Yes, a skid plate is in the works....! (jeez, wait til I get it running at least....!)
looking at your builds, you went with a different crossmember support. I used this one because everything else I found would put my crossmember right in the path of the front drive shaft. I've never crawled under a Chevy to see how GM did it, but this seemed to make the most sense to me. Also, I wanted a path for the exhaust to go. Its a '79, and here in socal, I've gotta deal w/cats. I found a cool 2-into-1 cat w/2 1/4" in and 2 1/2" out that will fit in the stock location. As soon as I can drive it, its off to the muffler shop. I'll be able to post up the entire build then. Plus I can get some better pics when its up on the rack that will better show the entire drive line.
Hopefully this summer we'll be able to stop by your shop and check out your world. The wife and I have friends in paso robles, so your place would be a nice day trip from there.
Thanks for the encouragement and advice. This site is really what I have been looking for!