How-To add the SVT supercharger to a 5.4 N/A Engine

cpharley · 01-20-2005, 06:49 PM

A few people have asked what to do to add the Lightning supercharger to their non aspirated 5.4, so mods please make this a sticky for the non-supercharged guys. Here is what you will need with approximate pricing with ranges based upon whether you find parts new or used.

1. Buy a Supercharger Assembly ($900-$1400)

You will need a supercharger assembly like those found on ebay. They typically come with the following parts:

Intake (Plenum)
Intercooler
Fuel Rails
Green Injectors
Throttle body
Coil Packs
Wiring Harness
sensors

2. Additional Parts ($1000-$2000)

*SV (Madferraristi) is a good source to get these parts from

Heat Exchanger w/ all mounting hardware
Accelerator/Cruise Cables
Idler Pulleys (3)
Idler Pulley bracket
Water Pump and Fan Shroud or E-fan (recommend LFP)
Lower Pulley w/ Harmonic Balancer or Aftermarket lower pulley kit
Blower Belt
Blower Tensioner Pulley
EGR Tube
Intercooler plumbing (4 tubes)
L/HD Radiator Hose
Rear heater hose
Intercooler Resevoir (tank for coolant that mounts to fan shroud)
Intercooler Electric Pump (pumps fluid from tank to heat exchanger)
L or HD Alternator
90mm MAF Sensor
Complete air intake kit (filter/airbox, fender boot, Intake boot).
Tubes that go to air intake boot
NGK TR6 Spark Plugs
Minimum of 255 lph fuel pump

3. Tuning (~$300)

You have two choices on how to tune your truck. The easiest option is to order a custom tuned chip for your existing PCM. Chip + Tuning is usually about $300.

Your second option and the option I elected is to change out your PCM with a Lightning or Supercharged Harley PCM. This requires more work than is obvious to the naked eye, but gives you a cleaner install.

To make this install go by smoothly with no problems, you will need a few parts. First, you obviously need the PCM ($100-$300). Take your truck to a mod friendly dealership to install the PCM as they will have to setup your PATS (~$50). You can drive with your old PCM to the dealer as long as you are very careful with your driving habits.

You will also need two separate harnesses. The first harness you will need is the underhood harness ($100 used - $700 new). It can be a bear to swap out as I have done this. It runs completely around the engine bay.

The second harness runs from the underhood harness mentioned above and runs to the gas tank and tail lights (~$100). If you have an extended cab, you must purchase the harness from the Supercharged Harley as the Lightning harness will not reach to the tail lights.

4. Additional Notes

It may be a good idea to verify what type of tranny you have. I already had a 4r100 Heavy Duty tranny that came with my '01. If you do not have this tranny you may want to think about upgrading. Also, I would make sure to have at least 3.73 gears. You will want to open up your exhaust some. '01s have SI/DO (Single-In/Dual-Out) exhaust and I highly recommend having DI/DO exhaust.

If you are not in a crunch for money, you may want to purchase your performance upgrades in place of stock parts (Heat Exchanger, Larger lower pulley, E-Fan, etc.).

I did about 95% of this by myself, but it took me about 4 weeks as I had to track down parts, Information, etc. Don't expect to do this in a weekend. If you have not done this before, I would expect to run into some problems that may cause you some delay and headaches. If time down is an issue, you may want to consider a complete supercharger package such as an ATI. Also, most of the part #s can be found in the Part # list thread. If there are any you need help finding, let me know and I may have a record of it stored on my PC somewhere.

kromdom · 01-20-2005, 08:11 PM

cpharley
Thank you very much for the above post. No doubt it will come in VERY handy for the rest of us non-s/c guys.

musturbo · 01-20-2005, 10:24 PM

very nice!

cpharley · 01-21-2005, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by kromdom
cpharley
Thank you very much for the above post. No doubt it will come in VERY handy for the rest of us non-s/c guys.

No Problem; just want to make it a bit easier for you guys. I'd like to see more people do this so we can compare notes.

Madferraristi · 01-21-2005, 11:33 PM

Most of my customers get this done over a weekend when they buy the kit from me. It contains virtually everything.

The only thing you must remember is to have your chip BEFORE you start the project.

2coolharley · 01-22-2005, 12:54 AM

I probably going to be the next buyer for your kit

kromdom · 01-22-2005, 01:01 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by 2coolharley
I probably going to be the next buyer for your kit

GIT R DONE, Albert. Just promise not to join the BAND OF CRAPPERS that keep jabbing me for not being /sc.

cpharley · 01-22-2005, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Madferraristi
Most of my customers get this done over a weekend when they buy the kit from me. It contains virtually everything.

That is because you da man.

