18 spline 833

IMHO, it's all about condtion. Properly rebuilding and replacing worn parts in a 40 year old trans can get very expensive.

I hone in on the condition of the engaging teeth on the gears. That's the most expensive and commonly worn item. Brass syncros are inexpensive to replace. And bearings come with the kit. Gears themselves rarely wear or the get rust on them from storage. Syncronizer assemblies are tougher to inspect, but wear too and they are expensive.

New gears are around $150-180 each. So each gear you can't see in a used trans, deduct $180. With syncronizers, you sort of taking a chance.

I can't see paying $800 for bare trans. More like $400. If you can't see inside it, less.

I paid $250 for a 2.44 1st gear '73 A-body trans. I got to open it up. Looked ok with oil on gears. But when I sprayed parts clean on the engaging teeth I could see they were rounded. Learned my lesson on what to look for.