Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
I'm removing the box off my 96 to go after some long term problems. I would like to be efficient in this labor and fix everything that is made easier with the bed off and while access is enhanced.
> I had a rear brake line rust through last fall and there is a replacement line (I view as temporary) up over the tank right now with the old rusty one still there doing nothing.
>>> So I want to replace every inch of crappy tin brake & fuel line with stainless steel and/or marine hose. Nothing has ever been touched in my fuel system except to change the fuel filter. The truck is 15 years old, lives in the rust belt, and with one brake line already rusted out, all the metal brake & fuel lines are now suspect and untrustworthy.
> My fuel sender has not worked right for a couple of years.
>>> I want to fix it as permanently as possible without spending large.
> My rear brakes need replaced as do the corroded parking brake cables.
>>> I have new drums and new cables and will be upgrading to the Chevy wheel cylinders. I still need to choose rear brake shoes. . ? Hammer once advised using very cheap & soft rear shoes when upgrading to the more powerful chevy wheel cylinders. That seems contrary to using "the best I can afford" but Hammer usually knows his stuff. Any other opinions?
I will also be completing my plastic underbody shielding under the bed before I reinstall it. But what else should be done, checked out, replaced, upgraded, etc while the box is removed? What else should I have on hand and ready and where do I find the best deal on it?
I can't believe only EGR brakes offers stainless steel hardlines for our trucks, but that's all I can find.
BTW: I'm replacing the hard brakelines with the intention of also converting to hydroboost. This will likely affect whether I order a stainless kit for a 96, which is my truck, or a 98, which had hydroboost. Am I correct? The soon-to-be-installed Ford dual-piston calipers will make the front plumbing even more interesting, but there I believe I need to take one step at a time.
Oh, and I hope to repaint the truck sometime in the next year. I don't care for the maroon over silver-gray and want to go with either pewter or charcoal. Can I paint the front of the box and the rear of the cab now while I have them separated? Or will I end up with a very noticeable paint line on the cab when the rest is painted later?
> I had a rear brake line rust through last fall and there is a replacement line (I view as temporary) up over the tank right now with the old rusty one still there doing nothing.
>>> So I want to replace every inch of crappy tin brake & fuel line with stainless steel and/or marine hose. Nothing has ever been touched in my fuel system except to change the fuel filter. The truck is 15 years old, lives in the rust belt, and with one brake line already rusted out, all the metal brake & fuel lines are now suspect and untrustworthy.
> My fuel sender has not worked right for a couple of years.
>>> I want to fix it as permanently as possible without spending large.
> My rear brakes need replaced as do the corroded parking brake cables.
>>> I have new drums and new cables and will be upgrading to the Chevy wheel cylinders. I still need to choose rear brake shoes. . ? Hammer once advised using very cheap & soft rear shoes when upgrading to the more powerful chevy wheel cylinders. That seems contrary to using "the best I can afford" but Hammer usually knows his stuff. Any other opinions?
I will also be completing my plastic underbody shielding under the bed before I reinstall it. But what else should be done, checked out, replaced, upgraded, etc while the box is removed? What else should I have on hand and ready and where do I find the best deal on it?
I can't believe only EGR brakes offers stainless steel hardlines for our trucks, but that's all I can find.
BTW: I'm replacing the hard brakelines with the intention of also converting to hydroboost. This will likely affect whether I order a stainless kit for a 96, which is my truck, or a 98, which had hydroboost. Am I correct? The soon-to-be-installed Ford dual-piston calipers will make the front plumbing even more interesting, but there I believe I need to take one step at a time.
Oh, and I hope to repaint the truck sometime in the next year. I don't care for the maroon over silver-gray and want to go with either pewter or charcoal. Can I paint the front of the box and the rear of the cab now while I have them separated? Or will I end up with a very noticeable paint line on the cab when the rest is painted later?
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