I second a vote for the 3:55 gears. I had a '51 Chevy Fleetline before my '59 Apache, and the car was almost unusable on modern roads with 4:11s. I swapped in a powerglide rear (3:55s), and the difference was amazing. No, the car did would not win any races, but driveability improved 100%. I never had any problems with braking, but I also drove the car very carefully. I had stock drum brakes, but I completely rebuilt everything, and they worked just fine.
As long as you're not going to haul any heavy loads, you'll be fine with the 216.
Chris
