Aaron,
I think you're definitely on the right track, and I greatly admire your open-mindedness about the transmission issue. Most guys have so much EGO tied up in their car (combination) that they can't find it within themselves to make such a change (manual 4-speed to automatic) regardless of how much evidence is presented to the contrary. You are exceptional! And, I think it's going to pay off for you; I hope so!!! You have demonstrated that you have that the "whatever it takes" mindset that separates the winners from the rest of us... KUDOS to you!
A trans brake will allow you to spool your turbo to the max before leaving the line for sure, and I frankly don't see a downside to using one, except for the strain they put on the drive train. I guess, if you're going to produce the kind of starting-line torque that will result in really quick 60-foot times, there's no way around that. It will be nice to be able to stall it "on the floor" and not worry about "pushing through the lights" on the starting line.
I think these engines (like yours) probably can make upwards of 500 foot-pounds of torque, at full stall if your converter will allow a 3,500-rpm stall. That's big-block territory, and is going to require some chassis science to take full advantage of. I think we're probably going to spend some time swapping third members (gear ratios) and shock settings, to optimize available torque at the hit.
Two things I DON'T want to do, is 1. add even one ounce of ballast to the back of the car, for obvious reasons, and 2. run a tire any wider than these 9"-wide slicks that we now have. I see pictures of (and, personally witness) NHRA Stock Eliminator A-Bodies (340/360 cars) pulling sizeable wheelies on 9" tires, with no ballast, If they can get that done with a steel hood and front bumper, it stands to reason that it's possible with a car like ours. Running a 10.5"-wide tire is out of the question, as far as I'm concerned; it would be like pulling a trailer, in 3rd gear...
I hope you get your car running soon; I am WAY curious as to how it's going to perform, but at this stage, there are a LOT of "tuning" variables to deal with, so take your time and don't get impatient. We're going to start with about 5 pounds of boost, and work our way up in small increments... even 5 pounds can make a lot of difference, compared to N/A...
Work on our fuel system is finished, and we're starting on the relays, switch-panels and other wiring this week.
But, we're so slow, who knows how long that will take... 
Keep us updated! I'm really excited about the TOAD!!!!
Bill
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