what are your plans for the truck, are you going to lift it? do any hauling towing? whats your driving style?

 

I am not really towing anything more than say 4000lbs for now. No plans to tow a travel trailer.
I am ignorant but I am having all fluids changed on my new used f350 7.3L. With that at hand the Ford diesel gut said since he is changing the transmission fluid / filter he recommended a Sonnax spool vale as I described (96948-01K) with a .427

He stated it would shift better....bla, bla, bla. They want 84 bucks and I could get it off the internet for 24.
I think I am getting ripped off.

 

oh, and I am not liftimg it. I am older and did that a long time ago. Never again! (<:

 

Don't get the Super Chip, been there done that blew my tranny too. I would defiantly go with a complete valve body from either of the two listed above, JW being my preference because he's on the West Coast. The Super Chips also raises the line pressure which you don't want to much of if you run a valve body (the tuner is trying to compensate for what it assumes you don't have) it will shift too hard. The amount of time involved in downloading tunes from a tuner such as the SC is worth the extra price of a chip alone, DP being my personal favorite, you can switch it on the fly! If I were to go with a tuner such as the SC, I would, and have, get the Diablo Predator. It does many more things than the SC, and you can control the amount of line pressure in any of the tunes. You can also measure/record things such as ICP and anything the computer see's. Kind of a poor mans AE! These are just some of my observations of running all the above listed and going through a couple of transmissions.

 

its a big hassle with chips and spool valves altogether. If I am not pulling anthing heavy, why bother and spend the extra $.
Maybe better off with a good intake and just get the regular fluid changes.

I am on disability retirement pay and need to be cost effective in regard to my choice on this newly purchased 2003 F350 7.3L with 84K miles on it.

I truly appreciate all the replies!

 

thats the good thing here, lots of people have tried many different options and combos, nothing worse than spending money only to later realize you have to spend more money replacing parts. i would do supporting mods first, intake, exhaust, gauges, then you can decide on a tuner. the 6637 is a popular choice but is noiser, if you think this will bother you the ford ais is also popular.

 

Here's the deal. What seems a hassle to you is generally a hobby with us. Doing mods to these trucks will cost you some money. How much depends upon only you. Repairing broken stuff mostly dictates itself. Some mods, while good on the surface, really need other supporting mods. This will help prevent future failures.
You asked about the tranny and intake and were answered by several people with essentially the same suggestion. Get something better.
An off the shelf tuner, which most here started with (and I still have), still should have some supporting mods. Without them, or without at least heeding sage advise given on this forum, you WILL have problems.
To answer the question in your thread title, no, you probably shouldn't bother.
By the way, WELCOME to FTE.
Not trying to be a smartazz, just to the point. If you are anywhere near Houston come to the GTG next weekend.

 

The difference is that with the Sonnax kit, you have to do it all yourself. In the VB, it has been set up properly. With the Sonnax kit, you have to set it up, see if you like it and reset it (drop pan) till it is what you want. With the VB, it is much closer because an expert did it for you. My VB was spot on and hardly anyone needs much tweaking. With the Sonnax kit, somebody is going to have to make sure the bores are not worn. With the VB, somebody already has.

 

A firmer shift is what you get. Instead of taking it's time to get into gear and wear out parts more, it moves faster and wears out parts less.

 

All makes sense. I went ahead and ordered the John Wood Valve Body. Will order the DP in the future when monies come available.

Now all I need is a competent mechanic and not at the Ford dealer! I am no longer able to crawl under a truck due to my disability now.

Thanks for all your patience and inputs,

A & J

 

As Joe said above, these trucks are somewhat of a hobby for a lot of us here.

If we knew where you were located, someone might just offer to come over and do the job for you, gratis, since you'd be buying the parts and trans fluid.

They'd get the fun, you'd get the performance.

Post up and see. This is an amazing group of enthusiasts!

Pop

 

On top of what Pop just shared, we've even had people fly other fellow FTE "enthusiast experts" cross-country to their own home town in order to get a combination of the training and desired mod installation. Granted, that kind of move is an investment, and probably not what you're interested in doing. Still, you might be amazed to find someone within several hours of you willing to come over and help out with the installation. Once you're in OUR family, we TREAT you like FAMILY! Just let us know where you're located.

 

Thank you for the shared concern.

Not to cry on anyone's shoulder but:
I would attempt myself but I can not perform such work anymore due to my condition. I am disability retired from the police department as I was injured in the line of duty. I have rods, screws and bone graft in my back. I have permanent nerve damage and in pain everyday. I have to take medication everyday for the rest of my life. In addition on a limited income (disability pay).

My son who is 22 years old who could help me has been distant from his dad since he recently came out of the Marine Corp. He was in the sandbox lets say, injured himself, lost 60% of his hearing and lets say never really came home.

Trust me, I can not stand dealing with these mechanics / shops that would like to take advantage of this old mechanically ignorant guy. I am good at taking things apart but never goes back in right! (<:
One mechanic says the front bearings are a sealed unit, the other says not true there are needle HUB bearings (Ford said no need to lube - sealed). So if I have that performed its another $250.00
I can go on and on but perform little jobs like replacing the fuel filter (every 10K), adding battery water, check fluids, etc.
I live in a smaller town in eastern Washington - Ellensburg. Limited choices here to have vehicle serviced. I am just trying my best to be knowledgeable thanks to such a place as FTE and people such as you guys.
Again, thanks for your patience and input!

 

I would come help you out if I were still up there.............

Bump for the PacNW

 

I appreciate it. No problem.