Easy rear end swap?

[ijasond]

I just finished the paint & upholstery on my 61 suburban & I'm once again realizing that if I'm going to drive this thing much, I need two things: power brakes & higher gears. I've got everything I need for the brakes on the way from CPP, but I don't know what to do about the incredibly low gear ratio that these trucks were so famous for. Can I just swap the rear end for a later model one, or is there more to it than that. I don't want to take my local mechanic's advice when someone here has probably done exactly what I need to do. (I was planning to keep the 6 lug drum/drum set up) Any help would be appreciated.