Figuring out what I have????

[agnes the dog]

I guess my biggest stumbling block right now is figuring out what I have.

I know I have a 59 3100 stepside, not original 305, original 3 on the tree. I would like to know if there were any optional transmissions on the 59s and how to tell which one I may have. Also wondering how to tell what my rear end gear is. I jacked it up and found that the wheels spin independently (not posi I understand). It seems like the truck naturally wants to be in 3rd gear at about 30mph. Everything else is just engine after that. My goal is to find something to bring down the rpms a little after 50mph, but I don't want to break my bank. Auto transmission would be good for the wife, but she will need ps and pb to drive it. More $$$. I like the manual, but really don't know where to start making changes since I don't know my starting point. Any suggestions?

Also, I would like to lower the truck. Is there a way to tell if it's been lowered yet? I don't want to buy suspension lowering parts if they're already on there. I'm running 235/70/15 (26.5" tall) and the front fender height is 30" at the highest point. The rear fender height is 27.25" at the highest point, running the same tires. I have 7 leafs in the back and 6 up front. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry for the crappy cell phone pics....