On Sunday morning I'm meeting with the fabricator who will be doing all the fab work. What are some questions I should ask or concerns I should address with this major overhaul on my Dakota?

I will be going with 4.10 gears and of course regearing the rear, dana 44 axle up front.

 

Parts he's using. Make sure your getting good parts. Welding qualifications. Experience. Past work. References.

 

This, more than anything.

And does the guy have a mechanical background, or is he just a welder? Does he understand proper caster, etc.?

 

I'm pretty happy with the guys credentials. He builds full on race trucks on the side and his day job is working for a fab shop. He has a good porfolio of past projects and saw the 2 he was working on. Mechanic and weld certs. Very nice work.
What I am asking him to build is small compared to his normal clients.