[Steve@OldSub.com]

I've not done it, but have talked with people who have. They seem to fall into three groups, those who have got the truck back on the road yet; those who love it, and those who wish they had gone the T-5 and open driveline approach.

I'd suggest thinking carefully about the overall ratios you want before making the decision. I've been driving with the the original granny gear 4-speed for several years having swapped to an open rear with 3.08 gears. I've been pretty happy with the combination. I can cruise at 70 more limited by suspension than gears and I get 17 mpg on the highway.

The Saginaw might be more pleasant to drive and you would have less RPM loss between gears so it would accelerate more smoothly.

So those are my thoughts. My next move will be to swap to an automatic because health issues are making the clutch harder for me each year.