I just warn them because of the custom work they will have to do (wiring the intercooler pump, mounting the heat exchanger). It is not impossible, but I warn of this because not everyone knows of the great madferraristi. Mike was a tremendous help to me, so he is definitely the man to talk to.

Madferraristi · 01-22-2005, 08:32 PM

Thankyou, Thankyou

1FastSCrew · 01-22-2005, 09:43 PM

Very nice thread gentlemen. The very essence of what this board is all about. Sharing of ideas, pumping the supporting vendors, and the type of info that many will find useful!

Sweet Talker · 03-17-2005, 08:50 AM

I have owned my 2000 since new....I wanna see it hot like some of those times I see in the Times Forum....but mine has 95,000 miles on it. While strong...I am sure I should expect to do some work on it. Any suggestions?

Madferraristi · 03-17-2005, 08:57 AM

It's not so much the mileage that determines whether or not it will take supercharging, it's the condition.

I have sold to customers who are adding the s/c at over 100k.

Run a compression test and/or a leakdown. If it passes, go for it.

Sweet Talker · 03-17-2005, 01:05 PM

Hey....thanks a lot Madferrarsti.....

2coolharley · 04-25-2005, 09:01 PM

is there any thing from my stock 01 that i could use for an 02 supercharger??? like wiring and other stufff???

rlp · 04-28-2005, 05:41 PM

I just got the LFP intercooler a while ago. It is twice the size of the factory one and was almost half the price ($379 vs. $680).

I have seen quite a few wrecked Lightnings that I would think were borderline fixable for around $6-8000. For that price, I would swap motors and then part out the rest of the truck. That would be the way to go if you had the cash because you would come out ahead in the long run, plus you would have a rig to go off of to see how to put it all under the hood of the HD. Also, the L motor could take more boost.

01-20-2005, 06:49 PM	#1 (permalink)
cpharley Supercharged '01 Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Columbus, IN Posts: 2,461 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	How-To add the SVT supercharger to a 5.4 N/A Engine A few people have asked what to do to add the Lightning supercharger to their non aspirated 5.4, so mods please make this a sticky for the non-supercharged guys. Here is what you will need with approximate pricing with ranges based upon whether you find parts new or used. 1. Buy a Supercharger Assembly ($900-$1400) You will need a supercharger assembly like those found on ebay. They typically come with the following parts: Intake (Plenum) Intercooler Fuel Rails Green Injectors Throttle body Coil Packs Wiring Harness sensors 2. Additional Parts ($1000-$2000) SV (Madferraristi) is a good source to get these parts from Heat Exchanger w/ all mounting hardware Accelerator/Cruise Cables Idler Pulleys (3) Idler Pulley bracket Water Pump and Fan Shroud or E-fan (recommend LFP) Lower Pulley w/ Harmonic Balancer or Aftermarket lower pulley kit Blower Belt Blower Tensioner Pulley EGR Tube Intercooler plumbing (4 tubes) L/HD Radiator Hose Rear heater hose Intercooler Resevoir (tank for coolant that mounts to fan shroud) Intercooler Electric Pump (pumps fluid from tank to heat exchanger) L or HD Alternator 90mm MAF Sensor Complete air intake kit (filter/airbox, fender boot, Intake boot). Tubes that go to air intake boot NGK TR6 Spark Plugs Minimum of 255 lph fuel pump 3. Tuning (~$300)* You have two choices on how to tune your truck. The easiest option is to order a custom tuned chip for your existing PCM. Chip + Tuning is usually about $300. Your second option and the option I elected is to change out your PCM with a Lightning or Supercharged Harley PCM. This requires more work than is obvious to the naked eye, but gives you a cleaner install. To make this install go by smoothly with no problems, you will need a few parts. First, you obviously need the PCM ($100-$300). Take your truck to a mod friendly dealership to install the PCM as they will have to setup your PATS (~$50). You can drive with your old PCM to the dealer as long as you are very careful with your driving habits. You will also need two separate harnesses. The first harness you will need is the underhood harness ($100 used - $700 new). It can be a bear to swap out as I have done this. It runs completely around the engine bay. The second harness runs from the underhood harness mentioned above and runs to the gas tank and tail lights (~$100). If you have an extended cab, you must purchase the harness from the Supercharged Harley as the Lightning harness will not reach to the tail lights. 4. Additional Notes It may be a good idea to verify what type of tranny you have. I already had a 4r100 Heavy Duty tranny that came with my '01. If you do not have this tranny you may want to think about upgrading. Also, I would make sure to have at least 3.73 gears. You will want to open up your exhaust some. '01s have SI/DO (Single-In/Dual-Out) exhaust and I highly recommend having DI/DO exhaust. If you are not in a crunch for money, you may want to purchase your performance upgrades in place of stock parts (Heat Exchanger, Larger lower pulley, E-Fan, etc.). I did about 95% of this by myself, but it took me about 4 weeks as I had to track down parts, Information, etc. Don't expect to do this in a weekend. If you have not done this before, I would expect to run into some problems that may cause you some delay and headaches. If time down is an issue, you may want to consider a complete supercharger package such as an ATI. Also, most of the part #s can be found in the Part # list thread. If there are any you need help finding, let me know and I may have a record of it stored on my PC somewhere. __________________ NHTOC Gallery My FTW Gallery 2001 Harley Davidson F150 #5531 Performance: JLP Built Shortblock, Comp Cams & Valve Springs, Stage IV Steigy Ported Supercharger, LFP E-Fan, LFP Aux Idler Pulley Kit with additional billet idlers, AirforceOne full Intake kit, FTVB, Art Carr TC, Morosso Trans Pan, Predator Tuner, 8# Lower, JLP Competition R Exhaust, FT Tranny cooler, 255 fuel pumps, Canton Deep Oil pan w/ Windage tray.

