At this rate I'll win an award for slowest restoration of a truck. I ended with my ideal setup. A very good HAMB member up in PA went to a couple good local yards he deals with and found a trans and rear for me. I've got a T5 from an '89 S10. Forward shifter location and cable tailshaft housing. It's grungy and needs seals/gaskets but it feels smooth and is supposed to be from a running/moving vehicle.
Same guy scrounged me up a '59 1/2-ton rear with 3.90's. Complete from drum-to-drum and even including springs and shackles. Definitely needs the brakes rebuilt, but otherwise looks good.
So, it's going to be a '53 235, a T5 trans, and a 3.90 rear for my '46 pickup. All 6-lug, manual drums. Plan to adapt the T5 to the stock bellhousing and keep all my existing mounts. More to follow (who knows when though).
