Its great being 21, and having older wiser heads to keep you on track. And what the guys have written above is wisdom that I wish I had at 21.

From my many hot rodding failures I have learned the following:

Buying shine stuff makes your bedroom look cool, but doesnt get the hot rod finished any quicker
Borrowing money at 21 to build your hot rod isnt so wise
Having a 'mechanical mate" is a godsend
Start with the end in mind (and dont change the plan)
Making the hot rod nice and driveable is a good idea
Making a hot rod that looks way cool but is a dog to drive is not a good idea
Drag racing is great fun and very addictive
And addictive costs plenty

If I was 21 and building that truck, I would look doing a frame swap. And dont rule out the Jappa utes from the early 90s either.

Down here they are common, and often rusty and usually cheap. A few of them even have the 5 on 4 1/2 Ford stud pattern, disc brakes and a diff that okay for a mild sbc. If your truck needs floors anyhow, then its not a major to fabricate one to fit a new frame.

All the best with your project.

Todd