12 Bolt to 9 Inch

[Bill71]

I bought a 71 Camaro earlier this year to build into a track day car. It is now stripped down to the shell and I am making upgrades. This car came with a 12 bolt rear that some previous owner put in. It has 4:88 gears and either a posi or spool. I believe the rearend will be more useful to a restorer so I want to switch to a Ford 9" to benefit from the better axle retention and ability to change gears more easily. My decision however is hanging on whether I want to stay with leaf springs or convert to a link system. The car will have a full cage and I am not tubbing it if that influences your opinions. I am not a blank check kind of guy so I guess my ultimate question is can you quantify the benefits of links over leafs?