Upgrades and Aftermarket - 99 & up 7.3L EngineUpgrading or adding OEM or aftermarket equipment to your 1999-Up Super Duty or Excursion with 7.3L Power Stroke diesel engine. Please confine discussion of topics in this forum to those items that are specific to the 7.3L Power Stroke engine.
Sorry 415, I am VERY Happy with my PI converter, Ya can't convince me the 6oh converter is any better. (Or really as good) The PI has 300 % more clutch surface inside than the stock 4R100 one does. And will pull a freeking house down. (It will brake torque in 2nd gear)
Well, if the price is near the same, (And they are) I rest very assured I have the best of every internal that BTS offers. To anyone at any HP.... So Really,,,, if I was trying to decide right now, the "Levels of builds" would be a little bit of a turn off to me... Build it,,, just BUILD IT,,,,, not to certain levels, what if you want to up the HP down the road, so you don't have the input shafts ect.... not a good thing IMHO...
I know if I touch 400 hp, or MORE,,(Won't happen, PMR's,,,,) I wouldn't need anything more than a tweek on the valve body plate. (Different holes).. to re-tune my BTS.
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Jim T.*48* SLAPS Co-Founder, 30.8 yrs RETIRED UAW 6/01/06, Now an ART (Specialists Flight Chief) with the USAFR 414th MXS Seymour Johnson AFB. My pics!'03 Dually pics!, New truck, 2011 F-350 SRW LB CC. White Platinum Lariat! 4x4
Sorry 415, I am VERY Happy with my PI converter, Ya can't convince me the 6oh converter is any better. (Or really as good) The PI has 300 % more clutch surface inside than the stock 4R100 one does. And will pull a freeking house down. (It will brake torque in 2nd gear)
Well, if the price is near the same, (And they are) I rest very assured I have the best of every internal that BTS offers. To anyone at any HP.... So Really,,,, if I was trying to decide right now, the "Levels of builds" would be a little bit of a turn off to me... Build it,,, just BUILD IT,,,,, not to certain levels, what if you want to up the HP down the road, so you don't have the input shafts ect.... not a good thing IMHO...
I know if I touch 400 hp, or MORE,,(Won't happen, PMR's,,,,) I wouldn't need anything more than a tweek on the valve body plate. (Different holes).. to re-tune my BTS.
well that's all that matters is we're all happy. I'm not knocking your trans at all, i'm just trying to let people knwo that there are other options out there..that in my mind are better..in your mind maybe not. I have seen your very converter fail more than once..so i decided to go a different route.
In the end, we're all happy and who cares who built it ya know?
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2002 F350 Lariat CC SRW 4x4 LB , Shadow Gray, Edge 4.5" w/ dual bilsteins up front/ Toyo Open Country M/T 315-75-16. Stock Motor 7.3, dual alts / 3 guage pillar pod, Auto Meter/ 5" turbo back magnaflow exhaust w/Aeroturbine muffler & 6" Jardine tip/ Husky 24k 5th wheel / Air Lift Bags.
John Wood Transmission / DP tuner / 08' rear diff cover
have you been to JW's shop? or ran one of his trans? Or experienced his customer service? the bts bandwagon has got to be crowded !
No, I have not been to his shop,I went 850 miles to BTS for the best
of all the rest. Call it the BTS band wagon cuz, But they a whole bunch
of us BTS people driving PSD with Brians Transmissions that do not ever
have to worry about warranty, and yea, we can put as much hp to it
and will not worry about smokin it. It is not just on this site BTS bubbas all over the US.And for JW customer service, I got the best service when I went
to Lead Hill, I do not care what you say JW will not ever back his transmission the way Brian will.
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Charles Murphy
Bessemer City NC
1999 f-350 4x4
BTS transmission BTS Tune 6.0 cooler Issopro gauges
MBRP 4" 304 stainless exhaust K&N FIPK air intake.
No, I have not been to his shop,I went 850 miles to BTS for the best
of all the rest. Call it the BTS band wagon cuz, But they a whole bunch
of us BTS people driving PSD with Brians Transmissions that do not ever
have to worry about warranty, and yea, we can put as much hp to it
and will not worry about smokin it. It is not just on this site BTS bubbas all over the US.And for JW customer service, I got the best service when I went
to Lead Hill, I do not care what you say JW will not ever back his transmission the way Brian will.
How do you know that his customer service wont' back it? WHen you're on the side of the road, the best customer service in the world doesn't mean diddly. I saw a bts trans taken apart, nice piece, and i've been around this stuff for a long time, but there are a couple AT LEAST things that JW adds, in addition to the crap that bts uses, that i believe made a superior product. This debate will never die, but there are literally thousands of JW trans out there, since 1983, especially in the farm industry still alive and kickin.
