Transmission Advice

[LDO]

Ok gang,

need a little advice here. I have a 66 c10. Had a 283 with a Saginaw 4 speed in it.

Pulled 283 and will be installing a 290HP Crate 350.

Saginaw is tired so I'm looking for a new manual gear box.

REALLY wanted a TKO 5 speed but my budget is telling me I may want to look at other (cheaper) options with all the other 'stuff' I would like to do to the truck.

Truck has 3.08 gears so I'm not sure that I would see too much of an advantage in going to a 5 speed (TKO 500) unless I swap out the rear end gears (more $$).

Not against a Muncie 4 speed but all the #s and gear ratios can be a little confusing.

Am I going to need to swap out rear gears with that too?

Tires are 29 inches tall.

I want the truck to be fun to drive in town (not a dog) but still be able to handle highway speeds without high rpms.

Am I being realistic?

Thank you in advance for your help.