So my wife decided she wanted a 3100 truck and a few weeks later we have one sitting in the workshop.
I am starting the tear down (needs total restoration) and am trying to formulate a plan. She wants an original'ish looking truck but one that is reliable, starts easily, drives at highway speeds (maybe cruises at 70) and brakes well.
Despite wanting it to look fairly original on the outside she is open to slightly more modern drive train options (i.e. a 50s V8 as opposed to a LS1!).
The truck currently has a 235 which looks to be a 55 motor. It has a 3-speed on the floor and a 12-bolt truck axle, gearing ratio unknown.
I guess the question is this...will this combo, or something close to it (change out gears etc) get her to where she wants to be or should I be looking at something bigger?
I had an early 50s Ford truck when I lived back in Ireland and from memory it drove like, well, a truck. I am trying to see whether this truck can be a little less rough around the edges in terms of the driving experience for her.
The way she put it to me was "if I want to drive 500 miles one way to a show, i want to be able to". Will a 235 get that done or am I better off looking for a V8?
