First and foremost, get the driveshaft sorted before you start driving it much.

Then get cooling system squared away.

In addition to the usual web sites recommended here, I have found good prices on new parts on ebay, rockauto.com, and amazon. You'll find the truck is a pleasure to work on, which is good because you'll be working on it frequently.

But honestly, it's a perfect vehicle for your daughter. The seats sit very high in the cab so you have this incredible amount of visibility. The truck is beautifully designed for road trips.

 

so what is everyones opinion on the drive shaft. just order one from dicks drive line or try and rebuild mine ? whats the conventional wisdom on spline wear ?

 

depends a lot on your budget, I bought mine for $300 shipped and it was a lot better built than the factory one. Lots of guys rebuild them. Search the forum on rebuilding front drive shaft and then decide. Congrats on the purchase and welcome to the family!

 

thanks

 

What I did and its the cheapest route is to rebuild using grease-able joints. Couple hrs and some busted knuckles and you can save a couple hundred $.There is a good sticky on the how to and what parts to use.