I bought the Line mod valve from JDM and I love it.
At cruise it shifts a little harder than stock but at full throttle it'll snap your neck
The install was a snap. It only took about 2 hours. Next time about an hour.

The shift kits from what I understand shift hard all the time and thats not what I wanted.

As far as a trans shop, I've never had any luck with the ones I've been too.

 

Thanks for the input. I'll give Jim a call on Monday and ask about it.

 

I'm looking at getting a Level 10 shift kit, and I wanted to know if there were any shops that the guys in Dallas/Ft. Worth would recommend. What kind of install price am I looking at? Also, how are the shifts? I'm not looking for anything to rip my head off.

------------------
'01 silver Lightning
Superchips flip chip, JDM filter kit
'67 Chevy II Nova
10.62 @ 125 MPH N/A

 

Park Cities Ford ask that Charlie do it . He is the only tech that I have heard of that actually rebuilds our transmissions . He rebuilt mine in my 250 4x4 . He knows his stuff . Every other tech get's a rebuilt from Ford , they come in blue crates .

 

Trevor,

Let's meet up and you can ride/drive my truck and see the difference b/w a chip only vs. a chip w/ a decent shift kit. I have the Trans Go kit. I've installed two myself and helped another friend install his.

You and I could do this in less than 1.5 hrs. Seriously. I've got all the tools, 4 jackstands, etc. It is _so_ simple, but makes a very nice difference in the shifting at full throttle and part-throttle.

I installed one in my wife's Expedition and she said it was great...I didn't set hers to hit as hard as the L, but still, the thing will not make the shifts obnoxious at part-throttle.

Come by and take a look at mine before you commit to anything.

Nice to meet you at the track on Fri night.

------------------
Wes Tarbox
90 LX 5.0 (10.69 @ 134.7)--597rwhp/590rwtq
98 Saleen S351 #15 (12.63 @ 113.8)--443rwhp/452rwtq
99 Lightning (13.20 @ 103.8)--364rwhp/447rwtq
00 Expedition XLT 5.4
http://hometown.aol.com/wa2fst/home.htm

 

Wes,
That sounds great! I used a TransGo shift kit in my original trans in my Trans Am, and it worked great. If it shifts anything like my T/A, then I'll love it.
Did you order your TransGo kit directly from them or from a vendor? I'm up for an install if you are. Anytime I can learn something new I'm all for it.
It was nice meeting you at the track as well. What was your best in the Saleen? I know that you ran a 12.8x next to my friend in a '94 Z28. Needless to say, he was surprised.

[This message has been edited by Trevor D (edited 05-13-2001).]

 

Trevor,

I ordered mine through Transmission Exchange. You should be able to find them on the web. Skip the kit with the video. Like I said, I've done 3 now. Shouldn't cost more than $90-95. You may know someone who can get it cheaper, too.

Assuming the '01 trans is the same 4R100 trans as the '99-00s, it will be simple.

Something else you might want to consider is installing a 4x4 trans pan. I did this to both my L and my Expy. It holds one extra quart of trans fluid, and has a magnetic drain plug (the stock pan has no drain plug at all). You will need a new filter as well, so it gets a bit expensive (I can't remember exactly...I think for the pan and filter from Ford it was ~$80). I went ahead and did it b/c some of these things have a tendency to overheat and I figured an extra quart of fluid would help in that regard. You do not need a new pan gasket, as the stocker is reuseable.

The run I made against your friend was my last one. I made 3 hot-lapped passes b/c I had to get out of there and get home in prep for an early drive to Houston for a wedding on Sat. My best pass was a 12.63 @ 113.8 bumping the stupid rev-limiter on one shift. In fact, every single pass I bumped the rev-limiter at least once.

I enjoy the car (sold my NOS'd '96 Cobra to buy the S351), but its a bit frustrating not being able to use all the power there. Making peak HP at the same rpm the rev-limiter kicks in is NOT the way to go fast. If I can get the computer reflashed and get fuel to the thing so I can shift it at 6000, then it should run 117-118mph (in good air) just the way it sits. I was a bit disappointed the car weighed 3620lbs with my 150lb butt inside.

Shoot me an e-mail at Wa2fsT@aol.com, and we can set up a time to do your shift kit. Just check and make sure the transmissions are identical. I'm 99.9% positive they are, but I haven't done one in an '01 truck yet. Or, if you'd rather see how mine shifts before you make up your mind, then that's cool with me.

What was your best time in your truck? When I made that pass against your friend, the temp was ~81^F, hum. was 85%...I figure that is an effective altitude of over 2000'. And it didn't get much better as the night went on, from what I understand.

------------------
Wes Tarbox
90 LX 5.0 (10.69 @ 134.7)--597rwhp/590rwtq
98 Saleen S351 #15 (12.63 @ 113.8)--443rwhp/452rwtq
99 Lightning (13.20 @ 103.8)--364rwhp/447rwtq
00 Expedition XLT 5.4
http://hometown.aol.com/wa2fst/home.htm

 

Thanks for the information and help. I'll go ahead and get the deeper pan on order as well. Do you think it's worth going w/ an auxiliary trans. cooler, or do you think it'll be sufficient as it is?
You're right that the conditions didn't get any better throughout the night. My last pass would've been better, but a 35 MPH headwind kicked in just before the storm blew in, and that alone killed 2 MPH. I still netted a 13.60 @ 99 MPH w/ a 2.01 60'. I didn't think it was too bad considering the weather and wind.
I'll drop you an e-mail when I have all of the parts. Thanks again for the info and willingness to help.

 

Hey Trevor,

Did you see my last run on Friday night? Finally got in the 13's with a 13.88 @ 98.24 mph with a 2.103 60'. Did you get a chance to see how that other silver Lightning was running? I didn't get a chance to talk to that guy again. The Air sure was crappy on Friday.

Let me know how your shift kit goes once you get it in.

Take Care
Chris


------------------
90 LX Mustang 5.0
-ATI Dominator D1B S/C 14 psi
-TFS Twisted Wedge Heads
-GT40 Intake
-BBK Shorties
-E303 cam
-70 mm TB
-75 mm MAS
-MSD 6 BTM
-Tremec
-Aeromotive fuel system
-3.55 gears
(505 rwhp , 495 ft-lbs)

2001 White Lightning
-magnaflow 12468

 

Chris - Yeah, I saw your ET but didn't see your MPH. I was pumped b/c I knew that my pass was going to be good. They screwed around, and by the time I got to run the headwind was BAD. I managed a 13.60. The other silver '01 ran a 13.60 as well, so I'm exactly where I need to be. I'm ready for that 13.3 weather.