My 54 has a 3spd with no O/D 10 bolt and 2.73 gears. Cruises nice 65@2100 gets 21mpg! My 53 truck had an older T-5 with only a .90 O/D with a 3.90 first gear worked awesome with 3.07 rear gears. Both were just OK on a steep hiway grade. I would keep your 3.73s and look for a T-5 with a .78 O/D ratio.
