Welcome to The 'Bolt, JohnC. Nice to hear you've got a nice starting point there. You say you're truck has a 10 bolt rearend-is it a five lug unit from a car? Do you want to change up to five lug disc brakes on the front to match? O.K., here's my $.02-first, find a similar year 1/2 ton AD truck in a local boneyard. Purchase it's front axle complete from hub to hub. now take it home and swap it under your existing leaf springs-it's supposed to be a direct bolt-in, from what I've seen posted here before. Now you can take advantage of the several aftermarket brake and power steering kits available out there. One source is:
www.classicperform.com Classic Performance Products offers both brake and power steering kits as well as the little extras you need to really finish the install. If you'd like an idea of what kind of work these conversions will be, check this out:
www.classictruckshop.com Look in the "Tech Articles" section, you'll find articles on both the disc brake swap and the power steering swap, along with some helpful tips not mentioned in the kit's instruction manuals. Oh yeah, if you're going to power steering, don't neglect to change out your existing tie rods, etc. with the newer heavy duty ones offered by the aftermarket.
Best of luck with your project and have fun!
Regards,
Wannabe
