Using the 4" cleanout (it was a perfect fit) I was able to get out the oil dam in cylinder A.
Once again, all O-rings look good.
I picked up a 6" cleanout for the D spring. At first it did not work, but once I grinded down the outside edge like this, it worked like a charm.
Retaining ring removed
And the removed O-rings. Looks good as usual.
Pushed out the bushing in the D/E housing using a plastic trim removal tool and a rubber faced hammer
So here are the $15 worth of spring compression tools I made
I went to NAPA to look for a snap ring removal tool but their selection was awful, only small stuff. Went to Sears and picked up the largest one they had, which was only slightly larger that the ones I already had. After about 10 minutes I finally managed to get the outer snap ring out, but I gave up on the inner one after another 15 minutes.
Guess I'll have to order one online to get that last snap ring out...
So other than that last snap ring, everything but the valve body is now completely disassembled with no obvious cause for the failsafe discovered. I'll go ahead and inspect and measure the remaining clutch packs next, but I don't suspect I'll find anything suspect.
I wonder how much the test plate for clutches A-F cost? I'll definitely want to verify all pistons operate correctly before re-installing the transmission. Maybe a metal shop can make one for me cheaper?
Finally a shot of the back corner of my shop. I moved the parts cleaner and shop press into that corner cleaning all parts will go smoothly. I'll probably start that process soon and then "paint" and bag everything.
You can also see that I got the lower shelf installed and loaded my '69 SMB block into it and various other just from the floor. Bench is REAL stable now.
