I did a post mortem on the first trans. Not pretty. The snout of the torque converter just touched the face of the pump, but enough to generate a crap load of heat. The snout is blue, the front seal is melted, the bronze sleeve spun in the bore, and the front of the oil pump gear is polished nice and shiny.

I suspect the 2nd trans will look the same way.

I think I remember a saying that "the first sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result each time". I sort of feel that way. Of course there's another saying that says "the third time is the charm".

Stay tuned. I'll get this bad boy on the road sooner or later.

-Jim