Spent the day w/ my truck... couple Q's...

[Russ72C10]

Well, just got back from wrenchin' on the "New 72" most of the day. Went over to a buddies place, BS'd, and got some things taken care of. Ended up replacing the carrier bearing (it was SHOT!)... but I still have that annoying squeal, so this week I am replacing all three of the U-Joints! Not going to mess around trying to hunt down which of the 3 it is. They'll all need it sooner or later anyway! Pretty darn straight-forward job, too! While we were under the truck, I went ahead and put on new rear shocks (I think the stockers were still on it!).... and wired up a new SunPro tach! It's great to know where the engine RPM Is now, plus it looks trick on the steering column. I have the dash without the factory tach, and this new one perfectly sits in front of that blank space. One day I may put it IN the dash...

Which brings me to one of my questions. Rear gear ratio! I'm wondering what mine is? I THINK it's a 3.08... but could someone tell me for sure? I'm runnin 255/60/15s (27.05 diameter) tires, and going 60mph it turns ~2200 rpm. If this is the so-called Economy gear, my lord, I'd hate to see the gas mileage it'd get with a 3.73 or 4.10 rear. LOL!!

Also, while under the truck today, I noticed the rockers are shot (no news there)... and about 6-8" of floorboard nearest to the rockers is pretty wasted and rusty too. Does anyone know where I can find new panels at a reasonable price?

On a better note, another friend of mine said he will paint my truck in exchange for me buying him a welder ($350-$400)! He just got done painting his, and you couldn't tell it wasn't done by a pro! So I can't wait to get THAT done! Woohoo!!

But, I'd appreciate it if someone could answer my questions... I'm learning at this, and man, I'm loving the fact that my hands have ground-in grease from working on my new pride & joy!

Take care!