Wow, it's been over a month since I posted here. I owe you guys who've been helping and following this build an update. I've been busy, both on the truck and doing odd jobs to pay for it.
The radiator and fan worked out great once I cut the excess off the water pump shaft.
I hate the paint removal, but it had to be done. I started with the tailgate, using sanding discs and blocks. Well, that didn't really work so I tried the surface conditioning tool from HF. That thing did almost all the work for me!