Chevyman's hit the nail on the head! His combination with the 5-speed OD tranny and 3.73 rear gears is about as good as you can get. It's not a hard switch and you won't believe how sweet the 5-speed makes driving in town and on the road. My recommendations are: put the 261 in and keep it fairly stock for now, hook up the S-10 5-speed ($125 to $250 in almost any salvage yard), Find a nice Chevy rear end with the right gears and you'll fall in love with your car all over again! Then, when your bank account gets a little fatter, opt for a set of cast headers and a nice set of dual exhausts. Next, upgrade your carburetion to two of Tom Langdon's progressive two-barrel carbs and intake. Convert your ignition to electronic and a hot cam.......take it in steps, pay as you go and you'll improve at every step.
