You could go all out and use a S10 complete chassis, don't know if would be easier or not. Have you ever driven a '37 truck? I say this because the cabs are really small and tight. Before diving in and spending money, I suggest you find one to ride in or drive and see if it's what you want.
I went with four corner leaf springs, disk brakes up front, '79 Firebird rear axle, 250 inline with T350 trans. There are lots of ways you can go on the cheap or spend tons of money.
After driving mine for 18 years now, I have learned a few things.
1) don't cut the firewall and move it back, you need the room + some.
2) don't add a hump in the floor board to clear the trans, you need the room
3) add A/C, its tight quarters, you need the cool air
4) don't chop the top, it's hard enough to see traffic lights with the way they are
5) buy a good radiator, move it forward and down as you build the truck, modern engines have a much lower water pump
6) gear it for 70 mph at a reasonable rpm,
7) add sway bars, tight corners and high center of gravity don't get along
8) look into better door latches
