got my lightning motor for the 68

Stumbled across this ragged out 93 lightning truck and fir $1200 I just had to get it. I don,t know when but someday the engine is going into the 68. The previous owner chopped the top and had to abandon the project before he had it done because he had to move so it found a good home with me. Of coarse I hope to use everything I can out of it and sell the rest. There is lots of good stuff like the seats, the engine front dress, compressor computer and harness, aluminum drive shaft, traction bars, that just might work. I have been doing a lot of reading about the efi swap and am really getting the itch to start but I think I had better hold myself back and learn a little more first before I get something started that I cant Finnish. But anyway, it is nice to have the whole truck here to look over and get a plan together.

 

here is the pictures I hope

 

Nice find!Perfect donnor truck.IMHO would be a shame to part,pretty rare first gen SVT.Only rolled 2,691 units in black.Check vin#,R code is real mccoy.Maybe worth restoring.

 

You could always drop your Ranchero body on the truck chassis and upgrade everything.

 

There is an R in the vin# OK but it has been through the war. It is a shame that I am not trying to put the lightning running gear into an older classic truck so that I could use the 410 posi rear that is in it. And that E4OD that is supposed to have a shift kit in it would fit right in a truck but would mean transmission tunnel mods for the ranchero. I sure would like to drive it a little so I could see if the tranz and rear are OK before I try to sell them. Maybe I can pull it down to the track and see how it does. I ran a compression check on it when I got it home yesterday and had 165lbs on everything except the last one and it was 60lbs so I won,t be trying to race it or anything. But that is OK. Hopefully It is just a bent valve and that is something I know how to fix.Now digging the wire harness out of it to reuse, that is a challenge

 

Hey you forgot to put the smiles thing on the end of that one looks like I never said I had all those skills yet.And I do hope to live long enough to get it done.

 

A body swap is not that hard. Fabbing up body mounts is no more difficult than fabbing up motor and tranny mounts. Relocating the rear end can be a bit of work, but in the end you would have a fully modern car.

 

The SB Fords of the early 90's were prone to burn pistons. Those compression numbers you posted look similar to the ones on my truck when that happened to me. Which cylinder was the 60 lb reading on? And I would think a bent valve would read almost zero. Regardless, give a quick shortblock rebuild and you're good as new. Those things did scoot!!! You sure you'd need to rework your tunnel to get the trans in?

 

poor compression was on #3 and I am hoping it is a bent valve.I checked it with a tablespoon of oil poured in there and the compression did not come up so that is supposed to tell me that it isn,t a cracked ring but I didn,t think about a hole in the top of the piston. But yeah, an engine rebuild is in order.
I saw something in Muscle FordsI think where they put a 460 efi with E4OD in a fairlane and they had some trans tunel modifications.I don,t know if it is worth it though but the PO says my tranz has a shift kit in it and the fluid did smell good so it would be nice to reuse if possible.

 

One word = "EXCELENT" ! Don't get rid of the trans., you'd be better off biteing the bullit and modifying the trans tunnel slightly. Fear not the wireing, once you start in on it, it get's self explanitory. We talked about this already Dad, it's more time consuming than anything but the results will be worth it - - Much more rewarding than if you rebuilt the Lightning.

 

See if you cant find out what rear end that Lightning has under it and perhaps a rear swap will be possible

 

That is one beautiful Torino. Lord does that take me back . LOL

 

Torino? Anywho, I thought all Lightnings were short beds? Not saying the guy didn't transplant the engine in a different truck,...and then chop the top. Not to be a 'Negative Nelly', but I doubt that rear-end would fit a 68 Ranchero. Too wide, wrong spring perches, etc.

 

The back of a 460 is taller than the other engines, and because it is so long it needs to sit back a bit wich would impact the tunnel.

 

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I am thinking now that I could drop the drivetrain into the 69 torino wagon parts car for mock up purposes without costing me too much money and that way I could still drive my ranchero to the shows this summer and learn what I can. Also I want to find somewhere to test drive it to see if the tranz and rear are OK. Maybe I can test and tune at the track here somewhere. I don,t think I had better try to run it on one of those point a to point b one way permits that we have here in Virginia because it sure does look like something that you would want to pull over if you were a cop

 

Yeah, what he said.
Where in Virginny are you again?