I'll never install a 9" rear end personally. I'm into restoration, not performance upgrades for the longest time now, especially on the G-bodies.
That said, as with anything, you can throw enough money at any rear end and with quality parts and accurate clearances and top notch installation practices, you can make an 8.5 or 9" pretty much indestructible up to its limits. The sheer weight of the 9" makes me question a street or street strip application that isn't pumping 600+ HP and Torque to it to justify usage. It's kind of overkill but if it give you peace of mind, and the price points are right, then I suppose it's worth it.
My brother used to run 9" in his old Camaro race car, because he liked the idea of swapping gears at the track within an hour. I talked him into trying an 8.5 one time because I found one that was already modified to fit his car with 3.73 gears and he was hooked on it after that (he rebuilt it the way he wanted it). He was running nitrous on a built SBC, most of the time, (sometimes a 454. He swapped engines like I did tuneups) but he claimed the entire car seermed easier to launch due to the rear end change. I dunno, never drove his race car, but he's one of the few I've ever seen go from 9" to 8.5". Most everyone wants something they don't already have or tried searching for that elusive .01 second or +1 mph trap speed.
That said, as with anything, you can throw enough money at any rear end and with quality parts and accurate clearances and top notch installation practices, you can make an 8.5 or 9" pretty much indestructible up to its limits. The sheer weight of the 9" makes me question a street or street strip application that isn't pumping 600+ HP and Torque to it to justify usage. It's kind of overkill but if it give you peace of mind, and the price points are right, then I suppose it's worth it.
My brother used to run 9" in his old Camaro race car, because he liked the idea of swapping gears at the track within an hour. I talked him into trying an 8.5 one time because I found one that was already modified to fit his car with 3.73 gears and he was hooked on it after that (he rebuilt it the way he wanted it). He was running nitrous on a built SBC, most of the time, (sometimes a 454. He swapped engines like I did tuneups) but he claimed the entire car seermed easier to launch due to the rear end change. I dunno, never drove his race car, but he's one of the few I've ever seen go from 9" to 8.5". Most everyone wants something they don't already have or tried searching for that elusive .01 second or +1 mph trap speed.
