Fix that up nice, it would be awesome I think. Few, if any, restrictions on changing stuff with emissions and you can mix and match old with new.
My only concern is the rust. Just be sure it's just in the door like he says but then that's not in the the rust belt. Some parts may be another issue.
I remember these trucks as having just cavernous engine bays compared to today.
Unfortunately, it does have to be smogged, so I need to keep original engine and emmissions controls, as 1975 for gas engines is the cut off. That said, a pre-smog gasser is hard to find in one piece at a low price, and I can get diesel in square bodies or GMT400s up to 95 pre-smog, but those detroit diesels weren't great, and not all that common.
Gotcha on the rust. I'll pay a lot of attention to that, and if it's a rust-bucket I will definitely not take it home
My first "project truck" about two years ago - an 83 C20, was truly a pleasure to work on - I could almost fit into the engine bay (ok, not quite, lol) while in newer vehicles I've owned everything is a pain to work on (especially the Envoy lol) I had to sell it for financial reasons but I totally miss it. I had bought that truck for $700 after it sat in a field for 15 years and got it running again, (with some help from a shadetree mechanic) but I really enjoyed that.
I also miss how practical and spacious my 1995 Suburban was. I don't haul stuff, but frequently have passengers, so the RCLB C20 wasn't so useful for me. That's why I've been looking for a square body Suburban - I get the best of both worlds in just one vehicle.
PS: California's 1975 smog cut-off year has been unchanged for a long time - my hope is that at some they'll bump it up a few years. Probably not a very realistic hope, though!
Mike.