Chris Titus's 2000 Ford Lightning

Chris Titus' 2000 Ford Li...        read full caption Chris Titus' 2000 Ford Lightning

A Billet grille was added...        read full caption A Billet grille was added to improve the front appearance. Notice the aftermarket halogen headlights. Brighter bigger better.

The exhaust remains in the...        read full caption The exhaust remains in the stock location. A SnugTop tonneau finishes the rear.

Custom 20-inch wheels from...        read full caption Custom 20-inch wheels from Foose wrapped in Goodyear GT2 rubber make for a strong ground connection and proper ride height without sacrificing style.

A distinctive full flame job...        read full caption A distinctive full flame job was done by Dennis Rickles. Pride was taken in matching the flame pattern on both sides of the truck for that extra detail.

An Eaton Supercharger adorns...        read full caption An Eaton Supercharger adorns the top of SVT’s “stock” Triton V-8 engine. The combination produces 380 hp.

Ford’s simple but appropriate...        read full caption Ford’s simple but appropriate interior. White instrumentation blends well with the two-tone bucket/bench combo.

Ford’s regime of gearheads, the SVT group, has been developing ever faster and sleeker trucks for a while. They introduced the Ford Lightning as a race and sport truck in early 1993 and have recently introduced the 2001 version. As with any truck there’s always a few performance items missing, or modifications to be made that can make it stand out from the rest. But what can you do to a tricked-out 2000 Lightning to make it better? Chris Titus from the Fox network sitcom "Titus" can tell you quite a bit.

Chris has been a comedian for a number of years and recently made it big with his whit and humor. The show is based on his dysfunctional family and lies somewhere between a Monty Python flick and Drew Carey. Intermingled in the comedy is a passion of Chris’—fast street machines.

So what gets a comedic guy like Chris excited? Big, fast, and sleek; the answer is a Lightning. Ford throws a screaming engine into these bad boys. It boasts an Eaton supercharger on a fullsize Triton V-8. We’ve heard you can expect 450 horses out of a Lightning with only a smartchip change, and get 411 lb-ft of torque. To match the power rating, Ford installs modified front suspension and rear end goodies to handle a 2,300-stall speed. The result is a truck that caps out at 140 mph and cuts a quarter-mile in 14.4 seconds. Plenty of power for a pickup and mighty quick for coming straight from the showroom.

With speed come handling and looks. Not to say the Lightning doesn’t already look fast with a low rake and custom body skirts, but Chris felt it could be even better. He left the engine at a stock capacity. The suspension mods were minimal, but yielded great results. The front was lowered only 1¾ inches by adding Eibach springs. Aaron Hansen of So-Cal Speed Shop installed the springs and completed the front by switching out factory bumpstops with shorter ones, and adding an alignment kit to handle the decrease in altitude. Aaron also installed an assortment of specialties. New hangers and shackles supplied by Belltech set the Lightning lower. A 3-inch drop block was positioned on the rear and accompanied by lower stop-blocks. To regain load capacity in the back, add-a-leaves replaced the lower (short) leaf of each spring. The rear suspension mods were completed with the addition of a sway bar and links.

The Lightning needed a bit more of the wow factor so Chris went to Dennis Rickles in Orange County, California, for a paint job. Blue flames engulf the front and are enclosed in red pinstripe. The flames continue along the SnugTop bedcover and stop at the tailgate. The front stance was smoothed down by the addition of a billet grille. For the final finish, 20-inch custom wheels manufactured by Chip Foose were installed. Power is transferred to Goodyear Eagles GT2 275/45 R20 for the take-off.