My "New" Truck

[jrharts]

All,

New member here...military dude stationed in Florida. Currently deployed and will be retiring in less than a year to my home town in Pennsylvania.

Here's the story, the following truck was purchased new by my wife's grandfather, he passed and willed it to my brother-in-law. He let it sit for a couple of years and he just offered it to me (free) because he knew I would bring it back to life. He just let it sit in my barn and now it is outside in a pole barn.

As you can tell, the truck was used hard, but it is still in ok condition; the interior is still in excellent shape though.

The details:
1971 GMC 1500 LB
307 V-8
Auto
No A/C
No P/S
No brake booster

Why did I post? To help manage my expectations as to how much it may cost to restore.

I want to do the following (work done in the central PA area):
-Convert to short bed (maybe new sheetmetal due to condition of bed?)
-Paint/body work (similar color)
-Lower a bit w/new suspension
-Upgrade brakes (booster and maybe discs in rear)
-Wheels/tires
-Make it safe (hoses, lines, etc.)

Performance-wise I would have preferred a 350, and I may look at that, but probably not.

I am not expecting a show-quality end product, just a good, solid truck that is sweet to look at. If I do end up sinking money into this, I would prefer to go over the whole thing (frame off?) to ensure nothing is missed. I would like to repaint everything if possible. I will not be doing any of the major stuff because I don't have those skill-sets (body, paint), but the small stuff is where I can jump in (suspension, brakes, engine work). I do not expect to be dropping the truck to someone and picking it up a year later done. I will be involved in the process and do a lot of the grunt work (disassembly/assembly).

The recent news about me getting this truck has really given me a lot to think about during the last part of my deployment (grateful for that)...I am pretty excited to say the least.

So, given the limited information above, is it possible to accomplish all of the above for around $20-25K? I understand there are a lot of "it depends" and "what-if's," so please don't flame away...just looking to see if I should stop thinking about it--cost will be the deciding factor. Again, the truck will be done in the Williamsport, PA area. If this project is feasible, I may ask for some suggested people to do some of the work. I've been away from that area so long I barely know who is reputable.

Thanks in advance!

John

2000 Tundra
1971 GMC 1500