[MDPotter]

Lessons Learned

I've learned a few things on this truck that I wanted to let everyone know about so that maybe you guys can avoid some of the hassle I've dealt with:

-Install fender emblems before mounting the fenders, because it is almost impossible after the fact. I actually threaded the studs on the emblems and used a rubber washer to keep the emblem from contacting and scratching the paint and use a nyloc nut on the backside with a washer.

-Install plugs in the front end of the outer rockers before installing fenders. Same struggle as the fender emblems, very hard to do after the fact.

-Go with the Boyd tank. Don't mess around with anything less.

-If you're using rubber fuel hose, use Earl's Vapor Guard and their fittings. Easy to assemble and no fumes in your garage. On the same token, go for the WIX fuel filter/regulator if you're doing an LS swap. The cheaper units like to leak.

-If you end up with a leaf spring truck, just know that everything is going to be harder. Leaf spring trucks are an oddity and the aftermarket support is not as great as a coil truck and leaf spring trucks are harder and more expensive to lower. If I could have gotten a good deal on the back half of a coil truck, I would have swapped it. I saw a complete chassis on FB marketplace for $100 but it was sold in an hour.

-Hydroboost is awesome. Do it.

-You get what you pay for when it comes to electric fans. If they seem too good to be true, they probably are. There is a lot of false advertisement out there on CFM ratings.

-Make sure you get the wiper linkage put on correctly before closing up the cowl and installing wipers. It can be put on wrong and your wipers will be all messed up and you end up struggling to get the wiper arms back off after you've scratched the paint.

-Rectorseal 5 seals up a myriad of fluid leaks. I used it on an NPT fuel fitting leak, an NPT oil bypass plug, and an NPT brake line fitting.