UPDATE!

Ok volks, here's an interesting update. I worked 28 hours straight, minus a 3 hour nap, on the old honey and got all the remaining important items buttoned up. I didn't get to fixing the three minor coolant leaks or actually playing with transmission internals like I'd hoped, but I made significant progress nonetheless. Certainly enough to be able to drive it to, and on the track without issue. But, not back from the track, as it turned out. The car performed quite well, within the constraints of a tired out transmission. I beat an early '80's Ford Fairmont wagon with a full 5.0L drivetrain swap, a twin cam Neon, some Acura, and was dead even with a 300hp Volvo S60 turbo w/ six speed. A CRX with a Integra GSR swap managed to pull away by about a second, same with a 2003-ish Mustang. Something popped in the trans on the following run. Based on the lack of oil or parts on the track, and the complete lack of any bad noises, I think it's a hydraulic pump driveshaft failure. We'll see. The car launched really well, especially considering the ancient street tires I was using. Acceleration was great, but gear changes were traumatically slow. If I can get the transmission to shift quickly, this car's gonna be vicious at stage 4+

UPDATE

Okay, so still waiting on the video from the drags. Best time was 15.0. My old gas rabbit (the maroon one in the night time 2nd gear burnout video earlier in this writeup) was a 14.9 car including a shift into a very tall overdrive 5th gear. So initially, I was a little disappointed by this time. After reviewing the videos, it's obvious that there's at least 1.5 seconds to be saved by a fast shifting transmission. I love the launch the 3 speed gives.
Last night, I tore into the spare transmission. I removed the valve body and cleaned the inside of the trans case. Here's a pic of it before cleaning. Lots of poo everywhere.

Then i dismantled the valve body and cleaned all the valves and every nook and cranny.

Here's the govenor. It's removeable while the trans is still in the car, so I think i'll lower the shift point.  I can't imagine the power peak exceeding 5500rpm, and the torque band starts around 2000rpm. So I think it's a waste of time to hit 6500rpm in every gear.

I love mechanical stuff!!

Here's the 2nd gear brake servo piston:

I made up a tool that will allow me to change the main pressure without valve body removal, though the trans oil pan still needs to be dropped first. I'm going to play with some other bits inside the trans and see what it does. If I can get a fast shift out of it, perhaps I'll take it back to the track next weekend. Well, maybe not. I'll Gtech it to get a q-mile time. That way, it's A) free and B) within tow-strapping range of home if it blows again. hehe.

I've got very high hopes for this automatice transmission stuff. I really think that if the bugs can be worked out, it's going to make for a very fast car. We'll see!

 Update

Alright, 'nother quick update for you. I tinkered with some internals and reassembled the transmission. I see now that stealing fluid from the pressure measurement port might not have been the best idea. That port resides directly over top of the accumulator chamber. The accumulator slows down the 2nd gear shift and kickdown process. So by giving the 2nd gear change 'muscle fluid' an alternate, low restriction path to follow, I might have been shooting myself in the foot. I don't remember the 2nd gear shifts being really any different back when the car was stock, however. Perhaps this muscle fluid (by which I mean, the fluid path which provides the power to move the second gear piston... like a muscle, only quite a bit more liquidy!) is directly regulated by the main pressure regulator, and the stolen fluid is simply compensated for by the regulator.
Anyhow, I think i've just thought of a far more suitable location to steal and return fluids for cooling. I'll check and make sure that there aren't any clearance issues on the dead trans before removing it from the car. If no, i'll make the changes on the bench before installation of the spare.
I opened up the differential housing and cleaned it and the diff as well. Fresh synthetic gear oil found a home inside.
Next, I dismantled the govenor and cleaned all the parts inside. I added mass to the flyweight, and reassembled it. The nice thing is, this govenor is accessable with the trans in the car.

Helpful, considering the completely arbitrary selection of added weight. For all I know, it might shift at 2000 rpm now! In such a rediculous case, it'll be simple to remove the extra mass and lighten it up some. through trial and error, if neccessary, I'll tune the shift point to 5500. Which, now that I think of it, is also completely arbitrary number. I really should dyno the car to get a fix on where the power peak is before making such a decision. There are several dynos around here, perhaps I will. In any case, from an experimental standpoint, I'll be able to test my theory and get an idea of the relationship between added flyweight mass and shift points.
You can see the C-clip in the center that holds the original flyweight  on the govenor spring assembly.
Next, I disconnected everything from the dead trans, and supported the engine's weight on a lift. By this time, it was around 6am and my energy level was starting to sag. Not quite enough to call it a day, or, night as it were, but enough to not want to pull the trans out. So I made a custom adapter pad to convert my floor jack to a VW 010 3 speed auto transmission jack.

