Well the 9" is the most popular rear end in the history of man so yes, there's lots of options. Unless you have an all-out race car a stock 28 spline unit is all you need. If you have lots of HP you can upgrade to 31 spline axles and even an N pumpkin. Even more HP? Go with a custom Currie or Strange setup. For track days a 28 spline with a TrueTrac will probably do just fine.
Street or Track has a pretty good deal on a nodular iron Strange "S" carrier with your choice of gear ratio and a TrueTrac. The carrier is good up to 600 HP.
Right, wrong, or otherwise, I'm swapping an '04 Explorer rear into a '66 fastback as we speak. 31 spline, posi 3:73 gears, and disc brakes- a bolt in after shortening the left axle tube and using a second right side axle. It doesn't hurt that I scored the complete axle for next to nothing either...
I caution you with a Strange case. I have one on my car that I got when upgrading my rear suspension (including a FAB9) and I had a really bad whine coming from the rear. I sent it in for them to look at and they replaced the gears (and my cracked pinion support bearing) and there was no change. I'm having a local shop look at it now so I don't know if I have a bad unit or what, but it's been incredibly frustrating.
As for the strange 3rd member, pretty much everyone I know is running their pro gear 35 spline setup including me, no problems. Customer service has been good. Having said that, for a street car I am not so sure I wouldn't just get a 8.8. Plentiful and you can find them with clutch type posi's in the pick n pulls for less then $200. 9" are harder to find in the correct width w/o ordering one. If you are flush with cash though I would definatley have the 9" instead of the 8.8.
I would worry more about differential choice and just use what ever 9" carrier you can find cheapest.
IIRC you are using a 289 to road race. The carrier choice can affect how the car handles.
Many folks like the Detroit Locker which is either fully locked or open. This "unlocking" and "locking" causes the car to handle different depending on the state of the differential. I have a clutch type which is a limited slip type and it is fine for my uses. Then there is the Torsen or TruTrack which is supposed to seemless transmit power as required.
I don't think the pinion angle is the issue, but like I said I'm going to check it. That being said, everyone I've talked to has said good things about Strange but my personal experience has not been so. I'm still trying to find resolution to my gear whine.
Currently I have a strange 9" in my 67, I live about 25 miles from them, so I just went there and ordered it. If I was going to do it again, I'd do a 8.8, they are pretty much just as strong to a point..., and have just as many parts available for them.
The reason I went with the 9 was that I went with the TCP suspension front and rear and they have a Fab9 built to work with their g-bar. I'm still having nasty gear whine and I give up. I'm defeated at this point. Luckily, the suspension is awesome and is probably the highlight of the car.
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