[Zeke3]

1000 RPM in neutral sounds too high to me. I think idle sped in neutral ishould be around 650-700 RPM. Lowering the idle speed may reduce or eliminate the banging when putting it in reverse.

The "Stall" speed can be measured by holding on the brake, placing the trans in drive and flooring the gas pedal. The engine speed will level off at the point where the torque converter absorbs the amount of power produced by the engine. Do not hold this for more than a few seconds because all that power is going into the trans fluid as heat. This will give you an idea of the stall speed for the particular engine/torque converter combination.