Quote: I never have understood the Dana vs. 9" deal. It's like women driving SUV's. 40 years ago there wasn't a women in the United States driving a SUV. Then it became chic and now all women want to drive an SUV. 40 years ago there wasn't a 9" in any Mopar in the US. Now it's like a roller cam or a 400 GPH fuel pump, people feel like they won't be socially accepted if they don't have a 9". What a country. It's a Mopar. Put a Dana in it.
Uh, wrong. We ran a SS/GA Challenger in the early 70s. It had a Ford, as most other fast Super Stock cars did at the time. Jim Kinnett's SS/AA Cuda had a 12 bolt of all things in it back then....Why you may ask. Because he thought the 12 bolt took less power to turn and it was LIGHTER.
RACE cars and STREET cars, are two entirely different things. Running Super Stock, we carried 4 or 5 different centers with different ratios, depending on conditions. Class racers still do the same and few want to lay on their backs swapping gears in and out of a Dana. A street car, or a set it and forget it bracket car, sure, a Dana is a VERY viable choice, as they are strong and rock solid dependable. But just as they are a very GOOD choice for some cars, they are an equally POOR choice for others. Whats poor you ask........the ease of swapping ratios, the weight and the ability to properly brace the tubes. In a hard hooking, high HP car, you WILL bend the tubes and there is basically nothing you can do to fix it, short of building some type elaborate bracing structure. You do that, you have made an inherently heavy assy, that much heavier.
There is no "one size fits all" answer. You pick what is best for YOUR application. But its a MOPAR, so it should have a Dana is about the silliest reason there is for the choice. You pick what WORKS the best.
As far as 727 trans.........the answer is the same. You pick what WORKS. Nobody says the 727 is a pos, but in certain applications, there are better choices, as far as ratios and aftermarket parts. There are NO aftermarket cases for a 727. So you must run a shield or a blanket......that's a strike. The engine to pump bellhousing depth is shallow, that means the BEST converters cores won't fit without a spacer......that's a strike. Very limited ratio options.....that's a strike. Heaviest of the 3 speeds.......that's a strike. So nobody ahs ever said the 727 is a pos, it's just in certain applications, it is FAR from the best choice, regardless of the brand of the car and engine combo. Brand loyalty is great, but not at the expense of maximizing your combo..........if that is your goal.
We have dozens of companies who make front end kits to eliminate the torsion bars. Where is the outrage of the "purists" over that. Torsion bars are about as MOPAR as you get, yet that change is accepted......why? because it is BETTER. It is a more modern suspension and steering system, gives you better parts choices and frees up room for better pans and headers. Simply put, it is BETTER
