It's interesting when someone asks for experienced advice and then tosses it.

Complete kits, I have found, are not worth what they cost. So you get everything, and learn nothing. Gee, what a deal.

What you get in a complete kit is what someone threw together in a way that makes the greatest margin for them and undercuts the competition (if they are thinking purely business, and narrowly at that). I have not seen a kit yet, from ANYONE, that has the components that make the best sense and work the best.

Frankly, a SAS is not that complicated, if you follow the narrow path and learn from others' mistakes and successes, and MAKE SURE YOU DO BETTER WELDS THAN FACTORY. And guess what, you'll actually save money and have a better working system. DO NOT MAKE A DECISION BASED ON $300 for pities sake. My safety on the road will be impacted by your poor decisions. Not to mention the kind of 4x4 world you will be building based on saving $300, and where that will leave you in 5 years. You spend that much on pop in a year!

You wanna make your own crossover? It's been done, it's failed badly, and endangered people. You wanna do that again? That's a good idea - why? You will save HOW much?

I have found that Front Range Off Road Fab's spring hangers provide the closest-to-factory steering geometry (you know, that HS class you hated?) and the best handling, not to mention the strongest total assembly (less stress on the frame over time). The TG/AllPro hanger will crack your frame and then you get to re-engineer it. Brian Ellinger does very well engineered products, which constantly get ripped off by some other low-life copycats out there who don't actually engineer anything. Buy the real deal.

5" lift, even without a BL, is a bad idea unless you also are going with full width axle$. FWIW, chicks dig the hole in my hood (which is nicely trimmed with auto trim BTW). The truck is a sleeper until people start looking close, rather than being a bunch of eye candy that, when closely examined, turns out to be junk - like so many rigs out there.

Life is too short to build cheap junk. I am never afraid to have anyone crawl under my truck - in fact, I smile, because I know.

Sorry to get my shorts in a knot, but geez youngsters, think about the consequences of your actions on all levels! Including how you behave on the trails - while we still have them!

[edit] BTW, to the original poster - I think it's really cool your dad is doing this project with you. He wants you to be safe, so don't take the cheap route. I wish my dad had done stuff like this with me - and I am doing it with my sons now. Goodonya!