Do you think it would be the same with a 7.5"
Yes, I do. However:
Maybe it would be smartest to just bite the bullet and put something stout under her now.
THIS. Here's how I look at it: any money you spend upgrading your 7.5 is money you will need to spend again when you eventually stuff a stronger axle under there. Don't bother re-gearing or adding a limited slip to an axle you're just going to throw away anyway--that's financially foolish.
This is why I upgraded from my 7.5 to the Ford 8.8 even while my car was still V6-powered. I added the TrueTrac after the V8 install, when I combined it with a c-clip elimination, axle shaft upgrade, and a re-gear (since I didn't need to do those things at the same time I installed the axle).