Hi Marv,
Congrats on picking up a Johnson Valiant. Yes, you will see many mod's for the rig and it just depends on how far you want to go with changing things.
I would strongly suggest that you put it on the air and use it stock for awhile and verify that it works properly. After you have done that, then make a list of things that you would like to improve on it. From that list you will then be able to focus on specific modifications that satisfies your list of required improvement. You can do a few relatively simple mods or some folks do major mods on the rig.
The AM Window website is a very good depository of some excellent modifications.
http://www.amwindow.org/tech/htm/mods.htmRegards,
Joe, W3GMS