I just read back through this thread. What a great looking build! I'm in awe of your metal fabrication chops! Makes me want to learn how to weld...
I don't recall that you mentioned much about the truck when you bought it, except that it ran well, so I don't know if it ever sat for any length of time or not. You did discuss installing new power and ground wires, which sounds good. So you're probably already planning on doing this, but I'll mention it just in case: eyeball, and test as necessary, every bit of the stock wiring harness including the wiring itself, insulation, connectors, and ground straps. If it did sit for a time, then look for chewed stuff.
Also, I'm wondering about the battery-to-body ground. Maybe your truck never had one. If so, please disregard the following. If it did, I'd pay particular attention to where the 10 gauge cable from the battery connects to the body. If it's like my '96, then the connection is a coarse threaded bolt (a sheetmetal bolt?) that goes through a single layer of sheetmetal of the inner fender. The hole in mine was wrung out and would easily loosen, and so no longer provided a reliable ground connection. This caused some issues. Since it was a blind panel, meaning I couldn't get to the back side, I used a rivet nut and a machine thread bolt to create an effective anchor point. Just a thought.
x2.
If you're going to replace your flexible brake lines anyway - and I would if it were my truck - I'd recommend strongly considering going with braided stainless steel brake lines. I've used them in four of my vehicles, including my '93 Suburban (which we won't discuss, for now), and find that they firm up the brakes a bit, and make braking effort easier to modulate. Plus they look nice, imho.
Keep up the good work! I'm enjoying watching your progress!
