I installed a S10 5 speed 15 years ago in a 57 210 I used to own. It had a 383 and worked well. All I had to do was shorten the input shaft on the tranny and have the flywheel externally balanced for the 383. I guess the reason it worked so well was I didnt know it wasn't supposed to hold up to the horsepower. I guess since I never overly-abused the power helped out too. Yes, I smoked the tires without any problem...But I never tried to just trash the tranny so it worked great.

Today, I would probably recommend the Camaro 5 speed or you could always opt for a 6 speed if you like the highway more than the city driving.

In any case since you obviously are not restoring the car (you mentioned the 383)...then I would say take advantage of the available technology and add a couple more gears for the hell of it!