I know of about five of them, some of them drag racing, most of them towing goosenecks and lare fifth wheels, no problems whatsoever. Am i mistaken, or are there a coule of threads on the boards with people having probs with their BTS? Find a thread like that on JW. I just think you guys think you have a bulletproof product WRONG transmissions will break JW, BTS, allison, race transmissions, eatons, whatever. I'm just glad we have two different places AT LEAST to go to that make an awsome product.
I bet you anything Brian wouldn't come out to my house in so cali and fix my trans, and i wouldn't expect him to. Anyone in so cal is within striking or limping distance of JW> oh, and his free dyno sessions aren't bad either.
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2002 F350 Lariat CC SRW 4x4 LB , Shadow Gray, Edge 4.5" w/ dual bilsteins up front/ Toyo Open Country M/T 315-75-16. Stock Motor 7.3, dual alts / 3 guage pillar pod, Auto Meter/ 5" turbo back magnaflow exhaust w/Aeroturbine muffler & 6" Jardine tip/ Husky 24k 5th wheel / Air Lift Bags.
John Wood Transmission / DP tuner / 08' rear diff cover
Wow,, just won't let it die,,,
No, he wouldn't come out there to fix it. BUT if it was under warranty, shipping would be free, that ain't bad. And as far as broken transmissions, sheesh your right, they will break,
I would take two trucks, and log chain them together bumper to bumper, and bet my BTS would hold up better. BRIAN has more drag racing and pulling trucks than you could ever count out there,, (Count 8 second 1/4 mile LIGHTNINGS,,, he builds MANY transmissions for them, just go to a Lightning forum and ask who has heard of BTS...Pulling trucks? Sure, warranty is good as ever, in those too, (SLED pulling,,,,) Along with 5th wheels,,,,
Working trucks? (Car haulers, "Hot shotters" ect...
Ok, NEITHER one will win, I would seriously "Doubt" JW does any more to them internally than Brian does, (Not much else anyone COULD do,,IMHO) So your statement that
Quote:
but there are a couple AT LEAST things that JW adds, in addition to the crap that bts uses, that i believe made a superior product. This debate will never die, but there are literally thousands of JW trans out there, since 1983, especially in the farm industry still alive and kickin.
BULLIT PROOF? ,,, nah, I have said this over and over, NOTHING is Bullit Proof when it comes to transmissions,,, JW, BTS, not one.
BUT I KNOW, my 6 yr old BTS will be taken care of EXTREMELY reasonably priced, if the time comes for it to need repair.... BY EXTREMELY reasonably priced, I mean a few hundred bucks probably. Now, like I said, I KNOW JW trans have broken too, Brian said he has seen a few, along with Suncoast, ATS, Monsterbox, ect... ALL the "Bullit proof" ones out there... Threads on Broken JW ones? Don't know, don't care, Probably the only threads you have seen on a broken BTS was the thread where someone came on to say how well it was taken care of after they called Brian... NOT where they said, "I won't go back there again, the service and product was terrible"
So what, you know of some BTS's that broke,,,
I bet you don't know of any UNHAPPY BTS customers, weather they had any problems with their trans or not,,,
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Jim T.*48* SLAPS Co-Founder, 30.8 yrs RETIRED UAW 6/01/06, Now an ART (Specialists Flight Chief) with the USAFR 414th MXS Seymour Johnson AFB. My pics!'03 Dually pics!, New truck, 2011 F-350 SRW LB CC. White Platinum Lariat! 4x4
JIM, you won't let it die either. YOu are obviously oblivious to the amount of experience the man has. So, to each their own.
and go ahead and hook two of them together..with a chain, i bet that purple torque converter of yours wont hold up!
LOL had to say it. So no, i wont' let it die. I've been listeiing to all of this for years on here, i just think people need to know that there are other options out there. Brian is to be commended for his work, damn, if i was out there i'm POSTIVE i would have went to the shop. But to just think what each of you has is the best hands down, no other better thing out there..isn't healthy competition and doesn't make for good conversation. Had i not heard of JW, i would be boasting BTS just as well as you are. But i didn't, nor would i think i have enough knowledge about somoeone i've never met to judge them by a website. JW does these trans, two or three a day, along with trophy truck trannies, hot rods, chevys, allisons, dodge, whatever you bring him. While waiting for mine to clean up in the hot tank he put another one together for a stake bed.
Anyway, anyone out there, if you're ont he west side of this great country, you should seriously look at your options before jumping on the BandTwagonS.
And jim, we just need to bring our trucks somewhere and have a beer together, and argue and tell each other lies in person _ give me your address i'll send you a John Wood Automotive Hat and T-shirt Just trying to smooth things over.
how did i go from 7 year lurker to five posts a day? haha.
