long distance tow using 1970 c10 lwb 350/350

[stephen p]

first, hi.. i'm new here, sorta... anyhow, i'm making a move from jackson ms to portland, or.. which is 37 hours/2500 miles according to google, and undoubtedly some of it has hills... and i need to get my stuff there, which includes my kawasaki Kz1000, and a 1969 short and wide, and i'm not overly eager to drive it there, as it's got a pretty rowdy big block and muncie m20.. so i need to trailer/dolley it there, along with clothes, some tools, etc.

well i'm getting working a deal for a 2003 dodge 1500 quad cab 5.7 hemi, i planned on using it, personal friends with the current owner, who got it a year ago with a bad motor, the truck has lived a hard life, and has 230k miles. but we replaced the blown engine with a much lower mile charger 5.7 and it runs great... i would think making it there would be pretty easy.. BUT if it doesn't, screwed would be putting it LIGHTLY, and although there has been no issues we know of, the transmissions in 1/2 ton dodges are known for sucking...

so here's the other option, (where my thread title comes in) i have found a truck i've kinda been lusting for.. it's a grandpa fresh 1970 long bed c10 california blue plate, almost rust free survivor truck 350/4bbl, th350 trans.. it's all stock, it's been sitting off and on some, but it's solid, and a runner, fluid change, filters, go over the brakes, and i'd be pretty confident in it (unloaded). i can get it very reasonable. i was thinking with some good stiff springs and air shocks out back, it might do the job.

37 hour trip in a 47 year old truck, towing a 50 year old truck vs using a modern 13 year old truck dumb, right? seemingly.. but my line of thinking is this.. short of a wreck, pretty much any catastrophic failure, i could fix on the road side. another th350, or sbc engine could be found on nearly any craigslist. rear and pukes i can switch it from my 69.. the motor, trans, or rear end pukes on the dodge? motor is a 1500 dollar deal used on the cheap side, used trans, close to the same... any of that would be an ambitious roadside fix to say the least. the dodge will be a much more pleasant trip, and will probably be up for the task, and would be safer as far as towing stably, and braking.. the 70 c10, will be a slower, less comfortable trip, BUT can be fixed easy, road side, and when i get there, i'll have a pretty awesome survivor clean companion truck for my 69.. i guess the question is, would a 350/350 half ton long bed truck be capable of hauling a motorcycle and another c10 2500 miles? and the other negative to the chevy, is that it's a manual drum truck, and i don't really have the time and money to convert it to disc, and buy wheels/tires... but there was a time where drum brakes were the norm, and people made cross country trips..

opinions?