Thanks and very informative. I know that your skill level and mine are not in the same ballpark at all. I did read through your 49 Dodge on a Dakota post which also was informative, interesting, and had a lot of insight. I would really love to do this, but I'm sure that I'd just end up with 2 junk vehicles, unwanted bills, and a wife that has her bags packed. Thanks for all the information and I think that I'm better off giving this one up before I even start.
Giving up may not be the answer. I would suggest that you stick with basic bolt on parts. As long as you stay in the same truck "series" things are not too bad, in your case, stay with the 73 to 93 truck parts (several things changed in the mid 80s, so usually things fit better before the change, or they fit better after the change and would require more modifications to cross that line as well, but nothing near as complicated as crossing to a completely different series). Believe it or not, that was where I started from.
Upgrade the wore out parts with the most modern parts that will bolt on (if the rear axle is junk, find a good one that will bolt on to your existing suspension). Upgrade the basic truck stuff with the fancy truck stuff that bolts on (want power steering instead of manual, great, find power steering that bolts onto your frame). The guys here can tell you what will likely fit, and what won't, and probably even tell you what you may have to change to install the "new" part. Do one step at a time, so you can still use the truck between upgrades. Keeps you involved, and the wife happy (OK maybe more happy then she would be with a huge project spread across the yard that can't be used). Gene
