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There's a lot of good info in the following post:
http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=721635
Also, if you are taking a transmission from an '89 and putting it into an '88, you shouldn't need to swap the bell housing. There will be a cutout on the top right side of the housing for the inductive pickup sensor, but since your '88 does not require it, it won't matter if it's there or not. If it were me, I'd plug the hole with an old/dead sensor or make a cover for it out of some scrap Aluminum (easy). Covering the hole serves no purpose other than to keep dirt, oil, and contaminants out of the bell housing and away from the torque converter seals.
Inspect the transmission ID tag on the Left side of the transmission. I am certain that your '88 tranny is non-lockup, but there is a good chance that your '89 is a Lockup transmission with a Lockup torque converter (identified by the model ID of 03-70L or 03-71L on the tag instead of the non-lockup 03-70 or 03-71). If you do infact have a lockup tranny/torque-converter, you must swap both the transmission and the torque converter, rather than just the transmission by itself. You will probably notice an improvement of about 2-5 mpg better by having the Lockup and it's defiantly worth having.
It would also be a good idea to replace the oil seals where the transmission and the torque converter mate together, and also the Engine Rear Main Seal while you have access to it. Don't use cheap parts or you may be pulling the trans again to change the seals (avoid ScanTech, MTC, etc). Before you install the transmission, change out the rear tailshaft bushing since your old one is probably shot by now. This can be easily done by removing the output flange (one nut and it slides right off), pulling the rear housing cover (five or six bolts), having a machine shop press in a new bushing, replacing the oil seal, and bolt the cover back on using a new gasket. You'll probably spend around $100 for all the front seals and the tailshaft bushing parts, but this is good insurance against having to pull the transmission again later.
While you have easy access to it, clean the transmission fluid filter/strainer (it's just a wire screen) and remove any sediment from the pan. When replacing the filter, you will need two filter gaskets since there is a spacer block behind the filter that allows it to draw fluid from lower in the pan. There will still be some fluid left up in the gears and clutches and you can drain most of this old fluid from the transmission by standing it vertical with the bell housing face down into a drain pan (with the torque converter removed of course). Replace as much of the ATF in the Torque Converter as you can by draining it, filling it, and repeating once or twice. Once the transmission is mounted in the vehicle, refill with a good quality ATF such as Valvoline Durablend ATF or Mobil 1 Full Synthetic ATF. While they may be a bit more expensive, they easily pay off with smoother shifting, less wear on the transmission, and a slightly improved fuel economy. For every 20 Degrees F that you decrease an Automatic Transmission's operating temperatures, you double the life of its clutches. By using Synthetic ATF, you should easily see a 20 degree drop in operating temps.
God bless,
Fitz Fitzgerald.
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'87 Blue 245, NA 231K
’88 Black 780, PRV-6, 144K
’89 Black 780, Turbo-4, 94K
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