I took roughly a month off from this project to fix up an Explorer that had a bad trans but that's done now so I'm back on this truck. My plan from the get go was to use a 2nd gen dash, complete wiring harness and steering column. That also involves a 2nd gen pedal assembly. Well, that's all fine and dandy, except the firewall is different. The steering columns are totally different. Fortunately, the firewall is reinforced there with a spot welded plate that can be removed... so I did that and cut the steering column hole bigger. I also welded in the round hole for the wiring harness cannon plug - the original hole probably would have worked, but it was slightly larger, so I went ahead and did this part too.
First... pardon the mess... but this is what it looks like now:
The firewall area that needs attention - plate is already removed:
Note the differences:
Inside view, after plate was reattached with rivets:
Under hood view. I used caulk to seal it up somewhat, just what I had on hand. It'll get painted black.
Closeup of the cannon plug hole - note the size and the locating tab.
I am slowly making progress. To say this is a big project is an understatement - it has been quite frustrating, actually, running into these weird little things that just 100% have to be done in order for everything to work. One more reason why I like 2nd gen trucks better... but... the end result will be worth it.