Can a friction be shaved and put against the the piston , then a a steel on top of it for setting clearance on the direct drum . I know that is not the correct way but can it be done .

Are you thinking of taking material off both sides or just one?

I've been into a few ZF transmission that use single sided frictions.

In most cases, a thin steel shim is against the endplate rather than the piston.

we have done that in the past. learned that from a&a trans. we put them in the rear drum, between the drum and the part that the piston fits in. it takes up the slack to there is little to no end place in that drum. been doing it for years. also you need to trim the outside if you put it in there. but you can also use them to adjust clearance if you don't have a large selection of snap rings.

I shaved both sides of the clutch friction dropped it in drum , put a steel on top of it then friction , steel , alternating and had perfect clearance , but not sure if it would cause a problem with the way I did it . Did a air check and it functions ok , has anyone else done this with good results

If the forward clutch is real loose you can put a extra steel between the pressure plate and the snap ring.
Doug

is this for a 727 or 904, or both ?

Its for s 727