To the OP - a Dana would be more than enough for your application and save you a little coin.
Both rear ends have their pros n cons - guess it all depends on the application, budget etc.
I did a heap of research on both the Dana and the 9" - I went with a Dana, for a number of reasons that worked for ME.
Interestingly enough, on many forums, there are members (if you believe what they say) who have run Danas reliably with factory gears, housings, axles and carriers and have been reliably going 9s and some in the high 8s in street/strip type cars - FOR YEARS.
Somehow I don't see a factory 28-31 spine 9" doing the same - for long. Ive twisted both 28 and 31 spline 9" factory axles in a 3300b A body with a 400HP SBM
