Thanks gentlemen for the responses and warm welcome. I apologize for posting a question and then leaving, as I had to work out of town. I plan to do a complete driveline swap and will not be using any of the original components, but the new components will be all Chevy. At this point It appears we may swap the entire frame. My brother in law is actually doing the work, I am assisting and learning (and paying). It took a while to find a good 4X4 automatic w/od drivetrain in the Oregon area because so many older bodies are around and good wrecks with modern drivelines are in high demand, so we bought a complete 1985 truck for a reasonable price. We will be leaving the 305 in for now, as it runs OK, but I am cautioned by many that the 305 is not the best designed Chevy V8 engine to use because of problems with the cam (?) and since we are going to rebuild it anyway....pick another. Any of you guys with 305's agree with this? I just want to get decent gas mileage, within reason, without having a dog that can't get out of it's own way but at the same time not go broke building it. Is 25MPG out of the question with either a 350 or a 327? I'm sure alot will depend on the intake, carburation/fuel injection and your driving habits. Figuring this out is getting more fun and interesting every week. That's why we are all here, I guess. Thanks again for all your help and suggestions.
