I know that this post is old but i might as well give it a shot..
First off - I absolutely LOVE this truck. I've come across it several times in my research for my swap. I've got a 2000 2dr 4x4 non-ZR2 that i want to do the SAS to.
You very clearly know your stuff - I'm new to this so hoping for some answers.
The trails here are much more mild than what you have in the Utah area. Michigan trails are pretty boring to be honest. I'm looking at a 4.10 Ford 8.8 and D30 front - just to get going. The parts were next to free so i cant complain, plan to upgrade down the road when this stuff gets to be too small or breaks.
My big question right now is springs. I love how your truck sits. Biggest difference for me is my front is going to stay SUA and rear will be SOA. Do you have any advice for springs to use for this? I've been researching this for months and everyone has different ideas about how to do it. I just keep stumbling across this truck every time I start looking.
Any advice would be appreciated!!