About 40 years ago I pulled the Powerglide engine out of my 1953 Chevy car and dropped it into my "new to me" '51 Suburban. It dropped right in, and the front plate was already punched for the motor mounts. Don't know if this was typical.
The 53 chevy car had the enclosed driveshaft - both the standard tranny and the powerglide model
Hope this helps.
Kurt
