This post may be a bit old now but I can add my 2 bob's worth I guess.
I imported an AOD from Monster Transmissions in the States to match the crate motor purchased at the same time. They sent all the stuff to mount it, a cooler, lokar cable, even the tranny oil! It was beefed up to take big horsepower 600+
I run it behind a 347 stroker with a bit over 400 horses.
Had to belt the tunnel with a mallet to make it fit, shorten the prop shaft, inverted the shift lever due to the B&M megashifter, cut and adjust the pacemakers . . . whew!
The end result? It is not a racing box by any stretch! The C4 I had previously shifted hard, 2nd gear chirps etc and was a much less sloppy in the shifts.
I only put in the AOD when I "street machined" my ride as I put in a 3.55 9" diff and didn't want the thing screaming on the highway.
If I wanted to race I would have put in a manual, but I have to say the AOD is a bit ordinary in any spirited driving mode. To manually shift, the push forward to second and pull back to lock into second is just weird and takes a lot of getting used to. Plus the setting of the TV cable is very fussy and if it is not right, you will burn out the box with just a little bit of tame driving. When you add the lack of knowledge of the AOD amongst most of the local Transmission Mechanical fraternity, it spells trouble.
Mine is running adequately and seems to be lasting (been going 5 or 6 months now) on the highway it drops revs nicely . . . but if it ever blows, it's coming out and another solution will be sourced.