This last weekend I spent the majority of Saturday rebuilding the 700r4 transmission from my truck. I didn't have the right tool for the forward apply drum (2nd/4th gear) so I couldn't compress the spring cage to replace those frictions and steels. I did have the right tool to get the input drum assembly apart and then put back together.
I am happy to say that, despite having damaged one of the seals for the 3-4 apply piston during install, I discovered that the high-end parts kit I had purchased included an entirely new design for that piston where the seal was molded to the metal piston, and instead of a seal skirt, there was essentially a solid lip that couldn't be folded over or torn or crushed during the install.
I also found that the cheap eBay tools I bought to install the teflon rings on the input drum shaft worked just fine as well. All said and done, I don't think I've paid more than $50-60 for any unique tools thanks to eBay. If I bought the "proper" tools, they're often $150-200 each, despite being a few pieces of welded metal and some screws and little else.
Despite the 700r4 design being decades old, GM did the right thing by iterating its design since then, instead of trying to come up with entirely new designs every so many years. There are parts in the "new" 4L75e, for example, that are backwards compatible with my 700r4, so I can still benefit from performance and reliability upgrades to get even more life out of the transmission, and all without having to add a bunch of electronics to keep everything running.
On that topic though, I do think I'll give up on fuel delivery, and will be going with an aftermarket TBI system instead of trying to learn to build and tune a Quadrajet carburetor. Cores on them aren't expensive, I got one for $40 shipped, but given that this truck will be dealing with many different altitudes, I can only really tune the carb for one of them at a time. Further, in off-camber circumstances, the fuel delivery isn't going to be as reliable on pump gas with a carb as it is with fuel injection. A fuel injection system will be able to deal with all of that without an issue, and the "self-learning" ECUs are getting cheaper and cheaper all the time. I am currently leaning towards one of Holley's systems, but am still researching options.
Finally, I got my first shipment of Monstaliner, 1 gallon black and samples of all 45 of their Monstashades. When the SofTopper comes in, I am going to try and color match the main body color to that, and then use black for accents and on the hood. I like a black hood with a satin finish to cut down on glare. I've also removed the old bed liner, which was a plastic insert type, and have not been greeted by much rust underneath, so the bed of the truck is in good enough condition that I don't feel the need to get any body work done on it. Cabin corners are still rotted away, and the doors have holes, but I am not sure how much I care about that at this point.
Once the transmission is rebuilt, next will be the transfercase. Then will probably buy new drivelines instead of refurbishing the ones I've got, and just keep the U-joints on hand for spares. Then I can do new tires, to go on the steel rims I got cheap. Then I order the PRP bench seat, get a mild cage installed to mount the seat and Schroth 4-point Rallye belts.
Then the truck will be ready for some entry-level adventures, as well as hauling smaller loads of rock or bark to help the wife with her projects beautifying our home. We've got no new babies, pets, jobs, or homes this year, so we're trying to make the most of that to improve what is instead of the past few years of constant adjustment to "what now is".
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