Dana 60 vs Ford 9"

Good topic! I'll be interested to see the opinions of other board members. Typically die hard mopar guy's frown upon installing ford rearends and chevrolet transmissions. My theory is to use parts and components that will work best in your application while also fitting within your budget.

The ford 9" is lighter than the D60--by about 40 or so lbs. < don't quote me on that. The other main advantage is the available gear ratios for the 9" vs. the D60. There are probably triple the amount of gear set ratio choices for the 9" over the D60, not to mention different gear set material. Also appealing with the 9" is the option to swap out the center section with an extra center section in the trailer to swap ratios--while the D60 requires a gear swap within the vehicle.

I don't quite understand what you mean by straddle design, but the 9" is a dropout non-integral type rear end, while the D60s carrier is integral to the differential housing.

In terms of strength, I think they are even up to a certain horsepower level. The D60 seems virtually unbreakable in even a heavier bracket type car making decent horsepower. NHRA Pro Stock car uses a version of the ford 9", only the ring gear is 9.5" in diameter (beefier center sections & housings also). Those cars make 1200+ horsepower. Some pro mods may still use it, but most use the larger (10" & 11") top loader style rearend now.

I think you would be safe using a D60 in a fairly light car with up to, say 750 crankshaft horsepower.