Roller,
Come see me when you have the time and I'll show you what I've done to my '50 3100. It may not be ideal but it seems like you're heading down a similar path that I took a few years ago.
I have a '60 235 engine, slightly hopped up with an '85 T-5 transmission from an S-10 and a '58 rear end with 3.90:1 gears. I have modern Diamondback tires and can cruise at 60+ without a problem. I need to tighten up the steering box before I take it out for a faster highway test, but the engine was not holding me back at 60 mph.
There is also another 'bolter in Orlando who walked me through every step of the process. I'll dig up his contact info (I haven't seen him on the forum lately).
