Stay away from ATS. I just had one crap out on me that was "rated" at 750 hp and 1,500 ft-lbs fo torque. I t lasted 103,000 miles. Less than 20,000 of those miles were over 500 hp. I now have a BTS.

If you have not already got a cooler you should look at Rock Auto for the 6.0 cooler. TruCool was the hot setup until the 6.0 coolers came down in price. They are around $275 and are huge and bolt right up to the 7.3 location of the one you are replacing. I have heard it is easier to install from the bottom, but have not done it.

Diesel Site no longer sales the TruCool cool system. But someone on here did find this. Looks the same.

I'll be adding the 6.0 big cooler to my truck at the end of the month when I go home. I got a ranch hand bumper, and my dad has a forklift I can use to take it off. Installation kit from Pure Diesel Power is already at his office waiting on me:cheesy smile:

So about the OP, is shudder on takeoff a sign of a bad converter? or of a bad first gear clutch?

Pretty sure I'm still with the OEM trans at 167000.

I heard brake-torquing is a way to diagnose if its the torque converter. But transmissions are like quantum physics to me

Be sure you're not confusing driveshaft bind with a transmission slip. Having lift kit and/or loose carrier bearing will cause bad vibration that gets worse under load and clears up faster you go.

I agree, Ridgerunner. Just had the exact thing you've described, 1st gear towing up a steep incline (23% according to google earth) was unuseable. Took it in and they found the driveline was twisted over 2 degrees, plus the carrier bearing was mis-aligned due to my 5" FabTech lift. Got the driveline fixed and balanced, and the carrier bearing aligned and the takeoff vibrations almost completely went away. They still exist but are barely noticeable, my tranny guy said I really need to get a torsion bar to prevent the rear-axle/differential from torqueing under load and he thought that would remove the rest of the vibration.