Motor will have a stock type replacement .030 over piston, a little bit bigger cam with a performer intake and Holley Commander 950 4bbl TBI. This won't be a car to race with, but may get on it from light to light and I don't power shift. Will it live for a mostly weekend cruiser? The trans I have currently shifts fine with no noises between gears, engages/disengages smoothly.

 

Treat it gently, and it'll last for at least a little while... no clutch dumps, no speed shifting, no slicks. Any of those things will DRASTICALLY shorten its life.

 

forgot to add, this is also a WC T5.
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Sounds good, I don't race or speed shift with sticks cuz I ain't no good at it. I'd much prefer a good hard shifting automatic for that stuff. This is just a cruiser car.

 

They deserve more credit then they're given i'd have to say. The trans I have now is a stock WC t5, and it hasn't given me major problems. I think the big determining factor is if you know how to drive. There's a right and a wrong way to beat on a car, if and when you beat it.
My first t5 was a NWC I still have it, it never grenaded on me just chipped some teeth on the fifth drive gear. Good luck

 

as I have replied to all these T5 posts - yes, it will last for a while. Will it break? possibly. How you drive it makes huge difference, but the bottom line is T5's aren't rated for the tq of even a mild 350(they were never put behind a 350 by GM for a reason). They usually don't break during shifting/clutch dumping/etc, they usually break under power in 3rd gear. The weak case is the issue, and 3rd is in the middle of the cluster, therefore has more leverage to flex the case.

I beat all hell out of the 3 that I broke. 5k+ clutch side-step in low gear, clutchless shifts. I never broke on in low gear, never broke it shifting. They all broke in 3rd, under power.

as i have also stated, a proper clutchless shift is usually less harsh on the trans than most aggressive clutch shifts. If you're pounding on it and use the clutch between gears, I'm not betting you let the motor drop all the way back before re-engaging the clutch now do you? The shock associated with clutching is usually more harsh than slick shifting.

 

For some reason I don't have the ***** to clutchless shift. I did it with my first car many times, but I don't want to grenade the trans with one shift. I should try it, because I have a spare.
With my NWC t5 I had a stock clutch, now I have a mcleod with the WC. This trans wont last long.