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2002 F350 Lariat CC SRW 4x4 LB , Shadow Gray, Edge 4.5" w/ dual bilsteins up front/ Toyo Open Country M/T 315-75-16. Stock Motor 7.3, dual alts / 3 guage pillar pod, Auto Meter/ 5" turbo back magnaflow exhaust w/Aeroturbine muffler & 6" Jardine tip/ Husky 24k 5th wheel / Air Lift Bags.
John Wood Transmission / DP tuner / 08' rear diff cover
Sorry 415, I am VERY Happy with my PI converter, Ya can't convince me the 6oh converter is any better. (Or really as good) The PI has 300 % more clutch surface inside than the stock 4R100 one does. And will pull a freeking house down. (It will brake torque in 2nd gear)
Well, if the price is near the same, (And they are) I rest very assured I have the best of every internal that BTS offers. To anyone at any HP.... So Really,,,, if I was trying to decide right now, the "Levels of builds" would be a little bit of a turn off to me... Build it,,, just BUILD IT,,,,, not to certain levels, what if you want to up the HP down the road, so you don't have the input shafts ect.... not a good thing IMHO...
I know if I touch 400 hp, or MORE,,(Won't happen, PMR's,,,,) I wouldn't need anything more than a tweek on the valve body plate. (Different holes).. to re-tune my BTS.
I have read great things about the PI converter, but it is a costly unit. The 6.0L converter that John offers is part of his towmaster option. He has made some of his own modifications to this converter. The $3400 cost on this transmission is a good choice for most people out there as I believe most people never get past the 350HP mark with their 7.3L trucks. I think he said with this option you could go to 400HP safely. I think it is great that JW offers a more affordable choice for transmission. If you know you'll never go past the 350 - 400HP mark than in my mind there is no need to spend a lot of extra money. I have read a number of posts on this forum and elsewhere where people are concerned about the high cost of a transmission rebuild. This option gives people the opportunity to upgrade to something significantly better than factory without having to spend a lot of extra money. The towmaster has all the same custom modifications, upgrades, and valve body modifications as the higher stage transmission only with a stock input shaft and the 6.0L converter. The transmissions are built the same.
With John's stage 1 transmission, you also get a billet converter that has more clutch material along with the 3m input shaft otherwise identical to the towmaster. This is where the price goes up to $4200, which puts it around the BTS cost. The higher stages have more 3m parts otherwise the same built transmission. I believe he told me the 3m output shaft was around $1,000 alone. That drives up the overall cost quite a bit, but will help decrease the chances of breaking a transmission behind a 600+ HP truck.
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2001 7.3L, John Wood stage-1 transmission, 6.0L trans cooler, Single-shot HO injectors, ITP RR, DP Tuner, Ford AIS Intake, 4" Exhaust, Detroit Truetrac, 245/70 tires, Accuride 19.5x6.75 wheels
Last edited by F450Diesel; 10-10-2008 at 12:36 AM.
JW does these trans, two or three a day, along with trophy truck trannies, hot rods, chevys, allisons, dodge, whatever you bring him. While waiting for mine to clean up in the hot tank he put another one together for a stake bed.
He does do them all. He does the 5R110 transmissions as well. He was telling me about a couple mechanical diodes that fail in those with plow truck drivers when they are going back and forth constantly. He said he had a solution for that problem, but it would cost some money to make it happen. He also has another shop on his property that he leases out to someone to do more of the day-to-day type of repairs. Very nice shop overall.
I love his white 500HP truck that he's been working on. Very nice looking truck. I've been thinking about ordering the same set of black headlights that he has on his truck.
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2001 7.3L, John Wood stage-1 transmission, 6.0L trans cooler, Single-shot HO injectors, ITP RR, DP Tuner, Ford AIS Intake, 4" Exhaust, Detroit Truetrac, 245/70 tires, Accuride 19.5x6.75 wheels
He does do them all. He does the 5R110 transmissions as well. He was telling me about a couple mechanical diodes that fail in those with plow truck drivers when they are going back and forth constantly. He said he had a solution for that problem, but it would cost some money to make it happen. He also has another shop on his property that he leases out to someone to do more of the day-to-day type of repairs. Very nice shop overall.
I love his white 500HP truck that he's been working on. Very nice looking truck. I've been thinking about ordering the same set of black headlights that he has on his truck.
Yes, i rode in that white truck. It definitely hauls the mail! It's no joke out on the dunes either!
I've seen him put a lot of his built 4r100's in the 6.0, now that's good stuff.
Ok, so i will give a little. I think the ultimate would be to buy a BTS, take it to JW and have him add a few of his custom parts, now there's a nice unit!
