Ford 9" Housing Width

[69TAPoser]

I tore down the 9" that came with my project car (that had never been installed in the car so the perches will need to be moved). I was dissapointed to find that even though the it has the large bearing housings, the axles are only 28 spline. I will be running a 525 hp 455 with 550 ft lbs. I have a Nodular case, detroit locker with 3.89 gears, so the rest of the setup is pretty heavy duty.

1st question: Is it worth upgrading to 31 spline axles? (this is a street car)

Also, the overall width of the stripped housing measures 52 3/8". So it will be a bit short on each end.

2nd question: Will this housing work with the correct offset and still look good (I do like the deep dish look)?

Looking for some input.

Thanks,

Phil