How much weight gain from adding a Dana and roll cage.
My 1972 duster weights 3240 with a small block and 8.75 rear end and a full tank of fuel (16 gallons) all steel and glass.soon to be a 512 with victor heads. Question what would be the difference in weight from a 8.75 rear to a Dana. What would I need cage wise to run low 10’s height 9’s and what would the weight be for the cage and frame connectors. One more question could I just run 5 gallons in my stock fuel tank so I could save 11galx6pds= 66 pounds from having less fuel weight in my car. I know I’ll probably need to put a fuel cell in at some point but can I do this or would the fuel slosh around to much and cause fuel starvation problems. Thanks Guys
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You are clearly weight conscious.
IF you,are serious about going into the nines , with all the other stuff that has been mentioned above that goes with it... then I would suggest a moly 12 point cage (not cheap, but lighter than equivalent steel, cause the tubing can be thinner wall) and a nine inch rear (there is lots of debate over d60 vs 9") but few will argue that a 9 isn't strong enough with the right parts, and I'll bet an aluminum center nine could be 100 lbs lighter than a 60.
But! IF you are willing to settle for low, or very low 10s......
all that stuff that goes with a 9 second slip, goes away, saving money on safety stuff that has to be replaced every couple years, (but nothing says you CAN'T buy and use all the safety stuff you want!) an eight point bar is legal to 10.00, and a mild steel bar will be lighter than a full molly cage. And theoretically, a narrowed truck dana with good axles can be half the price of a strong, full-of-aftermarket-parts nine inch (no Ford parts in it anymore) ford.
Frankly, I might build enough power into my new car to run nines... but if it does, I will surely slow it down for regular use.
