ok so my transmission went out in my car about 5 weeks ago. at first I was all for just getting the tranny fixed, returning it to stock, then selling the car and all the other parts I had. now I came across a sound clip I made of the car, I forgot how good it sounded. then I actually sat in it the other day... im starting to want her back. Ive been trying to make a plan as to what to do to get her back in GOOD running condition. im on a college student budget, I dont have a whole lot to work with. what I do have is time, but I dont want my car to sit. I know from first hand experiance that the worst thing you can do to a car is let it sit.

My previous problems were poor exhaust, need for further tuning, little problems that show up with the car's age and mileage, and owner stupidity. Now, obviously, the transmission has failed and must be rebuilt. whatever this costs will determine what I do with the car. I believe my torque converter failed (I already know the lockup feature of it quit working) which I think is what caused the transmission to fail. I really dont know much about transmissions, but I do know that heat kills them and my tranny fluid smelled burnt bad. I already have a tranny cooler installed. I'll probably have to purchase another converter. I had a TCI SSF3500 in it and, while it was fun, a smaller stall would be better. I was thinking a 2500 or 2800 stall to keep the heat down. I dont think it would affect the performance too much. this is supposed to be a fast street car not an all out drag car.
Should I go with the smaller stall or go back to a 3500ish stall TQ?

next up is the engine. The shortblock has at least 15,000 miles on it, 3,000 of them mine. I have no idea what happened during the first 12,000 miles or so. Due to my less than adequate tune it was running pretty rich. The rings are most definitely shot or on their way out and it would be stupid not to replace them. So now the engine has to get torn apart. This is my chance to swap out the pistons. Before I assembled the engine I wanted to go from the 16cc dish pistons to flat top pistons with 5cc valve reliefs to bump my compression from 10.7:1 to ~12:1. I didn't do it because of lack of money and my impatience. My cam's IVC point is late enough to keep the dynamic CR lower than 8.5:1 so I dont see why running 12:1 and still using 93 octane would be a problem. I was thinking about installing a 160 degree thermostat to help prevent detonation.
so when I change the rings should I swap the dished pistons out for a set of flat top pistons?
what could I realistically sell my current pistons (SRP forged 16cc dish 4.030 bore 3.75" stroke 5.7" rod) for?

how bad are my mac midlength headers with their 1 5/8" primaries holding me back compared to a long tube header like a pacesetter with 1 3/4" primaries?

Im thinkin I should spend the money on the pistons and rings before spending the money on my exhaust. my reasoning: the headers can be changed out at a later date while the pistons are pretty much a "right now is your chance" deal.

so you guys have any constructive criticism?

by the way heres a rundown of my mods:
LT1 block bored .030, forged Eagle 3.75" crank, forged eagle 5.7" rods, SRP 16cc dish forged pistons.
Lloyd Elliot stage 3 heads ported and slightly milled with Ferrea 2.00/1.56 valves and Comp 977 springs. ~195cc intake runner, 239 cfm .400", 272 cfm .600" peak.
Lloyd Elliot custom cam.
Lloyd Elliot ported & port matched LT1 intake.
BBK 58mm throttle body.
Comp 'R' Lifters. (1/16th turn preload)
Comp 1.6:1 roller rockers.
Racetronix 38lb fuel injectors.
LT4 extreme duty timiing chain.
Mailorder tune.
SLP cold air intake.
MAC headers & Y-pipe. carsound high-flow cat. SLP LoudMouth catback exhaust.
Strange 3.73 rear gears.
Built 4L60E with TCI super street fighter 3500 rpm stall torque converter. 17x9.5 & 17x11 American Racing Torque Thrust IIs.

if it wasnt listed its probably stock