Me and a buddy were thinking the same thing. A Pontiac 350 in a chevy truck for "truck duty`s". A better working engine than the sbc. Stronger block, more space between bores, [better cooling than the 400 or 455], stronger crank, longer stroke, longer rods, longer runners in the intake, and a high velocity head. All on 354 cubes. Torque with decent mileage.
Even an auto trans with a 2.78 to 3.42 gear would get most jobs done.