As side note to my above post, and related to what Gregg mentions, my '37 is considered a pretty small truck. Frontal area is narrow but it has big fenders and sets pretty tall. Weight is only 3200 lbs. On windy days my mileage drops two mpg. I can tell by how much throttle it takes, and with so few hp to work with (120 @ flywheel ) strong winds eat them right up. This goes back to gear selection, ideal rpm range, and driving style.
I would drive the truck for a season and see how it acts on the road and in town. 9" Fords are easy to change out the ratio if you have a whole third member to swap out with, so ask around, maybe you could find one to borrow for a road trip or two.
Joe
