2017.05.22 - UPDATE! - !! PUNCHLIST PROGRESS !!
The detailed list that was started last week is already starting to pay dividends.

It helps to sharpen the focus on materials and parts that will be needed in the near-term and helps prevent delays.
Case in point. Finally got around to ordering the dual-fuel pump Aeromotive in-tank pump setup..... installed it the same day it arrived!!!
Discussions about the correct type of seam sealer to use, and whether a MAP torch can help to shrink metal were all resolved last week... so instead of putting those thoughts to the side (as I often do) the orders were placed IMMEDIATELY to get the materials to my shop. (Got a copy of the Metal Bumping book, and a handheld IR Temp gun as well!)
After a long Saturday of "Honey Dos", a full shop day had been earned on Sunday. It felt good to get back to the routine of year's past..... A clean shop, a hot cup of coffee, a sunny day and some music playing in the background with the garage doors rolled up.

First on the agenda was finishing up the speedholes in the bedfloor.... I'd already crossed the halfway point and had a pretty solid system figured out so getting all 74 holes drilled, deburred and Ryken Green'ed went fairly quickly.
Of course, all of the "holes" were collected so that they could be weighed to calculate the weight savings.
Referring back to my new punchlist, it is clear that the priorities are fuel tank and frame-related. There was one item on the frame that has been bugging me for a while, and that is the vertical "step up" panel that connects the front floors (behind the seats) to the raised bedfloor area. The original one was heavily rusted and had been hacked up for years as I the truck went through various iterations and changes. It also happens to be a pretty important "index" for setting the rear bedfloor height correctly, and therefore determines where the bedsides will land.... how straight the door gaps will be on the striker side as well as along the bottom edge. Over time, the panel has been stepped on, pushed, mashed and misaligned and had a really bad droop across to top lip. A had a local metal shop bend me a 75" long replacement panel out of some 3/16" plate which is far beefier than the original, but knowing that I would cut quite a few clearance holes in it, the strength will probably be about the same overall as stock was.
Here's a shot of the worn-out and butchered panel:
The process of replicating the original panel shape began... There is a subtle (but critical) 5* angle built in to the factory panel on each side. This is what allows the original bedside sheetmetal to connect without creating a "bulge" that interferes with the door closing properly on the striker side. So the first order of business was replicating that same angle on the new thicker panel. (I used my new D/A to clean the metal and to dress down welds. I love the end-result... looks great!)
After a LOT of measuring and reviewing old notes in the Oracle notebook, it was time to cut the old panel away... knowing that the new panel could be fit back PERFECTLY where it needs to go.
There is quite a bit of additional work left to transfer all of the cuts and fastener holes from the old pattern to the new one, but that is something that should hopefully get finished tonight.
One final curiosity from last night was the revelation about all the new cross-sills (2"x3"X.188") that have been installed. They are actually quite long and offer a substantial amount of interior volume and might even be a valid way to store compressed air instead of fighting for space for a conventional 6"x 24" cylinder.
By utilizing the mid-ship mounted cross sill, and the rearmost sill (near the fuel tank) there is a combined internal volume of 2.5 Gallons.

The concern is whether pressurizing those tubes to 200 PSI is a good idea, and the other concern is the idea that there will probably always be some amount of moisture trapped inside them (like there is for ANY tank that holds compressed air). Rust is a primary concern, though I think with a good interior coating and some thoughtfully placed drain valves it could probably be dealt with adequately.
-G