It's coming along! More parts ordered today. Some additional comments/questions:
1. It's looking like a new forward drum 34554EA might actually be the cheaper option depending on machine costs. Do you use green loctite 640 with the sleeve when you machine yours?
2. Got the holes drilled that we discussed earlier, and I'm assuming deburring them is needed. Should I use a chamfer bit? I don't have a die grinder so maybe a proper bit on a dremel tool will work? One of the holes was very small, 1/16 from what I recall.
3. Removing these bushings has been a pain without a press. I actually used a blade from a hack saw to cut the ones out of the sun gear shaft and then used a cold chisel that I cut at a 45 degree angle to get them out without scoring the sun gear shaft. I plan to do this for the rest of the blind bushings.
4. The bushing that came in my 13 piece TK-4A durabond kit for the 8623944 isn't fluted so I will replace it with 03131 for use OD drum.
5. The bushing kit also comes with a wide stator bushing and a narrow stator bushing, so I'll just use the wide one.
6. Since I've ordered jakes billet forward hub, is there a need to purchase Sonnax 34298-078 which I saw you recommend in another thread where you state that it can be used to replace the thrust washer on the forward hub to tighten front unit endplay? In a stock configuration, I see that there is the forward hub to forward drum (front) washer and there's the forward hub to direct drum washer. Are both of these still used with a rollerized billet forward drum?
7. I was throwing around the idea of machining a bearing pocket on the center support so that it fits a late TH350 rear pump thrust bearing and selective washer but read that many high hp builds don't even do this. I read that having the stock thrust setup where the direct drum passes thrust through the sun gear tube works well as long as the center support bushing is good. It looks like the TH350 rear pump thrust bearing is #211 in this TH350 parts image below? It looks like that the same bearing used when rollerizing the rear Part #44211C ? Is that correct? And is the selective washer part of K35412 (44200F) ?
8. I purchased Bearing kit 34201E which includes the 4 Torrington bearings 217, 242, 249, 256 seen in the 4L80E parts diagram in post #51 above.
There's 2 of the 217 bearings so I may purchase another. I also purchased 34200E washer kit. And a 4 tang output thrust washer (34268)
9. For rollerizing the rear, I picked up 34006-SP bushing, some red loctite, GM part number 9436851 (44211C) and K35412 (44200F) shim kit. Your earlier posts on that found on another site is very clear so I will use those excellent instructions!
10. For the forward, I read that both the pistons in that style and the late model 4L80E bonded pistons could crack, but that I'd probably be OK just using the standard late 4L80E bonded piston in the forward drum with no wave plate and regular springs.
11. Pump gears seem good, I can't pull them apart when they are engaged which I guess is a good sign, but for $30 I may just replace them.
12. Since I am not doing any modifications to Jake's D3 valve body, there is no need to plug the reverse feed in center support as I understand it.
13. The front planetary bushing is good, so I probably won't replace that one. Which looks like it requires disassembly the planetary in order to do so.
14. The to do list for the machinist is:
- Machine the TH400 early model aluminum piston for the direct once it's determined how much needs to be cut.
- Possibly machining a bearing pocket on the center support so that it fits a late TH350 rear pump thrust bearing and washer
-Machining the case to fit the Reid bellhousing adapter
-Drill press to put 2 more locating holes on top of the output carrier so that I can use a brass 4 tang output thrust washer (34268) instead of the plastic one.
- Removing and pressing in the bushing on the center support
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