They hold up behind my S/D 421 Pontiac and thats more toque than a stock 440. Also I don't race with engines and parts that are so hard or impossiable to replace.
They must not be because Tshed tore one up behind a fairly mild small block. I know pretty much the whole Rustang crowd in Macon and they've exploded plenty T5s in STOCK 5.0 Rustangs. When I worked for ford back in the mid-early 80s they were tearin up all the time. I replaced a bunch under warranty. Obviously, either your Ponchos ain't makin the power you think, or it ain't gettin to the ground. If you decide to do it anyway, good luck.