Great thread DieselS10.Thanks for the compliments and I'm glad that you are able to something out of my rambling, that's why I took the time to do it. I don't have much to do with Jeeps, the wheel base is just to short for my liking, besides all of the "good" Jeeps are stocked full of Chevy parts with extended wheelbases and even then you still have a weak frame when compared to the S10. I believe most people choose Jeeps because that's what they see and most people can't get(think) past what they see.
I don't know if you have seen this link yet, but a friend of mine has built a truck very similar to what your wanting. Here is a link to it: http://www.s10forum.com/forum/f221/a-buddies-96-a-424692/
I'm considering doing this also. I like that you have the ingenuity and kahuna's to take path of doing as much yourself and keeping the costs way down.
I was wondering if you have any pics of how and what was done to make sure the hole in the adapter plate was concentric with the front reduction intermediate shaft? I read the post where you've explained it, but its always great to see pics as well.
Also, I noticed that there seems to be a second adapter ring - what was the reason for that?