Hey Rookie,
Always nice to see a new face on the bolt. I am going to have to agree with everyone else. The 350 is the culmination of GM's engineering. The small block Chevy has an abundance of performance parts, and is really easy to work on.
Now, that being said, what kind fo tranny are you going to put in? I would recomend either a Turbo Hydramatic 350 (TH-350) or a Turbo Hydramatic 400 (TH-400). These are both 3 speed automatic transmissions, the 350 is a light duty and the 400 is a heavy duty tranny. I have owned a couple of 400's and they are hard working S.O.B.'s, I would recomend the TH-400. But the TH-350's are cheaper and more abundant, if you are going to use the truck for driving and occasional work the TH-350 is more than adequate. If the truck is going to see regular towing/hauling, or if you have a heavy foot and like to bang the gears then I would go with the TH-400.
There is a host of manual transmissions that you could also choose. Is the truck a factory manual? I am not as well versed in those, but there are plenty here who are! That is also a very viable option.
You will also need to eithe have a driveshaft made or find one you can adapt to your purposes.
Good luck and have some fun!
Kyle
