A ton has happened in the past year or two. I ended up taking the pickup into a hot rod shop for some body work and a paint job. I'm really happy with the results. This saved me a ton of time, time that I got to spend with my young kids and wife.
A few nights ago I installed some miscellaneous external rubber and got the EFI fuel pump module installed.
I did up changing my mind on the transmission. Tonight I pulled the 4L80E to make room for a Tremec TKX 5 speed. My two oldest boys were out helping me. The Harbor Freight scissor transmission jack worked very well, my only complaint is how high i had to lift the vehicle to get the trans out (first world problems). I supported the engine from the bottom using an old dirtbike stand.