Here's some wheel info
http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/wheels/Here's a whole bunch of Diesel conversion info and a great resource
www.4btswaps.comAs for your overall plan... It sounds reasonable but you make it sound simple, in reality it will be hugely complicated and take countless hours and a fair amount of money.
I strongly suggest you get it running stopping and driving as is and use it for a year or three as is prior to starting a diesel conversion. You'll learn a whole lot in the meantime that will be invaluable when doing a conversion.
I started playing with AD Chevy trucks in high school, was given a 52 1 ton which I drove everyday for a couple years, even rebuilt a 235 for it somewhere in there. Then a few years out of high school I figured out and did the disc brake axle swap and added power steering and brakes. That was a whole lot of work and a big learning experience, something I could have only dreamed of doing back in high school, seriously doubt I could have pulled it off (safely) back then. Now for the last few years I've been doing the diesel conversion on the 2 ton (using the the axles from the 1 ton on it), it's a whole lot of work. I've done a lot right the first time and I've redone a lot too, I'm always learning something new.
While you have some good ideas you also have a lot to learn before you can make them all happen. It can be extremely discouraging to bite off more than you can chew, and that's why I suggest you work with a essentially stock truck for a while as you learn about it and learn more about what you want.
Grigg
