The reason for such a beefy tranny behind a mildly modified 350 is because I plan to drop a mild 455 into the Firebird in the future. I wanted something that would handle 450 HP - 450 lb/ft range.
You can follow this LONG thread about my 2004r purchase with a parts/price breakdown:
I really like this tranny. Going from a 2 speed to a 4 speed with 2.78 rear gears was amazing. I can't believe the low-end I have now. Now I wish I had some 3.55 gears to go with the OD. I find I don't use the OD, I keep it in DRIVE, unless I'm going over 70 MPH. I think with a gear change I would use the OD more often. There's always something!