 Simple device, a plate with fixtures that bolt to the trans, then plugs into the jack pad securely. I made it with a small degree of tiltability. (my latest word) I'm glad, as this trans is a heavy beastie. As it turned out, the spare trans, from a '77 Rabbit, is slightly different from the '83 box installed in the car. I had to make an adapter for my adapter! Simple enough.
I'll have the modded spare installed in a couple days, and maybe take a little time to open up the dead one to see what happened. Any bets?

UPDATE

Just a quickie. I checked to see if there's space to run the new proposed trans cooler fitting locations. Plenty of space. I'll open up the spare again, and do that before reinstallation. Perhaps while i'm in there, i'll remove the mods and try it out stock first. Then reinstall the mods and see what change occurs. More soon.

UPDATE

Spent more time on the spare, and among other stuff, installed the new cooler fittings.

Pressure on the left, return on the right. I filled the pressure fitting with solder and drilled a 3/16" orifice in it. I don't know why, but I have a feeling that restricting the flow might be a good idea. That pump appears to move a huge amount of fluid, and the pressure passageway is unregulated.
I removed one of the mods I made, so now there's just one change in place. I'll test it and see what happens, then re-instate the second change to see what it does. Then move on to playing with main pressure! Next time I pull the pan off, i'm going to drop a few magnets in that I just bought.

Next, I removed the old transmission. It came out really easily with my slick new jack adapter! I pulled out the limited slip parts, and the drive flanges and their respective seal cups. Old and new are different:

That big spring is what allows for a limited slip to work. They call it an "80% kit". I gather that refers to an 80% lock up. It actually seems to work rather well.
Here's a pic of the differential through the hole left by the removed side cover:

I pulled the pump driveshaft out and was somewhat suprised to find it in good condition. Must be something else! Try, the turbine shaft, which transmits power from the torque converter to the gearsets and clutches inside.

 Here's a comparison of the '83 and '77 turbine shafts. I pulled the '77 shaft to see if it looked like I should nip the problem in the bud and send it out for hardening or machining or what have you. It actually gave the impression of being a stronger piece than the '83 shaft, so i jammed it back in. Hopefully this occurance was a one-time deal, and won't prove to be a weak point in the 010 auto trans. In retrospect, maybe I deserved to break this. Torque converters can multiply engine torque by as much as 3x before the wheels start turning. So there I am, fat dumb and happy at the start line making full boost with the brakes on, applying up to just shy of 500 ft.lbs. to this poor, underserving shaft that just wants to propel a 74hp rabbit along, not lay massive, two-tire patches off a drag strip start line in an effort to beat the chump in the next lane. So maybe I'll modify launch technique to stage at 3 or 4 psi, seeing as full boost just smoked the tires anyway. Last time was the first time in 6 years that I'd been at the light tree, and everything happened really quickly. No time to think about stuff like that. Next time, I'll make sure I'm the first at the light so I have a few moments to stage properly.
Another thought I've had is that I should build a trailer hitch for my Passat Syncro diesel daily (winter) driver and flat tow this car to and from events. Being automatic, I'd either have to remove the driveshafts, leave the engine idling or install an external pump to circulate trans fluid to prevent damage due to insufficient lubrication. Unfortunately, the mods I made to the front struts make it very difficult to remove the driver side axle. I think what I'll do is make a quick change kit consisting of a stock strut (which will also lift the nose of the car up for better hitch drawbar angles), and a brake-less steering knuckle with a dead outer CV joint bolted in. With the help of a battery powered impact gun, it'd only be 5 mins a side to exchange the quick change and the performance parts. I desperately need a hitch on the Syncro anyway, and having the wagon there will allow more storage for parts, tools, race tires etc. A friend suggested a tow dolly, but I think maybe the extra 500lbs of a dolly might bring the whole package a little too close to (or beyond) sensible towing limits.

So while the old trans was out, I took the time to hang up some loose wiring, repair a couple of the nagging little coolant leaks and change the oil. I noticed the oil cooler appears to be leaking, so I'll likely end up having to change that at some point in the near future. I'm going to install new control arms and balljoint spacers while I'm at it, seeing as the originals are rusted to crap.

More soon!