New to forum, need ideas

[76er]

Hello members, fairly new here. Just bought a 56 stepside that i'm anxious to get to work on but i have some questions. I'm trying to stay within a tight budget as i have two in college so what ever i do has to be cost effective and done all by me so calling up Brothers or Classic Industries and saying send me a $2500.00 mustang 2 sispension or send me a 800.00 disk brake conversion kit or a 1000.00 ididit or flaming river columm or, well you get the picture. I do plan on buying the 3 inch drop front straight axle that will bolt in and one of the kits to adapt my on disc brake parts but is there a later tilt columm that i can adapt and are there specific parts i can go to the salvage yard and buy to get power steering in my truck, and a later rear end that is pretty much the same width that will replace my old truck rear? I mean how did everybody build street cruisers before there were all these mailorder houses where all we have to be is rich to get whatever our minds can imagine
for these trucks? Any suggestions would br very helpful.