I'm Cummins swapping a '74 Duster, thought I'd share the progress.

I mean i get it....... but a task like this is for someone who has all the skills or its going to be fkn expensive or have a lot of road blocks. Not sure this is a project you want to be learning to weld on. I would make the parts but get a fabricator to do the welds. I tacked all my k frame stifeners in and then had my fabricator weld it all. Same as the chassis stifeners. I had to scribe them for hours to fit then tacked them and he came in and welded them, that way i know the welds are perfect and as strong as can be also welding thick gauge steel to the thin floor pan isnt easy if you have any rust pits it will juts blow holes.
The weight isnt great however no different to have few heavy blokes in the car.
Brakes wilwoods will be fine but there is better out there, also do a decent rear disk as well. Runa good width tyre probably not the car to run a front runner on lol.
I am sure you realise that this is a huge task and you not even scratched the surface of it. Going to be a long build, staying motivated will be the hard bit
BOLDERDASH...
I welded all that c*** in there.Frame connectors so forth, homemade frame connectors I should say, I'd never paid hundreds of dollars for a straight piece of metal I have to weld in...
Cheap harbor freight flux wire welder...
It's not like the body is going to twist like a big pretzel, it's just going to stop the slight movements...
After years of drag racing with a four speed and slicks, I can still go out there and my welds are just fine...
People like to overthink stuff like they're racing a ten thousand horsepower drag machine... they're not...
With the budget and time given, what kind of horsepower do you think this guy's going to make..?..
Likely all that welding and frame stiffening's only going to gain someone with modest horsepower next to nothing...