i'm building a v-8 car, and i am going to have my transaxle be-done. 1. to remove 1rst gear, 2. to install locking diff., 3. to install new aluminum inter. plate, 4.possibly put taller gears in for better rpm range. the ? is will this be a long lasting transaxle after all this work. thanx, sean

layoff the burnouts and it will be fine.

I see no reason for removing 1st gear, just don't use it on a regular basis...if you ever plan on driving your car in traffic (ha, you live in the Bay Area, like that'll never happen ) an ultra low 1st gear is nice for idling down the road.

like Geoff said, just don't beat the living daylights out of it and it'll survive.. do a search, there is a current thread on the trq/hp ratings and success of some installs behind higher hp motors