New to EVERYTHING. Except computers..

Hey guys,
I'm a student from Ontario Canada who has recently acquired an already started mazda b2000(ish) project mini-truck. I don't know the year... I think it's an 87... and I can't give any details on it because it's still sitting in the previous owners yard... (the deal has yet to be finalized)
It's already got a 3 & 1/4" body drop and aparently it's ready for AirBags, (but of course I havn't had the box off OR been able to look at the frame to see)

I must confess I've Never been interested in Mini trucks b4, but after being practically given one i found myself doing a lot of research into them (but trust me i still know FAR less than i think i need to, to finish a project like this) and the more i learned and saw about mini trucks, the i lower i wanted to go...

The guy i'm getting the truck from has been crazy about them for years but just doesn't have the time to finish this truck due to work and the fact that he has moved to a city 3 hours away from his parents house, where this little jewel still resides.

so... I've bought my first ever issue of minitruckin' and i've been looking all over the net for information... and i've been watching these forums for the last few weeks, and felt it was time to make my entrance into the world of minis.

to start off with this will NOT be a daily driver and will most likely span into a 1 or 2 year project. also I've seen a lot of different ways that aribags can be installed... I don't really care about ease of installation or anything like that because this project doesn't really have a time limit... I am in school afterall and still have to try and get my assignments etc done.
The other thing is I WILL be putting in a Fueli 5.0L ford engine sometime AFTER this projects completion (with gas prices the way they are i want to keep the 4 banger for a little while) I have modified engine mounts comming with the truck that are from a different mazda that already had a 5.0L swapped into it so i just haveto modify those a weeeee bit... and i have an RX7 rear end and also have access to a ford 9" rear end...

I've got the parts to make this thing powerful AND I've got the time to make it WORK... so i want to do it... and i want to do it myself. or the guy whos giving me the truck might help out, but i'm going to have to learn a lot of skills... especially welding... :S

so my question is...

where do i go from here? What in gods name do i do?

I think i want reverse 4link because i've heard and read that it's more stable, and with a 5.o litre engine, i will prolly need it...

i need to finish sectioning the front of the box as well... but i have no idea how to do that either...

is there anything else I should know?
or am i going astray anywhere?

am i retarted for getting myself into this without any experience?

ANY links or information you could provide to me would be SOOOOO helpful! I need all the info i can get.

soo... now that i've written a novel , i'll get outta here... lol
Thanks.

Well it sounds like your on the right track. As for jumping into this game without knowing anything, dont worry about it. We all started somewhere. So I'd like to say welcome and if theres any I can help you with I will do so.

welcome dude! i gotta back up screff, i have done a lot on my truck that i really had little experience with. its all good!
are you in any hurry to get the truck all done? cuz thats one thing that always hurt me, was my mazda was my daily driver, so i was always rushin things...

welcome to the site, you came to the right place

welcome to the site man, there will alway be someone to answer, even if u think its a stupid one, just like everyone on this site we all started somewhere

Welcome to the site. If you are planning on dumping a 5 liter in the truck I'd stick with the ford 9" rear end rather than the rx-7 rear because there is more quik change gear rations available for the ford 9". Im not quiet sure about the reverse four link and how it would work on ford 9" though.
Im fairly new to suspension work.

WElcome to the site

Thanks for all the replies,

thetornado - It's not going to be a daily driver, so time is no issue to me. in fact i'm prolly going to be working on it for a looooong time.

87mazdamini - thanks for the recomendation on the rear end. i wasn't sure which one i was going to go with but my cousin who's a mechanic and an avid 4x4 junkie told me to go with the 9", i just wanted to poll some people from the mini truck scene to figure out what you guys thought as well.

If anyone knows the answer to my suspension needs then let me know. If not i'll just post it in the suspension section.

also i'll post pics when the truck makes it's way into MY possesion...

well people keep putting down the reverse 4 link I have forgotten why ..sorry ...but search a little on here ....most will say to do a triangulater 4 link not reversed ...but it sounds like your on your way ..GL...

i have a reversed 4 link and its good but if your going to do a 5.0 u should do a regualr trianglulated 4 link they can withstand more torque