I just received a valve body from somebody in another forum, story was the guy got it a while ago and always intended to put it in but sold the truck before he had the chance to do so and was just "cleaning shop" and posted it as available to see if there was any interest in it before he tossed it.
It's supposed to be from an 01 46RE all the casting date stamps on it say 99/00. It's supposed to have new governor solenoids and a shift kit in it.
When I do any 904/727 based trans (includes the OD versions too---haven't been inside one in a few years) I like a mild shift kit, like a tfod-jr.
I'm not sure I'm gonna use this new acquisition yet but if I pulled it apart how would I tell what shift kit if any is in this vb I just received?
I can tell this recently fresh trans I just put in my Durango ( built by who knows who but it's Definitely a fresh stock build) doesn't haven't anything of a kit installed, I can tell a difference between how this one shifts vs how the old one shifted the last 60+k miles before it went bad.
I will probably pull the vb out of the recently departed trans, dismantle it, clean it up, and install new electronics and swap that one in, since I know that ones history.

The factory coil springs that are visible, like the main pressure regulator are natural steel finish...shift kit springs are usually painted.

Ok I got a pm back from the guy, he says it's supposed to have a TFOD shift kit in it.
Is this the same as sthe TFOD jr that I have used in the past?

The TFOD kit has lots more parts, the jr. is an abbreviated kit with only a valve and some springs.

So then is the regular TFOD kit with "options" for desired effect or is that one an "all or nothing" deal? (Meaning that you have to use everything in the kit or don't use any of it)
I'm gonna Google for an instruction sheet and pull it apart and see if I can match up to see if this vb agrees with what the sheet says to see if I can figure out exactly what's been done to it before I put this vb in.
It's also supposed to have brand new both governor solenoid and transducer, don't know if there's any way to prove/disprove that. As expensive as ATF+4 is I don't want to be dumping a lot of fluid in experimentation, when I put this trans in it cost me $132 (plus tax so over $140 for a single damn case of ATF+4.
I've only got ~250 miles on it since I put the trans in.
I don't mind dumping the pan once /as you would "breaking in" a new engine// but that's the only time I'm willing to do so for at least the next 25-30k miles. So I'm not gonna be playing "musical vb.

What keeps you from re-using the fluid? Paint strainers are cheap.

I just never have reused trans fluid. But that was easier when I could get it at Walmart for $4.77/qt than now that it's $11.

Some of the kit components are optional and the shift firmness can be tailored.

The paint strainer gets the big stuff out like sand and stuff from the pan rail when pulling the pan, and any aluminum or steel breakdown.
They are around 120-190 micron filters. The typical Dacron sump filter is around 50. So the sump filter will do it’s job.

And all filters get more efficient after they have been used. I would reuse the sump filter unless really crappy.

Sump filters are the cheap part. I won't lose any sleep about throwing that away. It's the $11/quart for ATF+4 that pisses me off.