Hey guys i am building a 400 ci for my 1983 z28 with a 214/224 cam and vorteck heads, this combo will produce like 350 hp and 375lb/pounds of torque.
If i get a very very nice clutch, do you guys think that it is going to resist such a power????
if so where can i get a nice rebuilding kit for my 1983 t5???
thanx

Don't bet on getting any 350 HP with that old generic el cheeepo cam.

However, I will tell you, that I had a 400 with a helluvalot more power than that, in my car for a while. Much better cam incidentally. And, it put that much torque TO THE WHEELS (measured). There's no excuse for building a 400 that puts out as little torque as you're claiming, even with an inferior outdated cam like that one.

Torque is what kills T-5s, not HP. Torque is the measure of how hard the motor can twist its shaft. In particular with the T-5, it's SHOCK loading, more than steady-state (dyno-measured) torque; big smoky clutch dumps, speed shifting, and above all, any of this with some traction (sticky tires).

I tore up my first couple of T-5s (1st design) with the 305 that came in my car. I proceeded to tear them up at a rate of about one every 3 months for a period of 8-10 years with the 400 that was in it. After I'd been doing this for a number of years, I figured out how to lift my right foot out of the gas when I shifted it, which was very strange to me, since I'd been driving 4-speed cars for decades before I got the one in question in about 85. Once I adjusted my driving technique, the last couple of them lasted MUCH longer; then I got a 2nd design one out of about a 91 car, and it lasted the last 3 or 4 years that the 400 was in the car. I sort of babied it most of the time though.

So, you can trash it in a week, or you can make it last for years; it's all in how you drive it.

Wow, you must be psychic to be able to read all the cam specs from just a simple 214/224 description

Like he said above, as long as you lift your right foot when shifting, and don't shock load it, it should be OK for a few years. mine's going on 4 years with the 383.

Yup!!!

So don't try to hide anything, I'll rat on YOU too.

Seriously, 99.999% of the time, when somebody gives those specs, this is what they're talking about. Not much of my vast psychicness is required on this one. Like when people post 204/214, 234/244, .488" or .510" lift, etc., it's not hard to figure out what they're talking about, given that they've been on the market for 35 or 40 years now that I know of, and can be bought from Melling, Sealed Power, Edelbrock, Summit, and dozens of other sources. All of those come from that same series of cams.

The 214/224 one is one of the ones that people are referring to when they say "RV cam". It's about as low-performance as it gets, especially in a 400.

You must have a lot of money to replace the trans every 3 months for 3 years. If your so smart why didnt you get a stronger tranny?

Yeah, I used to, before I spent it all on transmissions.

Really, I didn't "replace" them, like go to the dealer and buy a new one, or whatever; I rebuilt ones I had, and bought new cores as necessary. I'd keep rebuilding them until the case got so stretched across the front that even new gears wouldn't align right.I finally did. The car has a T-56 now.

Never said I was smart, BTW. Don't be putting words into my mouth. In fact I'm sofakingdom it took me years to finally figure all that out, and quit messing with weenie T-5s.