I've switched between the 2.76 and 3.23 in my 68 T/C wagon in the past, I would drive hundreds of Hwy miles on vacation in the wagon and thought the 2.76 would net me better MPG and cruising...didn't find that at all. The 440 would bog down on the hills and you would have to drop into passing gear to hold your speed on the hills, so with all that down shifting and higher RPM's the MPG's were actually worse then the 3.23's.
After that I put the 3.23 center section back in and have never looked back...perfect all around gearing for a big block in a C-body, decent acceleration and great Hwy cruising!
As for the U-joint the 742 vs 489 run different sizes, but they do make a conversion U-joint with the 742 on one side, 489 on the other....I've used it in the past with no issues.