Ok so I'm finally planning on going racing with my new setup next weekend and I started practicing my shifts with my auto. The guy who built the transmission told me not to just put it in Drive and floor it at the track.
So here's my question...how come when I put it all the way down into 1, it still makes a shift before I pop it up into 2??
Is this normal and I'm just clueless? or is it not supposed to do this like I suspect??

As far as I know, all GM automatics will do this. As long as the throttle is wide open, it will shift when needed, even if you are holding it in a specific gear. Your tranny can be modified to stop doing it but I believe you may have to make it a "manual shift" automatic to do so...which means you have to shift every gear all of the time - like a manual transmission.

I could be wrong though....it's been a while.

-Tony

Almost all 700R4's do this. If you install the Trans-Go Performance Shift kit, it will allow you to hold 1st gear to any rpm, or until you move the lever. This kit keeps the "full automatic" capabilities. This should help.

Your cable might need adjusting. I had the same thing with my B&M mega shifter. Turns out the cable just needed adjusting.

i really never let the rpm get high enough for it to shift by itself.

however i hope to get a transgo shift kit to make my 700r4 better.

I have a B&M Shift kit in my 700r4 right now, and I can drop it into first and it will not shift back out until I select 2nd, and 3rd..etc
Cant remember if I could hold it in first and 2nd before I put the kit in tho.

SLP shift kit also holds 1st gear

You bought a tranny and the guy knew you were going to race it and he didn't bother to put any kind of shift kit in it at the same time? That seems weird.
I'd go back to the guy that i paid to build it and find out what his explanation is. As suggested, maybe you have your TV cable loose or something and you're frying his work. Or maybe he just sold you a POS tranny.

Ed, I don't think its a question of wether or not the builder installed a "shift kit", I think its a matter of what the builder consideres a shift kit. Many people think that replacing accumulator spings w/ Nuts from the hardware store and drilling out holes to un-Godly sizes constitutes a "shift kit"
Unfortunatly, I see it alot.

I told him I didn't want a manual valve body so I don't think he did a POS job. The tranny shifts really crsip/hard. I can chirp the tires in the first 3 gears on dry pavement.
Maybe the actual shifter cable needs to be adjusted?? I never replaced it.

Well anyway, to answer your original question, the TransGo reprogramming kit will fix your "automatic shift" from first. Installing the TransGo WILL NOT make it a manual valvebody as long as you DO NOT follow the "stick only" instructions. It will, however, allow you to hold any gear to any RPM, while retaining your "automatic" features when in D or (D).