[Rory McNeil]

About 2000, when I swapped by bracket car from an automatic to a Jerico 4 speed, I figured my old 9"was borderline without a serious up grade, so my buddy built me a Dana 60 to replace the 9". My old 9" had a non braced earlt style housing, with a factory Ford Nodular iron case and pinion support, and 33 spline Strange spool and axles. The new Dana was narrowed to the same width, and is a thick tube 3/4 ton PU truck housing, and has Strange 35 spline spool & axles, billlet caps, and a T/A aluminum load bolt cover. Using the same brakes, the Dana was only 6 pounds heavier, but if I had upgraded my old 9" to 35 spline guts, braced the housing, and used a cast iron aftermarket case, I think it would be virtually the same weight. Obviously an aluminum case and pinion support would knock off a fair bit of weight, but comparing apples to apples, the Dana was not noticably heavier. Having a bunch of pre assembled 9" chunks would be nice and conveniant, but costy, compared to changing gears in a Dana, and a bigger concern would be the lack of available ratios available for the Dana compared to the Ford. But if the ratios available for the Dana will work for you, it is a pretty stout choice, and cheaper to build than most 9"s. I wish there was a ratio between 4.56 and 4.88 available for the Dana, but overall I have been very happy with my Dana.