Smarty Jr, BDS Lift, Tires/Wheels - Ouch!

[theinspectionguy]

Well my TDR brothers/sisters... . I broke down and spent some bucks today. I've been getting "new truck fever" recently and the wife, believe it or not suggested that I should put some mods on my "old" truck instead. So, hey... how could I pass that up right?!

So... as a birthday present to myself I went out and spent some bucks today. I'm still limping a bit from the bite out of my wallet.

Here's what I did:

1) Smarty Junior (purchased from Bob who sponsored the recent give-away) Obviously I didn't win the drawing so I broke down and bought one - should get here tomorrow I think --can't wait!!

2) 6" BDS lift, long arm, with leaf springs, gas shocks, and traction bars. This is the first time i've ever purchased a lift kit, so I'm a bit nervous and crossing my fingers that my research has led me in the right direction here. I rarely go off road so I didn't need to go too hard core. Just wanted it to look good, maintain good road manners and be stable on light trails and beach runs.

3) 20" XD Diesel wheels in black. Man oh man oh man is it ever so hard to decide what wheel to go with - so much to choose from out there!

4) Topping it off with a set of 37" Toyo M/T's - I have their A/T tires on my truck now and have been happy -- hopefully I will feel the same about the M/T's.

Told my wife about my spending spree and I couldn't believe my ears. She responds with "Aren't you going to get those power Amp steps so I can still get in and out of the truck??" So... . I guess I might be ordering a set of those from Geno's tomorrow.

The lift, tires, etc... will be installed next Thursday by Eastern Truck Accessories out of Norfolk, VA. I'm very excited, anxious, and nervous all at the same time. Crossing my fingers that I'll be happy with the way it all turns out.

Wish me luck fellas... I'd hate the thought of spending all this money and not being happy with the end result.

 

[MRFost]

What -- no compound turbos and 50 hp injectors? I'm just kidding -- good luck with the mods -- and give us an analysis after you've driven it for awhile.

 

[Crunch]

I'm very excited, anxious, and nervous all at the same time. Crossing my fingers that I'll be happy with the way it all turns out.

You should be nervous. Weren't you suspicious as to why your wife was all for this? You're still spending less than if you had bought a new truck, and your wife knows it. Yea, verily brother, the other shoe is about to drop... :-laf:-laf:-laf:-laf:-laf

 

[theinspectionguy]

MRFost, doing my best to avoid an upgraded transmission so the injectors/turbo etc... will have have to wait awhile hopefully

Crunch... the wife is a shrewd negotiator. She knew full well if she gave the green light on the upgrades, we'd avoid getting ourselves a new truck and payment. Shrewd I tell ya!

 

[Tejasdge]

Permission to play is a rare thing.



Instead of a spending the money on a whole transmission, go with a valve body upgrade for the time being. The '03 and '04's take the higher pressure better than the later trucks due to our fewer electronics in the transmission. I was running my Bully Dog at 90 HP with no apparent slipping and the kick down lever was missing when I put in the Goerend at 90sumthinthousand. The installer was amazed that the transmission was still going strong. If you are at all handy, you should be able to do the install. I'm worried that your 37's and power improvements will push you over the edge of the stock drivetrain. When you go for the full transmission, you will love it. I never thought that it was possible to get smooth shifts and rock solid performance.



Have fun and enjoy!

 

[theinspectionguy]

Tejasdge, thanks for the good info. Any suggestions on a quality valve body upgrade brand?

 

[Tejasdge]

I really like my Goerend transmission and triple lockup converter. Great warranty as well. I would expect that their valve bodies are top notch. Good customer service too. Tim Holt did my VB with Sonax parts and a shift kit. He pressure tested all the hydraulic circuits since leakage is a problem with the 48RE. He was in Texas, but I believe he got out of the biz. I can try to dig up the parts box if you're interested.