[FATSO64]

Pulled the dash cluster out and found ALL the wiring (which was fairly new, only 5 years old or so) to be completely damaged. Apparently after all the adding of aftermarket gauges and other components, my father did a hack job on the harness. Couldn't find one wire that didn't have some sort of fray or melting of insulation on it. I am absolutely surprised the truck didn't burn down! I forgot to get some pictures of the harness itself.
Removed all the wiring, switches, seat, junk and dirt from the old truck to find what appears to be a rust free floor. I would hope it's all good under the paint and primer being a So. Cal vehicle all these years. I still need to remove the gas tank for that added leg room I need, but that'll wait until later.
Sat in the truck for a little bit, day dreaming, and came up with an idea for the dash design. I really like the 55-59 Dakota Digital VHX gauge and think it would look cool to smooth out the dash, bring the top dash contour to a v-shape in the center of the dash and mount the older v-shaped gauge cluster in the center of the dash. I think I'll try sketching a design and scan it so people can see what I mean and get some opinions.
One other thought I had was more of question. Has anyone seen the cab lengthened enough, taking up the space of the side step? Not adding a "extended cab window" or door, but rather lengthening the actual doors? Just my imagination running wild I guess.