Thanks for all the replies. Its been a while for an update. It was fun looking at engines and transmissions that will get me to where I want this truck to be able to drive comfortably. The best combo I found was a Tremec 5 speed with a .64 overdrive gear bolted to a SBC motor. Most of the mileage will be at 55 to 70.
I finally removed all the bed rail bolts and pulled the rails today. When I got to looking at what was supporting the bed I was shocked. There are four bolts remaining that go through the wood and U channel and into the frame. There were eight at one point in time. Problem is, I have removed all the other bolts that connected the bed to the wood boards.😬 It looks like its just hanging in position, ready to drop onto the rear bumper brackets in the rear and the frame rails in the front. Will look again tomorrow to see what I missed. Then I'll put some jacks under the bed if need be.
Next step is to finish getting the steps and rear fenders off. I've gone through my first spray can of Kroil.
Another humorous note comes from my investigation of the existing SM318 clutch fork and pivot ball. Both are well worn. When I looked up the part number for the fork, it appears to come from a 50-54 truck. The pivot ball I could not find. It looks like the Corvette style . The seat I removed comes from some other larger vehicle. All but one of the bolts pulled thru the floor sheet metal. Only a wood block remained attached. Its beginning to look like a Johnny Cash truck.
Happy Labor day!
