I have read a lot about rebuilding these trans. Its basically a 727 trans with OverDrive ( OD ) and the later ones rely more on computers. Saying that, it seems that there are more than a few places you can mess up, because you are supposed to set things up with gauges that you don't have. It does not seem like a smart thing to tackle as a first time around. I am comfortable enough with engines, like you. I have no problem swapping heads, intakes, replacing water pumps, carbs, I even rebuilt a Chev 400 SB with a stroker kit, from scratch, ie a boiled block.. I had a talk with PATC, who seemed to know what they were talking about. They would ship a completely rebuilt tranny to your specs, ie, whatever upgrades you want