nothing seems to be wrong and the transmission shifts smooth and easy
during drive and from Drive to Reverse, Reverse to drive,, etc.. but when i go
to park and press the brake and put the shifter in park i feel a clunk.. it
sounds like something is meshing and locking in underneath.. i assume this
is normal? i have a 2001 LS with 70k.. no leaks underneath...

 

I recently purchased a used '01 LS Trooper with 80K miles on it. It sometimes has the same issue that you refer to...the clunking sound when shifting into park. I read a posting somewhere on another site that stated there is a electronic device mounted on the driver side, front of the transmission, and if this device gets too dirty it will cause this issue. I have looked on mine and found the module that was referred to, not hard to find. It has a small plate or heat shield over it. Take three bolts out and disconnect the electronic piece, use a torx driver to take apart the device, then clean it (leaving some lubricant inside). I haven't had the time to try it myself, but the person who posted the message said it cured his problem and it hadn't reoccured in over a year. Don't know if this works (yet) but I will soon find out. Hope this helps.