First of all, Hi Ya'll !

Just a little info on what we're doing....What I have going is a 2000 Dakota 3.9 extended cab. We've had this truck since brand new, and it's a 80,000 mile REALLY clean truck. We're lookin at turning it into a nice street/strip/show vehicle and need a little info. I sold my 10.5 camaro a while back and now my wife and i are regretting it and want something else to play with !!

At this time, i don't know if i'll go small block or big block, but it'll be a 727 trans with loose converter either way. We're having the front hubs plugged and redrilled for 5 on 4.5 so we can get some skinnies on it...
and i'll throw a 9" rear in it. Probably go with a 10.5 rear tire to start.

I'll definitely go carbed at first, and maybe later stand alone fuel injection/turbo.

The things i need to know are...

1. I'd like to keep the a/c in it if i go small block.(We're in Oklahoma...lol) Because of NOT using the factory ECM is there anything electronic getting in the way of the factory air still working without it? For looks, we'll probably remove all unneccesary wiring,(along with factory computers, etc.)

2. Has anyone converted This model to a manual rack? If so, what parts do i need? (If i go big block, i'm going bare bones up front)

3. I know none of the factory guages, etc will work, that's not a problem as we'll build a custom instrument panel for it with aftermarket guages, but am i going to run into any wierd problems by not having the factory computers running? I'm not worried about the fuel pump, as we'll be putting a fuel cell and aftermarket fuel system in it anyway.

4. What about converting to manual brakes...and getting rid of ABS misc...?

If anyone can give me some insight into those topics i'd appreciate it.

I'm not worried about how much it weighs.....i'll put enough motor and nitrous in it to make it go And we're good fabricators and have all the equipment and tools to do it, so don't hold back with the complicated stuff..hahaha : )

Thanks In Advance Ya'll