So with the mechanicals sorted out and the truck running very well, from here on out I plan on driving the truck while working on my projected goals for the overall look of the truck. Until now, I haven't mentioned what my overall mod goals are, so I'll share those here before I get started on changing things. When I discovered that my truck wasn't quite as original as I thought it was (details
here), I decided that I wasn't going to worry too much about modifying stuff on the truck.
My plan, as is quite popular these days, is to lower the truck on air, preserve the original paint as much as possible, and throw on some steel wheels. I know it's not very original but I love this style. I think it preserves the originality of the truck while accentuating some of the conservative details (like stance and wheel/tires). I wil, however, be doing a few of the mods somewhat differently than how others have done them. I threw together a very quick photoshop of what I'm aiming for. I will probably go with black wheels, but you get the idea.
One major difference you will notice in the photoshop is that the truck is a shortbed! I debated for quite a while if I wanted to shorten the truck, but ultimately decided I would. I do like the look of a shortbed better, and as you can see, my passenger side bedside was hit pretty good at some point. Although it is part of the history of the truck, it's not a completely original example, so I'm OK with changing some things.
How am I going to shorten it? Well, I will provide those details once it is complete, but for now I will leave you with the main component, original GM shortbed sides. I decided to go this route instead of shortening my original sides because of the damage to my sides. Once this project is completed, I will update this thread with the results.
I hope you enjoyed this round of updates!