Thank you for the replies. Sounds like the transmission is just going out and it was probably like this prior to changing the oil.

There is a guy around here that rebuilds them and I hear he does a really good job, so I may just look into that eventually. In the meantime 1st, 2nd and 5th isn't too bad. If you red line in 2nd it is possible to go straight to 5th and achieve highway speeds in about 2 minutes. :-)

On the other hand redlining in 2nd produces somewhat of a smoke screen. I don't think my valve guide seals exist any more... I probably should have looked into rebuilding the top end while I had the engine out. Oh well, I will figure that out later as well.

As far as converting to an automatic, I really like the feel of a manual. I had to give up my standard vehicles when I got married (my wife just could not get it), so I think this one will remain a standard - although I have read that the automatics were much better.

Thanks again,
Ryan