There are definitely at least two schools of thought on working with our old trucks- - - - -spend lots of time and money trying to improve the performance of the original style inline six engine, or drop in a "belly button" (everybody's got one!) V8 of some sort. Even a 305 Chevy will outperform the best-built six, simply because it can run a couple of thousand more RPM, even in stock trim. Either approach involves a pretty considerable investment of time and money, since the V8 is only the first step- - - - -the pre-1955 trucks also require changing the entire drivetrain, because the torque tube rear axle and very flimsy transmissions have a hard time surviving the extra performance of the V8 engine. One of my friends in high school back in the 1960s bought a 1947 Chevy 2 door sedan with a 1955 265 V8 in it. His clutch was the first thing to go south, followed pretty quickly by the transmission. Of course, he thought every stoplight was his own personal drag strip, and he had the speeding tickets to prove it!
Jerry
