Yet another 904 rebuild thread, what kit?

Sorry you feel that way. I definitely DON'T know everything, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered to start this thread. I'd have just rebuilt my transmission and enjoyed my car and not dealt with all of this drama. But I'm also not some novice that's incapable of evaluating the information I'm getting. Yes, I had an idea of what I was going to do before I started this thread. What's good for a 500 hp street/strip car is not the same as what's good for a 300hp daily driver. If you'd given reasons why I should follow the same build plan as guys that are making an extra couple hundred horsepower or more, I would have been all ears, just like I'm listening to transman. But just saying "red plates are better because they're more expensive" doesn't cut it, because I do know better than that.



Awesome. Again, thank you sir for taking the time to lay all that out. This is the kind of info that I was looking for. I'll tear my transmission down first and check the tolerances/clearances before I order my parts, so hopefully I can just order everything at once, get the right parts and reassemble in one go.

Here's a picture of the hub on the original converter. Sorry for the dirt it's been under my bench for a few years, just like the transmission. It does have a crack, which I'm told is pretty common on the earlier 904's, but the hub is smooth. Probably should just replace the pump bushing anyway. Obviously I'm replacing the convertor.

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This is the manual you're talking about right?
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I've already got the 727 book by Carl Munroe, but the ATSG book looks like a good one to have too. This is the one I've already got
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The books are the right ones. Glad you got them. Look at the hub on the converter and you can see the wear where the bushing rides. The pump bushing needs replacing. Even without the crack, if it was my car, the converter would be replaced.
The red friction/koloene steel setup is very controversial. Some racers love 'em, some say they're a waste of money. Like everything else, each to their own. I know a very smart transmission builder that runs in Super Gas and he says that with Raybestos waffle plates, and with normal steel plates in his transmission he can get about 3 seasons on them. Now, my ex boss runs a low seven second car with a Steve Schmidt bb Chev , abt 12-1300HP, with a 904 behind it, and he does use the red plates/kolene steels in his transmission.