Just my 2 cents... I have a 1953 GMC... any of the engines will be fine, make sure they have good compression and oil pressure. I would run either a modern T5 or a 700R4 transmission. I would put a modern 4.10 rear end ratio in the trucks. And the huck brakes are coming off mine next week in lieu of disc brakes. They can be a real pain to find drums for and they manually adjust.
