BE35 PLT HAD ALT OVERSHOOT IN T75 CLASS B AIRSPACE.

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THIS IS A NARRATIVE RPT OF THE ABOVE INCIDENT INVOLVING MY BE35 ACFT DURING A VECTORED DEP CLB TO JOIN THE CARDS6.STL SID ENRTE TO 5Y1. I AM A 15000 HR ATP; FORMER LEAR CAPT AND FORMER CFII. I SHOULD KNOW BETTER. THE DEP CLB FROM SPIRIT ARPT TO 2500 FT MSL WAS INITIALLY MADE IN MIXED IMC AND VMC IN LAYERS. THEREAFTER; AND DURING THE FIRST 45 MINS OF CRUISE; CONDITIONS WERE SOLID IMC WITH CHOP. AS I SWITCHED FROM TWR TO DEP CTL; IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT I HAD NOT HAND-FLOWN AN IMC DEP IN QUITE A LONG TIME -- EVEN THOUGH I HAD EXECUTED A FAIR NUMBER OF HAND-FLOWN APCHS IN EACH PRECEDING YR. SO; I LEFT THE AUTOPLT DISENGAGED AND CONTINUED HAND FLYING THE DEP PROC. I WAS IMMEDIATELY IMPRESSED BY HOW MUCH MORE DIFFICULT HAND FLYING THE DEP WAS THAN FLYING AN APCH -- PROBABLY BECAUSE IN THE DEP YOU MUST INSTANTLY READOPT A GOOD SCAN PATTERN; WHEREAS IN PREPARING TO SHOOT AN APCH YOU HAVE TIME TO MORE GRADUALLY REACQUIRE YOUR SCAN TECHNIQUE. THEN I WAS CLRED TO CLB TO AND MAINTAIN 4000 FT. MY MISTAKE WAS; RATHER THAN RE-ENGAGING THE AUTOPLT; IN MY FRUSTRATION I BECAME DETERMINED TO FOCUS ON STABILIZING THE ACFT IN CLB AS I RESURRECTED MY SCAN HABIT; ONLY AS I NEARED 5000 FT DID I REALIZE I HAD 'BUSTED' MY ALT IN THE STL CLASS B AIRSPACE. I PROMPTLY NOSE OVER; CUT PWR; AND DIVED BACK DOWN TO 4000 FT. JUST AS I 'LEVELED' THERE; I WAS HANDED OFF TO THE NEXT CTLR. NEITHER CTLR MENTIONED MY VIOLATION TO ME. HOWEVER; 2 LESSONS REMAIN: USE EVERY MEANS AVAILABLE TO OPERATE THE ACFT WITH ACCURACY AND PRECISION (INCLUDING ENGAGING THE AUTOPLT IF YOU FIND YOUR SCAN HAS TEMPORARILY FAILED YOU); AND DO NOT LET A FALSE SENSE OF PRIDE TEMPT YOU TO FIXATE ON CHASING SOME 'CHALLENGE' AT THE RISK OF LOSING YOUR GRASP OF THE 'BIG PICTURE.' ALSO; I OBVIOUSLY NEED MORE FREQUENT PRACTICE IN HAND FLYING DEPS IN BOTH ACTUAL AND SIMULATED IMC.