no, the later tower has a weld that fails, similar to the bolt from my understanding. The only advantage is there is no bolt to drop into the transmission. I do not believe the later towers are any stronger.
Also, imho, the later towers have poor shifter feel. The early tower have bearings instead of bushings .... bearing>>>bushings imho
Also, imho, the later towers have poor shifter feel. The early tower have bearings instead of bushings .... bearing>>>bushings imho