Hi Kim57, definetly he would have liked the power of the Big Block. I was also hoping to give him a truck that when he opened the hood, the engine bay would have the visual impression he would be happy to show off.
Since dad was coming to visit during the beginning of the project, I was working on both the drivetrain and body work at the same time.
One reason was to give him a moment of excitement when he saw the progress. Plus he wanted to be a part of the work. He had his choice to work on body or engine, which he did both.
After checking and measuring and fitting and checking again, I finally settled on engine placement. When done, I had about an inch clearance from side to side and front to back.
The front, between the engine and radiator was a tight fit. I used an alternator and power steering brackety from a 1960's corvette. If I had used a newer, say 1970 or newer, the water pump and bracketry are moved forward about 3/4". I went to a dual electric fan, With the dual fan motors, the space between the two motors gave me an open area that the water pump pulley fits between. Altough a close fit, everything is still easy to work on.
More on the engine later.
One small detail I did to the bed was the same as many, I closed off the rolled edge of the top rail of the bed. Before I closed off the ends I extended them 3/4". Such a small addition, but it added something to the visual of the flow of the back of the bed.
I originally closed the ends, then I noticed from the side I could see into the edge of the top of the tailgate. It had an unfinished look, this was my remedy.