tuner or shift kit

REEDS98GT · Jan 1, 2008

i have a 98 gt convertable w/ auto. i'm looking for a firm shift would you go with a shit kit or a hand held tuner. i'm getting some 373 gears put in next week, also what brand name would you buy. thanks and :new_year:

IEC Stang · Jan 1, 2008

I'd go with the j-mod. I don't really know what it is but i have heard that it is better than a shift kit. You'll have to ask someone else who knows more about it, and who can tell you how to do it. But that's probably what i'm ganna go with after i get 4.10's for my auto.

Jrgunn5150 · Jan 1, 2008

Google Jmod and you will come up with alot, like the fact that it's a shift kit designed by the guy who designed the trans. Bumping line pressure alone is not as effective as a tru shift kit.

nyuk98gt · Jan 2, 2008

REEDS98GT:

"Transmissions 101" in Tech Articles/Transmissions section of TCCoA.com is where you will find the J-mod described in detail. You will also find two "how-to" articles by A-Train. You won't need the new accumulators (pistons) but you may want the later model springs (you'll see the part numbers listed). It is inexpensive to do and not difficult. Read all of the related articles and then read them again and again. Preparation is the key to success with this work, imo.

Once you get the J-mod done, you can invest in a handheld flasher (like an XCal2 or XCal3 from SCT) and tweak the pressures to suit your driving style.

You are going to love the final result, especially with the 3.73's. I speak from experience!

FWIW, I have the FRPP gears. Others have used Motive gears, too. Correct installation will prevent the gears from whining (but you will notice a tiny bit more whine than the stock gears).

HTH,

Chris

justinschmidt1 · Jan 2, 2008

eh...my car shifts plenty hard enough with the tuner..

I would say go for the j mod if you want to do it yourself...i dont want do it.

Jrgunn5150 · Jan 2, 2008

By merely bumping line pressure with a tuner and not making changes internally, you are shortening the life of your trans. Not drastically, but it is what it is.

97stanger · Jan 2, 2008

i run 4.10s, transgo shift kit, tranny cooler, and hand held set shit point/firmess set.

voidfinger · Jan 2, 2008

I'm going to be going with the transgo myself. I've heard wonders about the Jmod but i'm not wanting to drill into something that probably will cost more than my car

Jrgunn5150 · Jan 2, 2008

The Transgo for an AOD doesn't require drilling? I build 700r4's all the time, I drill the hell out of them, lol. It's not a big deal really.

I'm actually going to be getting my brother's AODE here shortly and rebuilding it for him, so I guess I'll finally get into what these Ford auto's are all about, part's cost's on it aren't bad, about 475 for a full, complete rebuild kit along with all the hard part's that would wear.

voidfinger · Jan 2, 2008

Jrgunn5150 said:
The Transgo for an AOD doesn't require drilling? I build 700r4's all the time, I drill the hell out of them, lol. It's not a big deal really.

I'm actually going to be getting my brother's AODE here shortly and rebuilding it for him, so I guess I'll finally get into what these Ford auto's are all about, part's cost's on it aren't bad, about 475 for a full, complete rebuild kit along with all the hard part's that would wear.

Yea my 4r70w crapped out on me 2 weeks ago so i got a new tranny in the car. The tranny shop that we go too "who gives us good deals" told me it would be around 1200 for a rebuild and then it would be a lot more if it was the pump... he said the the parts aren't exspensive exept for the pumps and that is what he thought it was. So was that 475 includeing the pumps?

O and i was talking about drilling for the J mod not the trans go.

Jrgunn5150 · Jan 2, 2008

voidfinger said:
Jrgunn5150 said:

The Transgo for an AOD doesn't require drilling? I build 700r4's all the time, I drill the hell out of them, lol. It's not a big deal really.

I'm actually going to be getting my brother's AODE here shortly and rebuilding it for him, so I guess I'll finally get into what these Ford auto's are all about, part's cost's on it aren't bad, about 475 for a full, complete rebuild kit along with all the hard part's that would wear.

Click to expand...

Yea my 4r70w crapped out on me 2 weeks ago so i got a new tranny in the car. The tranny shop that we go too "who gives us good deals" told me it would be around 1200 for a rebuild and then it would be a lot more if it was the pump... he said the the parts aren't exspensive exept for the pumps and that is what he thought it was. So was that 475 includeing the pumps?

O and i was talking about drilling for the J mod not the trans go.

Sorry, it's 494 for part's, including a pump. For 1200 bucks I could have built you a kick ass trans, the only thing that would bump the cost, even slightly, would be if you needed a new reverse input drum (my brother will probably). Not sure on the cost for a Ford unit, but a guess would be, 100 buck's.

nyuk98gt · Jan 2, 2008

Chaps:

The TransGo requires drilling of the separator plate. But the cardinal sin is drilling a hole in the valve body! If you want to "undo" the TransGo, you will have to fill in that hole with something (maybe a brass pin, peened over at both ends?). I don't want to start an argument about modifying the valve body but you cannot go wrong with the j-mod.

Setting firmer pressure without opening up a few holes in the separator plate is OK but, as was said, you are robbing Peter to pay Paul. The pump puts out only so much flow at a given pressure. If you do not reduce the internal pressure drop (ie. by drilling larger holes so more fluid can pass for any given pressure), then the flow will be reduced as the pressure increases. This is characteristic of any centrifugal pump. No dire warning, the transmission will not explode if you use a handheld only, lol. I'm just trying to provide good reason for doing the j-mod (and the handheld afterward).

Peace!

Chris

voidfinger · Jan 3, 2008

so your saying you have to drill for the transgo?

jfor441 · Jan 3, 2008

voidfinger said:
so your saying you have to drill for the transgo?

I thought you did. When I had my 84 Z28 I put my shift kit in and had to drill.

Here is a link TCCoA tech articles. VERY GOOD read for guys with autos. http://www.tccoa.com/articles/tranny/index.html#

voidfinger · Jan 3, 2008

man i hope i don't have to drill... thats something i'm just not wanting to do.

jfor441 · Jan 3, 2008

voidfinger said:
man i hope i don't have to drill... thats something i'm just not wanting to do.

Not hard to do. You get a template and the correct sized drill bit in the kit. Just follow the instructions. I still think the Jmod will be better for you though. I mean, the guy who designed the transmission is the guy who came up with the Jmod.

Jrgunn5150 · Jan 3, 2008

I've never seen a shift kit that didn't require drilling, it's really not a big deal. The whole point of it is, that the engineers need to make a compromise between comfort and longevity. Most people don't think it's funny to bark their tires on the 1-2 shift, so they design it to be perfect, then go back and block the holes, re-route the fluid, to make the shifts softer, thus shortening the life of the trans in the process.

The short story is drill it and don't be worried about it.

voidfinger · Jan 3, 2008

well if you have to drill both then , whats the difference in the Jmod and the transgo?

Jrgunn5150 · Jan 3, 2008

voidfinger said:
well if you have to drill both then , whats the difference in the Jmod and the transgo?

You pay for the Transgo <

Lol, jk. REally, probably nothing, except the Transgo would come with whatever fitting's etc you need, and stiffer spring's for where they are needed, and probably a template for where to dril.