I then used a spray bottle full of Purple Stuff degreaser and some wooden sticks and vinyl/brass brushes to clean all the oil, tar, mud and sand that was encrusted on the sides. Took several "lather, rinse, repeat" iterations to get it comepletely clean. I stayed away from steel wire brushes as they tend to scratch the aluminum.
Sure is handy having the cherry picker to hang the thing on.
After hoisting the tranny up I was able to pull the pan and replace the filter. The pan looked great, no metal in there. I guess someone back in the 70's replaced the filter as there was some gasket goo on the pan gasket. The underside of the pan was pefect, flat, and scratch free, further evidence that the tranny had never been out of the car. (They usually get dragged across the floor when removed.) I was careful to not place it on the ground, in order to further preserve the pan's finish.
Here is the VIN stamp location on the turbo 350. Happily, this one matches the car and the engine.
