Another newbee needing help lol

first off i would like to take the time to say how glad i am to be a member of this site. i've read and researched alot of what i'm about to ask but i'm still confussed on alot of things. if ya wouldn't mind, could ya answer yet another newbee's questions. this is my first mini i've always wanted to do a mini but never got around to do it. do i have fabing experearance? no, but from racing and working on atv's i've learned that if you have the proper tools, time, and instructions anything is possible. as soon as i get back from afghanistan in apr 07, my son (11yrs old) and i will jump into the project, that will later to become his first truck (he just doesn't know) until then it will be a daily driver once it's finished. enough of my rambling..lol

my set up that i have now.

yr. - 87
model - b2k
drive - 2wd
cab style - std cab
motor - chevy 350
tranny - turbo 400

the set up i want and things that need to be fixed

1) to lay frame and body (bag and body drop done by me and my son)
2) re-wire the whole truck (painless wiring all wok done by me and my son)
3) interior - custom fiberglass dash, consol, add power windows and locks, add dvd player, add monitor in passager side of the dash (20"), add a nice basic system, and tweed with choped caviler sests. (done by local shops and me)
4) exterior - shaven makers, all handles, smooth the front bumper, skin the rear end, add led rear lights, add a pop up lisence plate out of the bed, add motorcycle mirrors, add phantom grill, chop the top 3"-5", rag sun roof, 4x4 bed, 4x4 fenders, add a forward tilting hood, and suicide doors (done by meand my son); get a custom fuel tank and paint (done by local shops)
5) motor/tranny - add a serpintine system, add power steering, add vintage air a/c, might add a turbo charger, rad needs to be replaced, and change the tranny to a 700r4 (all work done by me and my son)

i know i will be ordering all the fillers, sheet metal, arms through grant kustoms (got to support the site's sponsors), but here's the questions i have.

1) where are the cheapest place i can go to get the quality bags, tank(s), ect...?
2) are there any videos or online right ups that show how to do all the body mods that i'm wanting to do?
3) where are the best places to mount batteries, tank(s), compressors, ect...?
4) what is the most reliable and straight forward rearend set up but still looks kick ass?
5) are there any issues that i might need to address before jumping into this?
6) what brand of silinoids, air compressors, etc..do i use?
7) who do i get the suicide hinges and bear claws from?

the reasons why i want to do all this work on my own is becuase i don't trust anyone locally (fayetteville, nc), i can spend time with my son working on his future truck, and the local work could be concidered as bondo art. lol so, if ya could answer any if not all the question it would greatly help me out.

thx josh

welcome to the b-scene! & thanks for reppin the usa!!

sounds like you'll have your hands full upon return stateside....deff cool to include your son, it will be good for both of you, quality time & knowledge gained.

i'll to try to answer some of your q's the best i can
1. check around, cheap always isn't the best, also consider shipping & order backlog time....check w/ the dealer to make sure it's in stock
2. i don't know of any online spots for exterior vids, there is always the ole reliable mini bible....mt mag
3.i've cut out the spare tire x-member & am mounting a fuel cell & optima batteries under the bed (even when bodydropped it still allows you to have a useable bed)
4. does it still have the fact mazda rear w/ your v8? if so i would swap out the rear axle for something a little beefier....i'm going w/ a 86-95 yota 4wd....its from a v6, same width from wheel mounting surface to wheel mounting surface, you can find a plethera of different gear ratios, get an lsd or locker & can get a disc brake conversion from downey offroad.
5. just research what your going to do before you do it, it will be much easier on you
6. not sure, some of the other guys should be able to help you with this
7. same as above in #6 also consider what i said in #1

good luck, keep us posted on progress!

this is colse to what me and my son are wanting the outcome to look like.

if your gonna need suicide hinges, hook up from suicdedoors.com while your there check out the viaar compressors. you can get any sillinoids needed there. They also have online tutorials of how to set up your bags, how to wire a switchbox, how to do guages, ect.

thanks for the advice guys.

no prob! glad to help best i could..

one other thing to consider is shop space to work on it & the tooling your gonna need to complete a project like this....good size garage or shop, compressor (larger the better), welder, tools, etc....

also i thought of something after i left work, you said you were gonna get your exterior pieces from grant k's, matt & the guys ought to be able to hook you up with some of the suspension stuff as well.....

hey brotha, are you in the marine corps? i was stationed in jacksonville for 5 years. i love that pic. that is the same bumper i will be ordering from matt as soon as i get the cash together. i am going to get the bad mo-fukka kit from suicide doors but instead of 1/2" stuff i will be getting 3/8's. a friend of mine is running 1/2" on a full size dodge and that thing moves way to fast for me. definitely check out the suicidedoors website as well.

naw man i'm in the army. i'm in a special forces unit (as a support guy), so i get deployed along with the SF guys quite often. matter of fact as soon as i come home in Apr i'll be coming back in Nov for another 8 months. which sucks, but hey it pays the bills and to me it's just a job. that and i've been doing it for about 5 yrs with this unit so i'm use to it. that was going to be another question what would be a good size lines to run, 3/8" or 1/2"? what are the the advantages of both and the disadvantages of both? another question i have is toyota arms on a b2k. what are the advantages and disadvantages? can you run toyota spindles on them or do you have to run mazda's?

thanks again for all the help ya.
josh

SWEET 18X30 SLAB....I'M DOING MINE OUT OF MY TWO CAR GARAGE....ONE SIDE HAS MY TRUCK, THE OTHER MY TRUCK'S BED..HAHA!

THE 1/2" LINES WILL FLOW MORE AIR QUICKER THAN THE 3/8" LINES, NOT QUITE SURE OF ANY OTHER ADVANTAGE THAN THAT....AS FOR THE YOTA ARMS...ARE YOU WANTING TO PUT THEM ON, OR JUST THE YOTA SPINDLES...YOU CAN GET TUBULAR MAZDA ARMS & USE YOTA SPINDLES WITH THOSE SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO MESS WITH THE MOUNTING POINTS.

honestly i'm not sure now i thought that you had to use yota arms w/ yota spindles to tuck and lay 20's, if you or anyone could please clear this up. damn, now i'm confused (which isn't hard )

oh i had about 15-20 mins to kill today so i scetched out a rough interior of what i'm wanting. **Please be advised i've never had any formal schooling on drawing, so for some it may look like shit**

i'll use:
-cavalier seats choped about 3-5"
it'll have a one peice speaker box/console that will flow into the dash
-the console will house a 12" sub, amp, mids (in the lower portion by the pedals and on the oposing side) a storage area, switches for all four corners (the four little dots), and power window & power locks controls(the three little dots).
-the door panels will have a fiberglass peice that flows from the dash and will act as a arm rest, will have raised flames in tweed, and will have billet handle
-the dash will be a custom fiberglass that houses a 20" monitor, dvd player, vintage air controls & billet vents, auto meter gauges, and air gauges (under the a/c controls)

here's the pic (try not to laugh) and if you have question what somthing is just ask.