introduce myself and our project

[Dave Garon]

Hi,
My name is Dave Garon. I'm in the process of building a 56 chevy step side short box to mount on a 2004 chevy 4x4 chassis. I bought the truck in pieces, and has the typical rust and dents of a 60 year old truck. So far, we've got most of the cab panels replaced and the firewall filled. To mock up and make sure everything fit, it's sitting on a 2002 chevy 2WD chassis that was shortened 23.5" to match the 56's wheelbase. The trackwidth is ok, since I only plan on running a 285/75/R16 tire. When its complete, it'll be our daily driver - year round. We already have a 2004 4x4 with a H.O. 5.3, auto.
I'm realizing what most of you have already experienced - the fit on these 5,6,7 trucks is bad, sometimes real bad. I've got some experience in this kind of work, and have most of the same tooling the average hobbyist has. Mig, Tig, stretcher, shrinker, etc. So far. we're making progress, but the front fenders, hood, and front end sheetmetal is rough. It could be worked out, and I'd rather not buy replacement panels. The ones I've bought so far needed a fair amount of reshape to look and fit right.
I've always wanted a 1 piece flip front end. A steel one would be crazy heavy, compared to a fiberglass unit. Has anyone purchased a 1 piece glass front end? Who from? We're you happy with the fit? Any problems mounting the grill or headlight bezels?
Appreciate any help. I'll load a few pics of the project. Maybe someone else has already done a project like this.
Thanks, Dave