01-21-2005, 11:33 PM	#5 (permalink)
Madferraristi 32V SC 5.4L #001 Paid Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Northern California Posts: 1,761 NHTOC member #: 238 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	Most of my customers get this done over a weekend when they buy the kit from me. It contains virtually everything. The only thing you must remember is to have your chip BEFORE you start the project. __________________ Click here to visit MAD's site.

01-22-2005, 08:32 PM	#9 (permalink)
Madferraristi 32V SC 5.4L #001 Paid Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Northern California Posts: 1,761 NHTOC member #: 238 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	Thankyou, Thankyou __________________ Click here to visit MAD's site.

01-22-2005, 09:43 PM	#10 (permalink)
1FastSCrew GetBusyLivinOrGetBusyDyin Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Monroe, NC Posts: 1,662 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	Very nice thread gentlemen. The very essence of what this board is all about. Sharing of ideas, pumping the supporting vendors, and the type of info that many will find useful! __________________ Justin NHTOC#157 / 03 2-tone #9101 444 RWHP / 527 Ft-lbs TQ SAE

03-17-2005, 08:57 AM	#12 (permalink)
Madferraristi 32V SC 5.4L #001 Paid Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Northern California Posts: 1,761 NHTOC member #: 238 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	It's not so much the mileage that determines whether or not it will take supercharging, it's the condition. I have sold to customers who are adding the s/c at over 100k. Run a compression test and/or a leakdown. If it passes, go for it. __________________ Click here to visit MAD's site.



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01-20-2005, 08:11 PM	#2 (permalink)
kromdom #4954, 12APR01 Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,386 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	cpharley Thank you very much for the above post. No doubt it will come in VERY handy for the rest of us non-s/c guys.

01-20-2005, 10:24 PM	#3 (permalink)
musturbo traction needed Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Palm Coast Florida Posts: 1,561 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	very nice!

01-22-2005, 12:54 AM	#6 (permalink)
2coolharley BLOWN 01 Join Date: May 2003 Location: San Diego and Las Vegas!!! Posts: 1,080 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	I probably going to be the next buyer for your kit

03-17-2005, 08:50 AM	#11 (permalink)
Sweet Talker Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lubbock, Texas Posts: 51 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	I have owned my 2000 since new....I wanna see it hot like some of those times I see in the Times Forum....but mine has 95,000 miles on it. While strong...I am sure I should expect to do some work on it. Any suggestions?

03-17-2005, 01:05 PM	#13 (permalink)
Sweet Talker Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lubbock, Texas Posts: 51 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	Hey....thanks a lot Madferrarsti.....

04-25-2005, 09:01 PM	#14 (permalink)
2coolharley BLOWN 01 Join Date: May 2003 Location: San Diego and Las Vegas!!! Posts: 1,080 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	is there any thing from my stock 01 that i could use for an 02 supercharger??? like wiring and other stufff???

04-28-2005, 05:41 PM	#15 (permalink)
rlp Registered User Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Alaska Posts: 133 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	I just got the LFP intercooler a while ago. It is twice the size of the factory one and was almost half the price ($379 vs. $680). I have seen quite a few wrecked Lightnings that I would think were borderline fixable for around $6-8000. For that price, I would swap motors and then part out the rest of the truck. That would be the way to go if you had the cash because you would come out ahead in the long run, plus you would have a rig to go off of to see how to put it all under the hood of the HD. Also, the L motor could take more boost. __________________ 2003 all black with all options #8342 2/5 drop by Belltech/Western Predator/6 lber http://www.supermotors.org/users/RLP

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