The goal of our 1953 Chevy pickup build was to create a highway cruiser that was a better version of what may have come from the factory. We used the stock frame and changed out the front and rear suspension for better handling and braking, as well as to lower the truck. For a driveline, we put in a late 60's small block and paired it with a TH350 transmission, and then put a 10 bolt in the back. The truck ran really well but rev'd a bit high when out on the highway. We decided to swap out the TH350 for a 700R4 in order to pick up a highway gear. Our concern was that the 700R4 might not fit since we didn't tunnel the floor, but it fit just as well as the TH350, just about 3" longer.

The TH350 is a three speed with the final gear ratio being 1:1. The 700R4 is a four speed transmission with the final gear ratio being .7:1. With the setup that we have in the truck (3.08 rearend gears and 28" tall tires), the engine revs around 2600 rpm at 70mph (with the TH350). The gearing in the 700R4 dropped the RPMs down from 2600 to 1800 at 70mph. That's a huge difference.

The TV cable system is from Bowtie Overdrives (https://www.bowtieoverdrives.com/).

You can see the rest of the build here https://raybuck.com/theraybuck1953...