I talked to a different tranny shop and im taking the whole car there on either monday or tuesday. he said it might be something as simple as a band adjustment. my tranny is a 904 cheetah fwd valve body, semi rigid band, deep pan with filter extension and a dynamic 9.5" converter. not sure on the clutch packs or drum. its times like this I really wish I knew transmissions better

also, when the rear was up on jack stands, it would roll and shift through all the gears. none of the fluid smells burnt either. it does howl (sound like a brake dragging) when the car is on the ground and giving it throttle in gear.