a red interior, no options but air conditioning and it has to have the big engine.” I was a bit surprised; I thought that I may just have to keep her.
So, imagine how creeped out I was when I was perusing the local car ads a few months later and found…a 1987 IROC Camaro, black with red interior, no options except air conditioning and it had the factory 350! I sold the Turbo Coupe I had at the time to buy it for her the next day! I assumed it was some crazy karma thing.
Fast forward 15 years later, I still have her and we still have the car. With only 54K miles, it still looks and drives like new (the car that is:BL
!
3. What modifications have you made to your truck since you have owned it...both show and go?
Well, it was completely stock when I bought it in 2004. I replaced the bumpers and tailgate because of dents and rust but other than that, I did what I could to try to keep it “looking” stock.
The drivetrain is a different story. I bought the Kenne Bell from an NLOC member in California as a present to myself when I finished my Graduate degree. I added the necessary supporting ignition and fuel modifications along with a FTVB. Unfortunately, the #5 piston decided to chunk a section of its crown so I had to tear the motor down and rebuild it…oh darn!
The rebuild added forged pistons, roller cam conversion, balance & blue printing, AFR185’s, an Art Carr 2400 stall, a full Pickrel exhaust, a mass air conversion and a perfect Bob Kurgan tune on an SCT chip. I add a set of 30x12 MT/DRs (also from an NLOC member) to get consistent 1.64 60’ times and a best of 12.40 @ 105.
4. Do you have any interesting stories about your Lightning?
I enjoy telling people at shows and the drag strip that I still use the truck to haul mulch, river rock and move friends. However, the best story was trying to tell the wife that I had to pull the motor and rebuild it after I chunked the piston crown after a trip to the drag strip…it was so hard to hide the smirk!
5. Tell us about yourself, your hobbies, business or work, sports, family, etc.
I’m going to see 40 this year. Due to unfortunate occurrences, I was homeless when I was 18; staying with friends and sometimes sleeping in my car. Over the last 20 years I managed to gather myself, form goals and move forward in my life. In that time I found my perfect wife, earned my MBA, live in a nice home, enjoy a great family and have worked at Grainger Industrial Supply for the past 12 years. My future goals are Law School and I hope to retire at 60 as a partner in a business focused law firm. (Because we need more of them!)
My wife and I have no children but did manage to “adopt” my 19 year old niece three years ago. In doing so, we gained a new understanding of parenting and have enjoyed it. (Mostly) We are now ready to be Grandparents once she meets the right doctor, humanitarian or rich business owner! (…but her current truck driving boyfriend will do.)
My passion for cars and repair has helped keep my mind sane and padded my bank account when it was needed. I’m at a point in my life where I’m able to help those less fortunate than myself by fixing their cars for free; sometimes parts included. It’s been a great way to incorporate my hobby into a charitable contribution to my friends and the community around me; its extremely rewarding.
When I can scrape up some extra time I try to make it to the drag strip and shows. However, between the wife, the house, the car maintenance and work, that time is hard to find. I do make time on good weekend nights to go out cruising in the Lightning, the bike or the wife’s Camaro.
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 originally joined back in ’98 when I bought my first Lightning. I let it lapse for a few years after I sold it but rejoined after I bought the one I have now. I joined because I wanted to get to know some of the other Lightning nuts out there but I stayed because of …well, the same Lightning nuts!
7. What suggestions do you have to make the NLOC.net website easier to use and navigate?
This site has been great for all of the years I've been here. If I had any suggestions it would be to make a way to provide better seller feedback and a more mobile friendly access.
8. Why did you pick your board user name (screen name)?
My screen name is the first part of my e-mail address. I got the e-mail address back in ’95 and have had “Theautoguy” as part of every e-mail account I’ve had since.
9. What are your plans for future changes to your truck?
I already have a Detroit Locker sitting in the garage but its waiting until I determine if I’ll need to change out the 4.10 gear for a 3.73. However, I will be swapping out the stock 5.0 Mustang cam to a more mass air and blower friendly stick and have it retuned accordingly. I am also thinking about installing a methanol injection kit. My goal is to drive to the track, swap the tires, run in the 11’s and drive it home…with the A/C on!
10. Whom would you like to thank for help\donations\support for putting the truck together??
Well first, my wife. She has the understanding of a best friend, the patience of an angel and a smile that makes the worst problems seem small. The next person most responsible for help is a friend of mine named Craig. His help on the motor was instrumental. Nothing like having an engineer show up with a full set of calipers and a yard of flex-a-gauge who has also built and owns a street driven Fox body in the 8’s! The next most supportive group of friends is NLOC. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and understanding from the best, most patient group of enthusiasts on the web!
Congratulations to Don and his 1993 Black Gen 1 Truck of the Month, March 2009!
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