Hey guys, I'll be keeping up with my project here. There are many plans but the first thing to do is get it running well. It's an 81 302 aod Ranger Lariat with original paint and only 63k miles. It's not in the best shape but it is a good 20 footer. It has been sitting in a garage since 91. The only rust is where the tool box used to lap over the bed rails I'll be fixing that with some sand blasting/primer and a spray in bed-liner.
My plan for it is to be kind of like an early 80s version of the 1st gen lightning. Being able to whip through a corner while carrying my mountain bikes is the goal. I have already ordered Edelbrock ias shocks and NOS lightning front springs. I will be putting Cragar soft 8 17x8s on it with 275/60/17 nitto 420s tires. This is the same size wheel and tire combo as the lightnings. I'll be lowering the rear with two inch shackles. It will also get front and rear sway bars.
The interior is going to get a slight makeover. At first, I'm going to rip all the interior pieces out and put dynamat (or a cheaper rival) throughout. I have a set of 78 Trans Am seats that I am going to do in red and put them in there as well; this will come later though. It will get an upgraded stereo, as it has the stock one now. I am not sure what it will have yet but it won't be anything crazy.
The engine is going to stay stock for a while. Since it is such low mileage it ought to hold up for a while. What I would like for it is the lower Edelbrock power package which is supposed to have around 300-320hp. It's cool because it is a decent price for an entire aluminum top end. The tranny will have to be beefed up and I will probably put 4.11s in the 9" to offset the 30" tires.
After all that, i will probably weld up some patch panels, and box, parts of the "swiss cheese" frame. The truck will eventually get a cowl induction hood and get repainted along with removing some of the trim.
I am going to do all of this in stages. Getting it running well and doing the suspension/wheels/tires will be the first priority. I might see if I can sneek the gears in as well. The engine stuff and the paint job will come much later as funds allow....oh yeah I will be removing the upper trim and putting smooth chrome bumpers on, without the black strip.

edit, the brakes will be upgraded as well, however I'm not sure how much. My previous 84 could stop quick enough, with stock brakes, that the seat belt would leave a mark. This was when it had tires sticky enough to not lock up under full braking. I guess I would like to add disks to the rear. There is a caddilac caliper that has an external parking brake mechanism; I can't remember what car it came from now. I'll have to find rotors that will work and make brackets for it.

Here is a pic of it as it sits. It took a lot of buffing to bring the paint back and i'll probably have to wax it every other week to keep the shine.