The tests you are telling me about were done and everything worked.Heat treated ain't the same as billet. And your symptoms point that way. And even billet could break theoretically.
Those drums(fwd and direct) can be actuated with air on the bench while disassembled. The band can be actuated through the exhaust port on the pan rail while assembled. While actuated you shouldn't be able to turn the out put shaft.
My problem was already present before I replaced the forward drum. I replaced it to be sure this part was good, and I checked the air flow before installation.
I saw on the Gbody forum that there are color hydraulic diagrams for all gear positions that allow you to know which parts are activated depending on the selected gear.
Do you know where I can get them?
Is this a special technical guide?