Those 3m shafts are pricey. I ran them on a sand car (for axles) which was a 2.3 ford esslinger motor, turbo injected on alcohol. 800+HP on drag paddles. Yes, they broke...and guess what, the regular axles, similar to a stock porche, held up better.
This debate is much like the mendeola vs build volkswagen bus trans. Sure everyone wants the mendeola, and says they're unbreakable. But damn if i see a ton of them in the shop busted. As for a built VW box, not so much. Wait, am i on glamisdunes.com?
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2002 F350 Lariat CC SRW 4x4 LB , Shadow Gray, Edge 4.5" w/ dual bilsteins up front/ Toyo Open Country M/T 315-75-16. Stock Motor 7.3, dual alts / 3 guage pillar pod, Auto Meter/ 5" turbo back magnaflow exhaust w/Aeroturbine muffler & 6" Jardine tip/ Husky 24k 5th wheel / Air Lift Bags.
John Wood Transmission / DP tuner / 08' rear diff cover
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2000 F250 extended cab XLT, 6 inch lift, 315/75/16 BFG TKO, cold air intake, 6 inch stacks, TDP custom chip, 230cc injectors with 200% nozzles, garret ball bearing turbo, FASS system,20* swamps oil pump,traction bars,custom built 4r100, 3 gauge pillar and gauge kit and a whole lot of the giggly juice
without calling both places, i can' tanswer that question correctly. i think BTS will be a little less than JW's equivalent..but no so much to be discouraging either way. If you're in ny, probably bts would be your best bet. i think if you call both places, they'll both be on the phone with you for quite some time and it'll be a tough call.
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2002 F350 Lariat CC SRW 4x4 LB , Shadow Gray, Edge 4.5" w/ dual bilsteins up front/ Toyo Open Country M/T 315-75-16. Stock Motor 7.3, dual alts / 3 guage pillar pod, Auto Meter/ 5" turbo back magnaflow exhaust w/Aeroturbine muffler & 6" Jardine tip/ Husky 24k 5th wheel / Air Lift Bags.
John Wood Transmission / DP tuner / 08' rear diff cover
i really want to get a better trans than what i have now and i want to get the best i was thinking of a ATS BC they use allot of hard parts but now i don't think i want them considering they want $9000 for the transmission that i want
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2000 F250 extended cab XLT, 6 inch lift, 315/75/16 BFG TKO, cold air intake, 6 inch stacks, TDP custom chip, 230cc injectors with 200% nozzles, garret ball bearing turbo, FASS system,20* swamps oil pump,traction bars,custom built 4r100, 3 gauge pillar and gauge kit and a whole lot of the giggly juice
It's not that he's being lazy..he just doesn't sell the 3m input shafts to a poor sap who'll never come close to breaking a stock unit..which..come onnow...isn't junk.
You do realize that the price goes up for more power, right? Care to compare the best of BTS with the best of JW?
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01 Excursion 7.3L Powerstroke. Gauges with AIH Delete, AIS, CCV Mod, 4' MBRP, BTS Trans, 6.0L Trans Cooler and Intercooler, DP-Tuner F5 chip, ITP In Tank Mod and Boost Annihilator, Diesel Innovation's Regulated Fuel kit, BTS Big Oil system, GTP38R Turbo with 1.15 A/R housing and BPD Stage II AC injectors. Bilstein Shocks with U code front and A code Rear.
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Ya can't convince me the 6oh converter is any better. (Or really as good) The PI has 300 % more clutch surface inside than the stock 4R100 one does. And will pull a freeking house down. (It will brake torque in 2nd gear)
) I wouldn't need anything more than a tweek on the valve body plate. (Different holes).. to re-tune my BTS.
_ give me your address i'll send you a John Wood Automotive Hat and T-shirt 
Just trying to smooth things over.
2001 F250 4x4 crew lariat 7.3L auto, DP Tuner F5 no-start/valet/20tow/80econo/140aggressive, Adrian Tavano's triple disc converter, transgo tugger HD2, ISSPRO egt/boost/pyro, foil delete, 6" stainless tip, Magnaflow 17979 4" turbo-back, dieselsite boots & coolant filter kit, HX crossover, boost fooler & tru-cool trans cooler, ported turbo housing, DIY 6637 Tymar, billet grill, line-x bedliner, bug deflector, tint, 08' alum diff cover, clear corners & tails, silverstar bulbs, Xtreme XT855 reverse lights, 1500w inverter, Tekonsha Primus, EQX, Epicenter, Autotek MM4000.1D, 2x Audiobahn AWT12X, 2/0 cables, JVC KD-AVX44 El Kameleon dvd deck, 12.5" flipdown video.
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