My buddy just picked up a 1996 4x4 F250 with 7.3L PSD with 291k on it for $2700. We were talking about modding it here soon. I know we will probably go with a 4" TB exhaust, but for now i am going to cut out the cat and muffler. My questions are, what else should we do?

--tuner? what brands best? Custom tunes?
--CAI? whats the best for this year truck?

What are the stock specs on the 96? and what can we expect with the mods above? Are the head gaskets prone to blow apart like the 6.0"s?