Help me plan the project.

[evan]

Hey guys. I finally found the SWB that I'm going to build. It's a 1979 GMC C15. I don't have the money/time to do a complete frame-off this year so I'm looking at two different possibilities.

The first option is to strip everything down to the frame, have the frame blasted and re-coated and then rebuild the chassis with all the suspension/brake mods. Put the old body back on the new chassis this year drive it for a year or two and then strip it back down for a complete paint job.

The second option is to let the frame accumulate a little more surface rust for another year and just install all the suspension/brake mods I want with the truck still intact. I would drive it like that for probably a year before I could strip it all off and do the frame and body at the same time.

What do you think? Should I strip it down to do the frame now and then again for paint later, or should I just bolt on the parts now and strip it down just once a year from now?

Here's the truck if you missed it in the SWB sticky.