[dsraven]

welcome to the forum. a bunch of real good guys on here with lots of years of work on everything from little tinkering jobs to full on complete build ups. if you run into a snag just ask, we are sitting by just waiting for a question, haha. we REALLY like the photos and that also helps us answer any questions you may have later. we can go back in the thread and see some detail before answering and come up with a more accurate answer for you.

nice looking project you have there. I haven't seen one with that style of heater before. it looks like it was a theft unit from a 61-66 style chevy truck. whatever, it works and frees up some space inside prolly. the battery was also relocated by the looks of things. it would normally be located on the firewall where the heater is now sitting

here are some common problem areas you may want to check out (and snap some pics for us onlookers please) that are prone to rust. hopefully you have a better truck cab than I started with.

the vent in front of the window allows water to enter the cowl area and should drain out the bottom of the cowl on each side. there is a small drain there and sometimes it can plug up with leaves or pine needles etc so the cowls actually fill up and start to drain out inside the truck on the floor. as it build up on rainy days the water drains through the vents on the kick panels by your legs. this rusts out the floor and the cab supports under the floor as well as starting on the hinge pillar areas around the lower door hinge where it attaches to the body.
the rear cab corners can rust out as well. there is a well area there, seen from inside the truck, that can collect stuff over the years (like rags or old gloves) and cause rust to start from lack of drainage
the eyebrow area, above the window, is a great spot for mice to nest in and store their little treasures. this can collect moisture and cause some pinholes of rust. mine was really bad so i had to replace the center section of the eyebrow.
the roof lower areas around the drip rail can get rust pinholes
the floor area behind the gas tank and rear cab mounts can collect debris and cause some rust to break down the integrity of the rear cab mounts and/or floor area
the rockers and steps are prone to being bent and rusty
the door hinges are usually worn out but can be rebuilt with new bushings and pins fairly easily
the doors can get cracked internally where the lower hinge bolts on, inside the door, and also in the area of the base of the vent window. there is a "web" there that connects the inner and outer door together and that web is prone to cracking. this causes the door to flex quite a bit so harder to get the door adjusted to fit properly

I included some pics of a dissassembled cowl area so you can see what it looks like behind the sheet metal. there would normally be an outer cowl to cover up the hole you see there that is the back side of the floor vent by your legs. also a pic of the lower door hinge area and the eyebrow and a pic of a scotts hotrods front end. hope it helps.

if you are planning on a new IFS (independent front suspension) at some point then do lots of research and ask lots of questions. check out the scotts hotrods style. they are a one piece crossmember that can be bolted, or welded, into the truck frame. the good thing is that the geometry is already done for you as far as placement of the control arm pivots at the frame end of things. a lot of the MII (mustang II) front ends require you to weld in the crossmember and the upper control arm attachment point and this can leave room for error. a little error here can cause a nightmare for front end alignment and once welded in it becomes a huge job to fix it after. besides, who doesn't like a bolt in.

anyway, I am getting ahead of things but understand you are dreaming of all the thngs you want to do to the truck to make it really cool and have your own signature. it already looks pretty cool as it is now, waaaay better than my project when I dragged it home or most of the other projects you will see on here. again, snap lots of pics as you go and post some on here to jump start us guys on our own projects and also keep us current on what you are doing. pics on a thumb drive are a great reference when you have torn something apart and can't get working on it again for awhile. memory for the details fades and you end up asking yourself how it is supposed to look. a quick check on the thumb drive has saved my butt lots of times. besides, it is a photo album to show your buddies what you are doing or have done.

have fun, work safe, wear safety equipment, take and post lots of pics. journal it so you can reference later when the truck is apart and you forget a key point. ask lots of questions. you're gonna learn lots.

try to keep the same thread going or start a build thread so your identity becomes known and/or can be clicked on for reference by the guys looking at a new thread by you possibly asking a question. the ideas can get lost in a bunch of different threads but the build link will be a good reference for us to go back and see what you are talking about. (ya, I know, I don't have a build thread. I am guilty as charged. mine went into oblivion somewhere. I really gotta start a new one. I never seem to have time and I have a million pics to sort through first. excuses I know).