[James Lamb]

I know exactly what you mean about the gap above the tires.When I bought my 89 Suburban the gap was so large it made the tires seem proportionally small - like they were go cart tires. I could stick my head completely into the fender well and turn my head around with the tires in place. That's a great way to get dirt in your eye, by the way.

Mine is a 4 x 4, so I filled up the space by going to 31" tires. I got about 2 inches of free lift and still have plenty of room inside the fender. I have never had the tires scrub. I think I could run 33" tires and still be OK. Have not noticed any issues with wheel bearings in about 150,000 miles of driving since larger tires.

I recently bought some stock springs from General Spring - cheap, come with bushings already installed, and really helped the ride and saggy rear. Most of these trucks that have not had a spring refresh tend to ride noise pointing up in the air, which takes weight off the front wheels and makes them feel squirelly on the highway. Good shocks go a long way towards getting rid of the body roll, which also makes them seem unstable on the road.

Another option for the engine if you plan to tow. Rebuild the 350 as a 383 stroker. I just did this with mine. The entire balanced rotating assembly was less than $1000. Only mod to make is grind a bit of the block away so the crank journals don't hit. Long story, my 350 was pretty new, but thought I had a problem. Tore the engine apart only to realize no problem there. Decided while I had it apart to rebuild as a 383. Used same block, heads, carb, cam, just changed out crank connecting rods and pistons. My fuel economy went from 13 mpg to 15 mpg. I think this is due to it having so much torque it stays in overdrive more of the time instead of downshifting at every rise.

Would be great for towing.

Not sure I have ever actually seen a square body with a manual. I tried to find one when I bought mine. That's pretty cool.