Gears & Axles - How strong are stock 9" center sections?

Im just seeing if I really need to spend $1200 on a name brand center section or can I get away with a stock junkyard third member? I shouldnt be running any fast then 10.50's through an auto car. I know the pinion supports can break causing problems. But honestly.. What can I expect? Thanks

Look for a Nodular Iron one..don't get the crap cast one. I have a NI one that I will be selling soon, don't have a use for it.

Look for a Nodular Iron one..don't get the crap cast one. I have a NI one that I will be selling soon, don't have a use for it.

I agree, look for one that has an "N" cast on it. Bob

take a look at this thread http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/gears-axles/1207796-9-center-section.html

also whats the deal on the aluminum center sections? are they any good over nodular

Look for a Nodular Iron one..don't get the crap cast one. I have a NI one that I will be selling soon, don't have a use for it.

Just curious, how much are you selling it for and what gears does it have??

Ok thanks guys! That helped a lot! I was talking to the ford guys at work they said stock is plenty strong..lol. Maybe for ford? haha

If you found a N case and upgraded to a daytona pinion support it would hold up fine.

Look for a Nodular Iron one..don't get the crap cast one. I have a NI one that I will be selling soon, don't have a use for it.

whenever you decide to sell shoot me a pm on how much you want, i am going to be pieceing together a 9" soon hopefully!

If you found a N case and upgraded to a daytona pinion support it would hold up fine.

the daytona pinion support doesnt really help with strength. all it is is a larger bearing that is made to be used at constant high speeds....hence the name daytona....

Hence Stronger and doesnt deflect as much under hard loads.

Hence Stronger and doesnt deflect as much under hard loads.

if you think 1/2 inch of bearing surface adds strength your on drugs. its larger for sustained high speeds so the bearing doesnt overheat and seize up.

if you think 1/2 inch of bearing surface adds strength your on drugs. its larger for sustained high speeds so the bearing doesnt overheat and seize up.

Correct and it has more bearings to spread the load better. I have found that it really does not make any difference to an extent. Very very slightly weaker but much better for sustained Speeds. I run an aluminun third member in my camaro and so far so good. Remember the thicker the bearing boss the stronger to a certain extent the larger the bearings the better load capacity they can handle. But less support material makes it slightly weaker. Its the impact and the spreading that effects the carrier. Bigger bearing does not automatically mean stronger if it neads a bigger hole in its support. Tough call. Double edge Sword .

Will just leave it at that, many theorys i guess.

Have always recommended Iron center section for fbody thats street driven.

Aluminum is good for racing or under 3000lbs, otherwise I find they get gear whine when driven on the street.

i wouldn't suggest an aluminum non through bolt case in anything over 3000 pounds or anything with a manual trans. I went with a nodular center from moser, i think with gears and spool it was around 13xx bucks.

Strange S case is a good nodular case for the track and strip. I just put one together for a little less than 800 with all new parts

the car in my sig pic is on the lightweight aluminum Strange case, and the same center section has been in my Procharger car as well. this rearend has many, many street miles on it and has held up just fine under 3 seasons of racing as well. we do not suggest them for daily driver use, but they are just fine for the average street/strip cars. there is a basic point of where we suggest the thru-bolt cases that are on the market from different manufacturers, but it all depends on your setup. the Strange lightweight aluminum case is actually stronger(by design) than any of the stock ford iron cases, even the "N" case.

as far as the pinion support, the larger bearings do support more load, and will run cooler under stress. the biggest issue is the actual design of the pinion support itself. there is a lot of stress in the 9 inch case in the front half of the center section and a good pinion support is essential to strength and wear. if the smaller "daytona" bearing is just as strong as a larger one, then why doesn't Pro Stock or Top Sportsman cars use them? the daytona setup is usually plenty strong for the average f-body car, but for the cost difference between a good daytona support and the next one up(which the rear bearing is about 3x the size) is only about 30.00. the daytona support we use with our 9 inch package is an aluminum forged unit, is very lightweight, and stronger than any of the oem designed ones.

Well thanks for all the good info! Kinda strange (no pun intended) how the aluminum case's act? I've read that noise may develope and not for DD's. So i'm pretty sure a nodular case is what I need. I can save on weight somewhere else. Now all I got to do is think about a torque arm. Its got all the brackets. But i'm kinda thinking about a mini 4 link. with a HD torque arm package being over $500 I really can't justify that. Maybe i'll make a post in the suspension section

i was just talking about the "daytona" support and bearing itself. the daytona is just a larger width not diameter. the larger 3.026 rear bearing cases are stronger, but a standard 2.081(i think) with the daytona suporrt is no stronger than the same case with the standard bearing and support. at least not for drag racing with extreme shock loads.