Thanks for the compliments!
I had rust issues starting in the truck which is one reason I went with Corey's product. Any steel I added would just rust again. I've had the truck since new and I know what it is and isn't, so it was the way to go for me.
I'm building the truck for fun, to have fun with and to ge tmy kids interested in things mechanical. I'm no rock racer but I have rubbed trees with both the fender and quarter on the driver's side. Basically, the panels held the weight of the truck and it slid over. The paint wrinkled and scratched a bit. I know metal would have bent or creased. I will likely add some wheel opening bars eventually, more for rock protection and as a base for a partial exo, but that's for another time.
So, anyway, I removed the 2" OME rear suspension and swapped in a TG 4" kit over the summer weekends.
Before: Looks a bit saggy in the back.
Old stuff removed.
Ready to start assembling.
New stuff installed. Had to install new spring hagers as the springs are 9" longer than the originals and the OMEs. I rotated the rear diff about 6 degrees to use a double cardan rear shaft.
Good shackle angle
A shot underneath. I did a lot of cleaning and applied a lot of POR15.
I also swapped out the fuel tank with a used one. At the same time, I trimmed the excess material off the passenger side pinch weld to better clear the mounts for my bolt-on sliders.
A little flexing on the weekend. It should loosen up a bit with some use.
About the only thing I want to do now is to get a locker in the front. I think I'll switch to a high pinion diff at the same time to get some better clearance and help with driveshaft angles.