[elhigh]

I don't see why you couldn't do a little bit of aero modding straightaway. The underside of the bed is just ghastly, a gantry of ironwork. You could close that in with some cheap sheet stock of some kind in an afternoon. Move the spare to the bed, close in that mess.

As to engine mods, I got nothin'. No experience with the SBC.

With the pyrometer and an O2 sensor aboard, could you rig a dashmount adjuster to the high speed mix? Lean it out when cruising and power loads are low? Just a thought.

JC Whitney used to carry fender skirts for American pickups, they may still have some that fit your model. If you're looking for something that looks factory instead of Kindergarten Arts -n- Crafts, maybe take a peek at that.