How many of you guys used to flip the top of the air cleaner over on a GM with a Quadrajunk? Dad used to on his 73 crew cab with a 454 under the hood. Sounded B/A when you planted the go pedal to the floor.
However back then the manufacturers could not hold the tolerances anything close to what we hold now a days. That is why 250k on a car is nothing now a days. If you could get 50k out of a 1960/1980 trans you were doing good.
I would take a new powertrain over any thing built from the 1990's or lower any day of the week.
Don