The 489 obsession

IMO in drag racing applications, regardless of the housing/casting numbers, the weakest point of an 8 3/4" are the ring & pinion teeth. #2 are the caps. #3 are OEM yokes & cheap u-joints. I believe numerically lower gears tend to be stronger because there are less teeth and they are bigger. 741 isn't as popular because of less ratios to choose from.

Over the years the only things I ever broke in an 8 3/4 was the ring & pinion teeth and I switched to billet steel 7620 yokes and solid Spicer u-joints after a particularly scary break when an old OEM yoke spread a bit and the u-joint hammered out. 3,540+ lbs, wheels up and 1.47 60' best while footbraking. I preferred the 742 case because there wasn't a crush sleeve or spacer to fiddle with.