Strange/Dana60 or Ford 9" in 70 cuda restomod?

For the Mopar enthusiasts, please don't flame me. I'm really struggling with this one: I've been slowly working on my 70 Barracuda for 5 years now. I'm getting close to ordering a rearend and I need some input. This will have a 700ish HP initially (maybe 800 later) 6.1L based stroker w/ a supercharger, and 6 speed TR6060 manual trans. The rear suspension will be a panhard bar, 2 link, torque arm, and airbags. The wheels will be forged 3 piece and tires will be 345s (28.5" diameter)

Use will be mostly spirited street driving with occasional drag strip or auto cross duty.


Help a brother out. It mostly comes down to this: Do I want a sweet looking, tough D60 and save 100 pounds of unsprung weight or save $500 and use a 9" that will never look as good and would seem weird. What would you do? See my pro's and con's list below


Strange/Dana 60 pro's:
1.) 9.75" that is nearly indestructible (axle shafts rated for 850hp)
2.) Cheaper then Moser built 9" by about $500. Strange's rearends (35 spline axles, Ltd slip center section) are $1895.
3.) looks like it belongs in a classic Mopar

Strange/Dana 60 con's:
1.) 100lbs heavier then 9"
2.) limited gear choices (doesn't bother me because Strange offers 4.10's which should be perfect for my .50 6th gear)

Mosier/Ford 9" pro's
1.) 100 lbs lighter then Strange/Dana 60
2.) Adequate strength
3.) Lots of gear choices (don't care that much as I won't be swapping gears)

Mosier/Ford 9" con's
1.) $500 more expensive then Strange 60
2.) Pinion angle robs some power
3.) Adequate power but not quite as strong as the Strange/Dana 60
4.) Doesn't look like it belongs in a Mopar

I think you might need to look at your packaging requirements. Can you put a torque arm and a panhard bar on a Dana 60? The rear cover might get in the way of the panhard bar. Where is the torque arm going to mount? Some of them bolt to the center section, some weld to the housing.

If you want a back brace on the rear end then you need to figure out where your shocks go and how the panhard bar fits into the equation.

Pretty sure a built 9" capable of handling what the S60 can is not all that much lighter.

http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/transmission-drivetrain/ccrp-0806-chevy-chevelle-rear-axle-swap/

Only true comparison I have seen between the S60, the 9" and the 12 bolt.

Read it and you will be surprised at the myths floating around regarding the 9".

Do yourself a favor and get the Big Ford ends. Like AndyF says, look at your packaging requirements. I would source a drivetrain shop near you and have them put BF ends and a nice third member in. Save the $$.

Agreed on the big ford ends for either housing, many many more options for brakes (and cheaper too)

Spend some time sorting the gear ratio too with a .50 6th. your combination with 4.10's would be only turning 1700rpm in 6th at 70mph which might be too low depending on how your engine is setup. There is a free tremec app for phones that does the calculations for you.

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Spend some time sorting the gear ratio too with a .50 6th. your combination with 4.10's would be only turning 1700rpm in 6th at 70mph which might be too low depending on how your engine is setup. There is a free tremec app for phones that does the calculations for you.

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I have a 2010 Challenfer SRT8 with the same engine, Trans, tire diameter, and 3.91 gears. It does not like to drive 70-75. I have to drive faster then 80 to get rid of an annoying drone. I think the 4.10 will be perfect but I will run it through a calculator.