Ankle Deep, Time to Dive

[92BIRD]

So my last two posts were probably hints that my transmission is dead, so transmission shop right? 1800.00 dollars, noooo.... dont have that kind of money, so, myself and my father (mechanic for 25+ years who didnt want anything to do with it before now, are diving in.) We are buying the pieces locally from PDQ, before I jump in and realize im screwed, are there special tools I will need to do a complete rebuild on it? Also, are there any brands to stay away from in terms of parts going in?