Thanks for the suggestions guys. For now I really only need the truck operational so that I can move it from the driveway to the street and vice versa to get other equipment moved around.
I'm going to shoot for the axle swap in the near future. Hopefully the P30 short axle will work okay, and that getting the driveline modified to fit won't take too long.
I will have to say though that the radials on the front make a hell of a lot of difference in handling. No more sudden wandering or jerking of the steering. I'm loving it. Can't wait to get the rear axle in, once I acquire one.
Thanks for the good info fellas.