Ed,
Please proceed carefully!
Very few post'37 parts "just drop into" pre-'37 cars OR trucks!
The '36 and earlier crossmember has to be extensively modified to accomodate the '37 & later bell housing; pedals were mounted on the bell-housing through early '47 on the trucks.
(I have seen several early '30' Chevies butchered this way.)
All truck four-speeds had a granny-low, the '47 and earlier trannys were un-synchronized, and can be easily id'd by a little finger-trigger & rod under the shifter knob, to get it into "reverse".
Wheels & bolt patterns: all Chevy sixes ('29-48 cars & 1/2 ton trucks through'66) had six-lug wheels; the 16" '47-'54 1/2 ton truck wheels will bolt onto the '31 hubs. The original wire wheels would've been 18" or 19".
While the '62 235 may fit between the firewall and the radiator, if that stock x-member has to be modififed, it would be better to drill-out the rivets and remove it intact, and get a tube x-member kit or an aftermarket x-member to accomodate your new power plant.
The key tenent to "resposible" modification is "reversability": the ability to return your project to stock some day (which is hard to do when something's been chopped, welded ,channeled, etc.). The old-time rodders referred to this approach as "bolt-on mods"; this way, they could keep their "goodies" and put the car back to stock so that it had some resale value when they wanted to sell it & get a new project.
My Dad's first car was the family hand-me-down 1930 Chevy Standard coupe (no rumble seat, no quarter windows) - the year was 1947 - and we presently have a 1930 Chevy Special Sedan.
My suggestion (and it's offered only as a polite idea) would be to restore this buggy stock; perhaps rebuilding the original 194 but upgrading to insert rod & main bearings; you could find a set of 16 inch '47-'54 truck wheels & baby-moon caps to get that "fifties rod look",and so on.
I think you have a neat, rare piece; I wouldn't want to see something like this "ir-reversibly" modified.
Best regards,
Frank McMullen
