Fabricated reared housing vs Strange Aluminum reared housing

[4214 Champ-0]

Walking around the pits I’ve noticed more fabricated reared housing than an aluminum housing on the 4link dragsters.

Is one better than the other or is this more of a cost/ease of manufacture for the chassis builders.

Thanks

[4214 Champ-0]

[4214 Champ-0]

[SC321X]

I have seen some of the fabricated housings break, but never seen one of the strange rear ends come apart. you can break a gear in either, but I chose the strange one for the strength. Super Comp 321X

[Bill Baer]

I'm guessing that once a chassis builder has the patterns and the jig he can build a fabricated housing cheaper than he can buy a Strange ,Mark Williams or aerospace housing.
The only concern I could see with the fabricated housing is the number of welds that could crack and or leak. You could weld attachments to a fabricated one which you cannot or should not do with the cast housing.
In my 30 years of racing I haven't seen either fail in a dragster

[HolcombS/G155G]

I believe the cast Alum housings are stronger but are heavier. I have a Ed Quay XL Dragster and they offered them standard w/ a comp engineering fab housing standard but offered a MW modular housing at extra cost. My Car has the Fab housing and no issues w/ it. Guess its a more cost effective way to keep cost down but sometimes money isn't an object to some