'Gupta:

I have a bud who owns a '97 or '98 with over 110,000 miles on the clock. He's mechanically very sharp and would be more than happy to help you out.

He's also a fellow Lightning owner.

He goes by the name "Speedin' Bob" and is very active on the two big Lightning sites - "F150online.com" and "NLOC.com" - just head over there, get into the appropriate sub-forum, and page him. He'll hook you up.

The indication I get from him is "all well - just normal wear and tear".