97 is when they started putting the 4t65e-hd trans in the supercharged cars. I believe 95 and 96 both had the 4t60 trans.

is the 4T60 good enough for the pre-series II ssei'* cause mine seems fine so far...

They are OK, but don't have a heavy duty diff, and you can't install a shift kit. I do recall Toddster was able to do something to his trans to make it shift better.

so as long as i keep my fluid clean, I should be ok, right? not to crap up this other guy'* thread but I thought the 4T60E was nearly indestructable

The 4T60 had an HD or regular diff depending on the model. The 4T60 generates a lot of heat for a transmission. They are also known for cracking the diff cover. To install a shift kit it must be done while the transmission is being rebuilt.

The 97 4T65 is much like the 4T60 in some of it'* designs, and things like the diff were revised for the 98 model year.