I am with you.
my truck 85 extra cab, bobbed bed. winch. 3.5 inch lift alcans, dual cases, cross over steering. budbuilt skid plate (we will get this for the wifes truck)
detroit rear, power trax no slip front, 5.29 gears. new motor cam header... wasted alot of money on some of this stuff. had a 5 inch sky junker lift for a while. never again. 33 inch tires.

wifes truck early 85, bobbed bed, both have rock sliders,
no lift, 34 inch tires, stock motor. and she kicks butt in it. go's through stuff that locked trucks have a hard time. she is a very good driver and spotter.
we cut the fenders the backs of the fenders. stock steering that works better then my cross over. (going to look into pump pressure on mine). she can slide the front over on gravel with the tire against a rock.. I can't.
I am going to try hydro assist on mine, because of the expensive cross over. on her's when she is ready we are going full hydro. I just have to get the piston matched up just about perfect because she will keep pulling on the wheel to try to turn sharper when it is already on the stops. so I worry that she will push the end of the axle off.
for 21 year old shocks.. no kidding it rides good and flexes (not bad). may go with a little longer shocks so we don't have to spend 500.00 for new drive shafts. she will get the bud built single case mount, marlins 4.7 transfercase gears, and for now a welded rear.
later will be 5.29 gears if she wants them and welded rear still and a power trax no slip for the front.

oh and her paint job, cost 40 bucks, she had soooooo much fun with it. still giggles when she drives it.
camo pink with a wave of butter flies going from the pass side hood, up and over the hood and down the drivers side.

in closing, I spent way to much doing mine right, we are doing hers with all that I have learned about what works and what don't. to start with I wanted mine to look nice and work well. hers had alot of bed rust. so saws all, she didn't care as long as it works.
I wish that I had, had no fear of the saws all when I built mine, I could have saved thousands of bucks.
been through 1 set of downy springs.. junk
been through 2 sets of sky jackers... not for the hard core rocks.
alcans are working great and at 1/3rd the price I paid for the others.
the wifes stock springs are working great, just the shocks need to be a few inches longer.

wheeeffff.. I feel better now. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cyclops.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />