Budgeting my small tax return.

[ThatOneBlue67]

Hiya! Well, my truck is sittign in the sideyard, but I'm ready to get it out pretty soon. We've been having three days of perfect sunny weather here in Nor Cal and thats the sign to get off my ass and really WORK on getting my truck ready. It leaks oil, badly, and the balancer is scrap. So I'm already fixing those.

I've got about 500 bucks worth of return, NOT MUCH TO WORK WITH.
I'm trying to decide what it should go to. The TH350 tranny is on its last leg and leaks worse than the motor. Dad is convincing me to go 700R. I could afford it if I went with used parts, but I really don't want to set my "It's Back on the Road" date any farther than the middle of March.

I'm trying to decide if I should buy a used TH350 that would be in better condition, or have this one rebuilt. That would cut my spending in half and I could spend the other 200-250 on a new exhaust setup (if its even that cheap). Or insurance, which is also coming up. I might even have a little left for a shift kit. That way things get DONE and FASTER (my two main goals). I'm really not worried about having an OD gear, I don't travel long distances in my truck anyway.

What would you spend 500 bucks on in this kind of situation? Thanks, your input and advice is very much appreciated.