Welcome from the Northwest. Nothing better than having a truck with family history, that’s great. It’s really important to take some time and assess what you want the truck to be when it’s done – before you start changing or buying things. Consider that you’re going to have this truck the rest of your life, so you’ve got a bit of time to form a plan. Starts and stops and changes in direction get really expensive and can lead to disenchantment with the project.
There are advantages to both drive trains, depending on how you want to enjoy the truck. It’s been said a zillion times, but they really are only original once. If there’s a consideration for keeping it stock, decide early. Once that’s left behind, there’s no going back. Personally I’ve never been much of a pure restoration enthusiast. If I had the money to buy anything from the 60’s new, the first thing I would have done it put on mag wheels, a custom steering wheel, etc. I never found new cars all that interesting unless they were “fixed up”.
The six and 4 speed will last forever and pull tree stumps, but they’re not all that great on mileage or speed. A passenger car transmission can make it more enjoyable with or without the six, but there’s so many variables to consider such as tire size, rear axle ratio, engine torque, and how you intend to use the truck. One advantage of the six is most get replaced with a V8, so when a six shows up at a rod run, they always draw a crowd especially with split pipes and multiple carbs. A small block Chevy on the other hand is dirt cheap with tons of speed parts available on a budget. And if your dad built the 327, that scores a lot of points.
Unless you’re fairly experienced in rodding or restoring, I’d recommend against a later frame swap. It’s very challenging even for those experienced with the modifications needed – like relocating body mounts, etc. It’s much easier to swap a later front suspension onto your existing frame. Here’s a thread that covers suspension and disc brake options:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=367260For the rear end you can swap in a later axle or simply have your rear axles redrilled and use later 5x5 brake drums.
Sorry no help on the photo question. I’ve been on this site for over a year, but still haven’t figured out how to post a profile pic either. Hopefully somebody else knows how.
