It was in D.

 

I'm not sure if 80s are the same but I was always told to race my built 70e in 3.

 

Looks like the theory is that the overrun clutches would then be applied, thereby reducing strain on the overrun roller clutch. It would not have to carry all the torque on its own. It would also not be able to freewheel= engine braking active.

 

That is correct.
It's a good idea to always launch in D3. I've worked on some cars that could smash a OD roller clutch every launch if left in OD.

 

I run in D3 also when driving spirited or launching hard.

 

D3 for me!

 

Easy to launch in D4 when you are sitting in the staging lanes for half an hour, constantly restarting and moving the truck up, and not concerned about being in D1 for the brake, which wasn't working. Particularly with the ratchet shifter. Might rig up something to prevent this.

Seemed good until the 2-3 shift, which sounded like it was late...if it was actually an attempted shift. 1-2 sounded good.

Also noticed that the filter came out with the pan when I dropped it. Didn't check how much clearance there was between the bottom of the filter and the cooling tubes in the Derale deep pan. Could be a lot.