Am I just lucky with my 7.25?

If you ever hook really good you may feel the pain. I know you don't want the hassle and expense of the upgrades associated with the large bolt pattern rear but it can be done on the cheap usually. Just spend a little time spotting up different junk yards for a B body 8.75 or A body 8.25 and lots of cars can donate front disc spindle setups. I've seen a few posts on 7.25 rebuilds but not sure what ratios are out there.