Do the 53's have dana rearends ? Is this a good rearend to run behide a 289/c6 trans ? Do i need to find a 9'' ?

 

Should be a Dana 44. I think it would hold up as long as it's less than 300hp. The C6 will take some hp away (parasitic loss, or some wording like that) and the Dana 44 will be a steeper gear ratio anyway. But should be fine until 9" is found.

 

When I bought my 50, it had the stock Dana 41 housing with a 3.73 gear swap behind a 302/C6 combo. It did just fine. And I "tested" it out quite a bit before I tore it apart. I'm planning on just leaving it like it is when I get the truck put back together.

 

Nothing wrong with the dana 44. They're a popular unit with off roaders, plenty strong with lots of gear choices. Corvettes and Jags also use the 44 center section for their IRS. It's true that a 9" is easy to swap ratios from city to hiway use if you have two center sections, but will you really do that? Save the money and spend it on your sweetie.