this is what a manual valve body looks like. I can believe that your trans was a working one as is. Even in my full manual reverse valve body TCI trans is has the accumulator piston in place, just no spring or small seal.
my trans is new (and I also just paid a pro builder to go through and verify it, add springs to the clutch, change the apply lever, and add a restrictor to it) and am contemplating selling it for $1500 if you’re interested. TCI part number #112100.
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