Gas Guzzler or Gas saver?

I'll run stock.... More reliable and lightweight as long as you have the manual, second choice is the ford 302...the 350 is just so overrated...I'll just drop in a 22r instead.

yeah but the truck is already setup for a chevy motor.

in what ways?

A V8 wont need to work very hard to move a lil mazda truck.

the truck is coming with custom build motor mounts and headers made for a 350, so im just gonna run that. and tucknrimmaz, your right about a v8 pushing a mazda but i dont want a stock 350 i want ppl to know that im coming and know that its a v8 swap!

Ok.. There's a regular cab b2200 in Slidell louisiana with a Chevy 350..that truck been on and off Craig's for awhile.probally had a bunch of owners,

i had a mildly built 350 in my cutlass n got over 20 mpg and im guessin the truck weighs less, ima put one in my b2000 and as for the sound all that is is the exhaust jus put 2 1/2 inch with 40 series flowmasters single or dual and people will hear u

If you "Y" together into a single pipe, I put a 3" pipe on a stock '88 350 Chevy pickup and got noticeable improvement of the exhaust note.
However, if you plan on duals... if the engine isn't built up for hi horsepower, there won't be any reason to use a pipe larger than 2-1/4", unless you like to spend extra money for no reason.

How is the oil pan going to clear the center link on the steering?

If you're looking for a decent sound I would go with a "Thumpr" cam from comp. They have a good sound. They're made for muscle cars that want a lick in the exhaust. It'll give you what you're looking for but you'll have to put a good exhaust on it too. I wouldn't go too crazy with the motor mods because more than likely you'll never be able to put down all the torque from it unless you do alot to you're suspension. A mild cam and a 2-1/4" exhaust run through a 40 series Flowmaster or Magnaflow if you want duals. A single 3" would work well also. As for the trans., I wouldn't go 3-speed like the TH350. I'd try to get at least four gears. Something like an early 700r4 from a early 80's truck or a 200r4 from a monte carlo or something. If you want manual you can go with a T5 from a truck, but they tend to not hold up if you have a fairly built motor with alot of torque. Or you can go with a T56 6-speed from an F body. The 94-95 are good, but I like the 96 because in 94-95 the sixth gear ratio is .62:1, in 96 it goes to .50:1 so you get a little more gear from it. That little bit can be really important if you're gonna keep the stock 4+ geared Mazda rear. Just my 2 cents!