I suggest you buy as many books on rebuilding old Chevy trucks as you can find. Everyone here will give you advice based on their own situation. Their intentions are good but might not fit your particular situation. If you can afford the expense you can do a frame up restoration or alteration. It sounds like you want a daily driver that has more comforts and safety than the original truck.
I have found the books listed below to contain a wealth of information that helped me make those decisions about what to do and how to do it.
The books I would suggest you buy are:
Motor Books “How to Build a Hot Rod”
Motor Books “How to Restore your Chevrolet Pickup”
Motor Books “Hot Rodder’s Bible”
Motor Books “How to Build Hot Rod Chassis”
Hot Rod Library “How to Build Hot Rod Chassis”`
Golden State Pickup Parts Inc. “1947 – 54 Factory Assembly Manual”
Various vendors “Chevrolet Truck Shop Manual”
Various vendors “Master Parts Catalog”
Hope this helps.
