Glad to hear you were able to change the VP44. OTC Tools makes a T-Bar puller for the pump that works fairly well.
As long as you are running the stock LP style fuel assb. get a Mechanical Fuel Pressure Gauge. You will be surprised how easy it is to pull the Fuel Pressure below 6 PSI. I would suggest that you invest in some other type of fuel system, such as a FASS (they have a few different models). If you keep the truck stock, a 95 unit will work fine, although I would suggest getting the larger 155 with the filters.
-Rich