cheapskate finds v8...now what?

I have been in the market for a v8 for my 52 Chevy project for a while and came across a screamer of a deal the other day, so I bought it. It's a 1986 Caprice, which has the 305. It starts right up, runs and idles perfectly, and shifts nice, too. I had a mechanic friend of mine drive it around for me and he said its a great runner. The best part is, its a wreck so I bought it for only $300.00! (With as popular as these Caprices are with the "dubs" crowd, I can make that back easily by parting this thing out when I'm done ****** it!) We put a bungee on the hood and had some fun ripping up the neighborhood, smoking the tires, etc.

So now I have lots of questions. I want to use the engine but I need some tips on how to make it look right in my old car. I'd also like to do some mild performance stuff. Also, I haven't decided wether to use the automatic transmission or go manual. I'm leaning toward manual, so I need to know what trans to start looking for and how to make it fit. Finally, I know I'll have to have the driveshaft shortened, and I want to know if the rearend will fit under the '52? If not, can it be shortened? If I have to get a different rearend altogether, what am I looking for?

The '52 has stock suspension and rearend right now, and no motor or trans. All I've done so far is to take off the front clip, and removed the firewall ribs and started cleaning up the frame and firewall.

I know this is long winded but I wanted you to know where I'm at before you tried to answer any of my questions. Your advice and help is greatly appreciated.

 

OK, I did some searching and found that I need a '57 Chevy, '68-'72 Nova, '70-'81 Camaro, or other 60" rear. Also found a post about the Ford 9" rear, but I have no idea what car that comes out of? Can someone help me sort this? Which of these options works best for a mild custom weekend driver?

This is the first car I've ever built and I don't really know much about the different options...

 

How to make it look right in your 52? Id suggest the following
-2x2 intake
-Ram horn exhaust manifolds
-Script or finned valve covers
-V belts if it doesnt have them stock.

You may also want to search the Tech archives, somebody did a post on how to make these ******* children really run. Most people will tell you to just ditch the 305 and get a 350, but its up to you.

 

Thanks BlackFlag for the tips and info. I found Fat Hack's tech on the 305 and it was interesting, I've got lots of great leads on what to do with the motor now.

My other questions are trans-related:

First let me say that I know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about transmissions, but I have done searches on the t-5 and the 4-speed Saginaw. I got info, some of which I understand and most of which I don't. What I need to know is which one is the better fit for my 305? Which is less expensive and more readily available?

And finally, the rear end...

A friend of mine used the rear end from an s-10 pickup, but he doesn't know what year it came out of. Can someone tell me what year range I should be looking for, or have some other rear end suggestions to make?

Again, thanks in advance for your help and opinions. I know that a lot of this **** is old hat for you more experienced guys, so thanks for suffering my ignorance.