Am I just lucky with my 7.25?

I was able to find a sure-grip for a 7.25 years ago and had it rebuilt with 3.23 gears. At the time I had a warmed over 318 with a 2500 stall convertor. It surprisingly lasted about 4 years after much abuse; it eventually went bang when one of the pins holding the diff together came loose and had a nasty meeting with the ring and pinion. Long story short, upgrade to at minimum an 8.25. And that is a good looking scamp!