hi kittysgreyvolvo (thanks art for the edits),
sorry for the late reply, pulling the tranny in stages over days; the heat is a killer here.

kittiesgreyvolvo has some good points along with the rest of the links; i've been reviewing other links, too (special tools, turbobricks, etc). thanks.

also, i've been reviewing my digital green books on spare parts and service for the m47.

to your points:
1. fortunately, my 86 non-turbo and the donor car (NH) car are 49-state.

2. yes, using the m47 in the 86, no need to worry about the cps. but i do want the option to put in my 92, possibly later, though.

3. "...there is a jumper option which enables the shift indicator lamp in the instrument panel at the violet wire from pin 26 on the fuel ECU." ah, didn't know that, thanks.

4. about how far of a service should i do, i've already written down p/n and sources for bearings, seals, etc. actually, that's my next step, investigate how much to do. i don't have special tools to go too deeply into the tranny, but i would want to replace bearings and seals as you mentioned while it's out.

5. yes, i'm mating the m47 to a normally-aspirated 240. i did have questions about the gear ratio, but it appears that my diff will be ok.

6. manny trannies are rare down here, first one i've seen in a 240 in the jy. i did open the top plate and checked the gears for wear and any metal filings in the fluid, didn't see any, of course checked before purchasing.

i'm not sure if it's worth it, too, even still. after purchasing, i reviewed the t5 tranny and would want to go with a rebuilt one, but it's the investment. the wife not pleased with spending money on those upgrades, but i may some time later. i think, of what i read, that's the best option because of it's robustness and ease of rebuild, relatively.

so, yes, you preceded my questions on what to service. i would want to replace these bearings inside and check for play.

i'll start a new thread on service, soon, and i'll submit an image or two of the tranny to see if anyone can spot anything wrong. I'm not going to replace the current auto tranny anytime soon, though, when they're all working fine, and it's such a mess swapping trannies.

i did pull everything. just jumping into it and getting it done.

thanks,
byron