C-30 Blues

I Have an 81 Chev C-30 1 ton that is unfourtunately a 2wd. I have this delema. How to go about dumping the 2wd junk and slap on a solid axle and then lift it , "that is the question".In the sept. 2006 issue there was a small article in the "Best 4x4's Ever" putting a small spotlight on the "BEST" crew cab ever made (im my opinion) Im currently in the proscess of rounding up the parts mentioned on this truck but i have no idea on how to mount them to a 2wd frame. HELP NEED ANSWERS! as a side note i know for a fact that i still have the 1 ton 8 lug axle which came on the truck at the factory what is it? do i already have a dana 70? and how do i tell just by looking at it? and finally which lift kit would be the right one to lift this conversion 8"-10"?  

A 2wd to 4wd conversion is quite doable IF you have a donor truck as everything will bolt to basic frame. You will have to drill out so rivets and remove old front suspension and bolt in 4x4 parts with grade 5 bolts or better. Trying this with out a donor truck will drive you crazy chasing parts and a lot more expensive too getting it a piece at a time. On the lifts' there is not easy 10 inch lift because when you get above 6 inches you have to do a lot of things if you want to work right (and at 6 inches and above you need custom driveshafts with CV's in them and with that kind of lift and tires to go with it you better have a D70 up front because it will be beyond a D60 and well beyond a D44.  If it is mostly for show, you can get by with less axle. You will also need to beef up frame wre ster box mounts because it is prone to crack with big lift and tires. This is not some you can really answer fully in a simple post because there are a LOT of varibles her that need tro be addressed.