7000 PS: Missing check/flyballs and springs

I think I may have finally gotten to the bottom of my 7000's powershift problems.  I pulled the valve plate again and took out the 3 plugs that hold the flyballls and spring (or I should say are supposed to hold) one at a time and used a wire to fish out the balls and springs.  Well, the first clutch pack to the rear (2nd range pack) just had the flyball/checkball clogged in with a bunch of junk (which explains why it never leaked any through that hole when tested with air).  The 1st and 3rd range packs (the two forward most packs) had only the springs in there.  So either they got ground up in the clutch (or steel is dissolved by oil lol) or someone has gone through this powershift before I owned the tractor and left these pieces missing.  I am going to run by the local bearing stores to get new steel balls.  Should I get the hardest or softest or in between grade steel on these?  Also, how critical is it that the springs are exactly alike?  It seems that is just needs to release the ball when the clutch pack loses the supply of pressure so it can dump the excess oil.