heavy engine braking & cheetah VB
You seem to be missing some of the point
The OP clearly said THE CAR WILL NOT MOVE in 2nd or 3rd gear
I read it, but he also stated in the original post that "(i've been shifting a wide range of rpms from about 2500 to 4500rpm)" which means the car does accellerate from low gear just fine and it appears to shift ok.
If we were to substitute a manual trans, based on his scenario, then shifting from 1st to 2nd at 4500 rpms and then letting off the throttle would produce the same compression braking he's described.
With a 3200 converter, depending on the gear he's using, it could take some fairly high rpm to get the thing to move from a dead stop in 2nd and, especially, 3rd... Since he also stated he's concerned about "over revving" his engine, I'm wondering if he's turned enough rpms to confirm the test.
Question 1: When you state the engine feels like it's "braking", are you continuing to accellerate, or are you letting off the throttle when you shift to the next higher gear to get these results ?
Question2: What happens when you accellerate under full power ? Does the car run through the gears and accellerate as well as it did before you changed to the manual valve body ?
Question 3: If your trans was doing fine prior to the installation of the valve body, it's unlikely the installation of the valve body caused the problem you're describing - unless the valve body was defective...
I only ask these questions, because I'd hate to see you remove and rebuild your transmission, only to find out later the "problem" you're describing is actually normal with the manual VB. I've gotten similar responses from fellow rodders who later stated it just took them a while to get used to the new unit.
Good luck with your trans and do let us know how it goes.
Southernman