I built and 8-3/4 with axles and then built a D-60 myself after I broke the 8-3/4 and it wasn't much more...made me wish I built the Dana from the start.
Oh, I am using 35 spline axles from Doctor Diff. They are a little more then his usual ones due to the spline size and the custom length (narrowed diff), but they have been fine the past 2 years, and dealing with Cass was great