So some progress has been made. Bought a small piece of frame from a salvage yard that has a good shock mounting point. I was originally going to cut out the damaged portion from the original frame and weld in a matching patch but after talking with a few welders decided it would be better to just patch a large piece over the damaged area. So it has been done!
Now to seam seal the repair just to make sure no more rust and paint all of it with chassis paint. After that I can put the new front end parts I purchased on, new tie rods, all bushings, a SWAY BAR
and start with the actual engine and transmission install.
Full weekend for me and I'm loving it.