[Mike C]

This is all just for discussion. Your plan will work, but for the same $ I think you can do better so I'm not dissing your idea.

My own experience with the truck 12 bolt is it's not that strong if you ever want to really put the power to it. I've broken ring gears, pinion gears, even snapped the Eaton posi case in half on one. And that was just big tires and medium power. After 7 different versions of truck 12's my Jimmy now has a semi-float 14 bolt.

Ford style housing ends costs almost as much as buying a complete 9" off Craigslist. You can debate 9" versus the passenger car 12 bolt or a Dana 60, but there is no doubt that all 3 are stronger than the truck 12 bolt.

Sell your 12 bolt, Narrow the 9" housing using the stock ends, buy aftermarket axles and differential and be good to go. Same thing if you prefer a Dana 60. Full float 60's aren't very expensive and are much stronger than the 12 bolt.

I'm not sure if you can get Ford housing ends that use GM brakes, but that would be the one reason to stay with the 12 bolt. Brake parts are expensive. Speedway gets $500 almost for a drum brake setup. But the Ford setup I prefer to the c-clip eliminator kits that you add to your GM axles.

Most of my research into 9" was using the housing ends on a Dana 60 to make an offset axle for an early Jeep. The brake cost is nuts as I was trying to budget build. I've got all the tools to narrow the housing, so that's no cost. Only expense was new axles and bearings if you got a complete axle with brakes since early Jeep and big Ford are same bolt pattern. But new drum parts and stupid expensive.