Lets fast forward a little bit here, and this is what it looked like when it was completed in 2004
This lasted me till i was through high school. However there were parts of it that i just didnt like. As with all builds, it is never truely "done"
So after i graduated high school (class of '08 baby!) i decided to pull it back into the shop, repaint it, build the original bed, new interior (never really much cared for the first one) and an automatic transmission. I didnt want the lift anymore, and needed smaller tires. To be quite honest, it was like driving a basketball down the road and caught ALOT of wind. Handled horrible and acceleration was terrible.
Pulled the bed off, replaced the 4 speed with a rebuilt 700r4, took the lift out, and stepped down to a set of 285 tires instead of the 315's.
Back to the grindstone! Started block sanding the whole thing (AGAIN!) and getting ready for the new paint which was going to be Strawberry Pearl. (decided to go factory color to make color re-matching much much easier)
Then i went to work on the bed. Still couldnt find any good stock sides, so i built my own. Used 1/4" thick, 2x4 steel tubing, welded it together at 45* for the "custom" look. Then used original rear fenders. I welded the tailgate shut because A) Nothing will be loaded in the back of this truck and B) No one needed to be in the back of this truck. and finally to get rid of the chains and not have to worry about hinging and hidden latches
Then i proceeded to finishing blocking the fenders and rails, then paint. Then i put a custom wood floor in the bed. I laminated ash, cherry, and walnut together.
Progressing to the interior, i installed a new headliner, bench seat, carpet, kickpanels, and door panels.
