That's not the way I understand it ... a stick is gonna be harder on the other components of the drivetrain for no other reason than the auto has the torque converter inline. Until it locks up, there's a fluid connection ... softer than a clutch.

 

+1, Normal driving of a stick is OK, but if you "drive it like you stole it" it will indeed beat that crap out of the rest of the drive train.

 

Save yourself a headache and go with the next 2 options. 1) Drive what you have until it dies and save your money to buy what you want with what you want in it. 2) Sell what have you now and find something with a manual tranny already in it. And it might have what ever else you want in it.

 

I agree...if you want to drive it like you stole it, go get a 46RE from a donor vehicle and beef it up hardcore, then put it in your rig...or just drop yours and build it.