i say ditch the shift kit and cooler and spend the money on a good converter. Vigilante is the way to go IMO. they are pricey but u pay more for the best.

 

I wouldn't sacrifice tranny life (cooler) and ability to have crisp shifts lost by adding the converter without a shift kit.

Just save up the install money, but a Vigi, Shift Kit & Cooler.

My site has a very clear guide on installing torque converters.

http://www.zmydust.com/converter.html

The TransGo shift kits are a bit tougher to install, but they come with a video, so I didnt' bother with a write-up.

 

i know everyone told me to get a vig, and save my install money. but i already bought my Hughes 3000, and cooler and got everything installed for a little over $800 and i still have another $400 to spend since im getting paid on friday. i really love the way my car pulls now to 120mph, before it felt like it would have a hard time getting there. got to admit i need a shift kit now, cuz it feels like a powerglide....only feel two shifts only bad thing is now what should i spend my $400 on

 

I ran a stock tranny with 33k miles on it with a 3000 midwest stall and no shift kit behind my setup. I didn't want the shift kit because I knew it'd cause me to lose traction between 1st and 2nd on my 275 nittos when street racing and most likely make me slower. It finally just started to slip a tad after 10k miles and lots of high 11 sec passes and 1.6 60fts. It shifted so SOFT though, but now I've got an flp lvl 4 with a yank 3600 and I just got it in so no wot runs yet but part throttle it shifts HARD. I see no traction between gears in my near future on nittos, so I guess I'll be waiting on the new m/t drag radial.

With some et streets and the new stall I wouldn't be suprised to see you drop at least .4 in the 1/4.

 

Ahh but as you stated before a shift kit makes the tranny run cooler and helps it last longer