trbizwiz

HI guys nubee junior member here. I am sort of new to the toyota world. I had one in the 90's for a year then moved on to big chevy's. Well I have wanted a toy for a while now, and I came across a deal on a project truck over the weekend, and I picked it up yesterday.
I bought a '92 toy 4x4 with 3.0 vze. The truck runs good with 193xxx miles on it, but drives terrible.
I plan to repair the famous rusted frame, and various other chassis quirks to get her rolling right again. After that I want to do long past due PM on her. Timing kit, head gaskets, plugs, wires, and so on.
After I get these 2 steps done, I want to convert her over to propane. I want to run straight propane, so I plan to adjust the timing and etc to maximize the benefits of the higher octane, and hopefully reduce the downfall's of the lower BTU's. Based on my research I believe because a percentage of petrol goes unburned in the combustion cycle, a properly set up LPG powered truck should perform on par or slightly better than it's petrol brother. This experiment will let me find out for sure.
Another goal is to do everything as cost effectively as possible while getting oem or better results. I will use used parts when appropriate and available, and shop for bargains as well.
I started with the base truck, which needs a lot of work for $1000 dollars. I probably could have spent less, but I bought it from a guy who was selling his mom's spare truck to raise money for school, and I thought $1000 was fair enough, and he agreed.
I had to travel to KC Mo to get it and didn't quite make it home before I lost a Bering or something in the rear differential, so right now it's sitting north of Carthage on hwy 71. I'll pick it up tonight with the aide of a friend. (another friend was going to help me pick it up in KC last night but something came up, and I thought I would try to drive it home, bad Idea)
I'll try to post pic's tonight, but the frame is rusted in the normal spot, mostly on the passenger side. I will remove the bed and cut out all the soft areas in the frame and reinforce with plate steal inside, then patch back in the frame, and etch and seal the metal to prevent future rust. That will be stage one.
I am posting this for two reasons. I want to keep a record of my project, and I value input for others, be it helpful advice or just encouragement.
If anyone has any thoughts on the project so far, post up. If you have experience you want to share or if you know of vendors I should check with, or if you have recommendations of which mods and repairs I should do first and what are the best products to use for that.
a quick outline of my plans
bed removal frame rust repair replace leaf springs
check and repair front suspension
sand and rust proof and rust spots on the body to prevent future damage until I get to that part maybe years who knows
timing kit
top end gaskets
propane conversion
cold air induction
headers and free flowing exhaust ( I don't think I'll need a cat converter, because propane is so low in emissions
replace fenders and bed sides with fiberglass with flares, and hood with scoop
paint
tires
interior, lots of memory foam and custom upholstery (something stain and sweat resistant, but still nice to sit on and look at)
Stereo (something that gets great radio reception, I'm a talk radio junkie, and decent speakers, nothing fancy, no big amps or bass or anything)
then done maybe????
The reason I chose oxymoron for her title is, I want to build an all terrain truck that has a minimal environmental impact. It is a foreign made auto that will use fuel made 90% domestically, and I want to build it to be fuel efficient, but it is a utility vehicle. To me these goals seem to be an oxymoron, because of their contrast
Well thanks for reading post #1, the rest will be significantly shorter, but I thought if everyone knew where I was heading and from where I came I might get the most relevant advice.
I don't really have a budget in mind, but I want to find great deals on each facet of the project to keep the cost's as small as possible. Maybe this will encourage others to recycle lost trucks destined to salvage. I will probably cost too much, but it will satisfy my crave to try my hand at some of these things. My wife refers to me as the mad scientist.
I don't have much mechanical experience, but I learn fast, I research a lot, and I work hard. The rest ill leave to God.
I did just finish a wide wheel conversion on a Harley Davidson V-Rod. That took some fabricating, and ingenuity. I had a lot of help and encouragement from the guy's over at 1130cc.com
Thanks in advance for your help.
Tom H
Mount Vernon, MO