[jocko]

well, I like the truck. This is gonna sound a bit like being a naysayer - however, if you only have $500 in it - I would sell (worst case is you lose $500 - but I bet you could part it for more than that - or sell it for $800) and buy a different truck for $6k. There are MANY out there on craigslist (some on ebay). Have been eyeing 3 different C20 Custom Campers - some longhorns, all for under $6k and in much, much better condition. If you don't know where to start, and the cab corners seem like more than you want to tackle yourself - you will not stay under a $6K budget. Bodywork alone will eat that up. Before you sink more $, sell, even if for parts - and start over. I HATE to give this kind of advice - but given that you only have $500 in it, and you are limiting yourself to around $6K, I'd punt. If you want to take it slooooowwwww and learn all the stuff as you go - well, that's a different story. But it will take a good while. Sounds like you want to drive it - if that is the case, I'd get a driver. Sorry - felt like it was worth telling you you're not abandoning anything here - those cab corners are wicked, and I don't want to know how far along the back the filler crack goes... Anyway, there you go, my 2 cents, which isn't worth a penny. Don't sweat it, you'll either learn a ton on this one or start with a better example and be happy you did.