I have thought about it a lot and I still might change some things, but I am pretty happy with where it is. Pretty funny you mention the landcruiser pickup. I have been reading FJ45 builds to get inspiration for this one and I am using a fj45 headache rack on the bed. The landcruiser pickups are pretty cool!
I looked for a complete Dodge pickup when I was looking for vehicles, but the prices were pretty steep. Even down here in Texas it was hard to find a runner for less than 3000 bucks, with less than 200,000 miles. I could have sold off a lot of parts to make some money back, but I was still looking at a lot of money for a donor. Next problem was getting a first gen Dodge or a second gen Dodge. First Gens have have the correct drop axle and leaf springs, which I wanted, but they have a pretty bad manual transmission and the VE pumped Cummins was not the most desirable. Second Gen cummins had a p-pumped motor that made a lot more power, but the differential was on the other side, and the front diff was nowhere near as strong as the older D60s, it had ball joints and unit bearings, while the older ones had stronger, cheaper and easier to service kingpins and spindle bearings.
Next problem with the Dodge donor is the 6BT itself. I could physically fit the motor in the engine bay, but it would have made everything a pain in the arse in the long run. It would have been hard to fit a radiator, and the intercooler would have been nearly impossible. The bottom line is I just do not need that much motor in a Jeep based pickup truck.
The 4BT is shorter, lighter, and a much easier fit. Everything bolts up from the 6BT, so there are a lot of accessories available. It is also a little more fuel efficient and easy to get more power out of.
What really happened is I found a decent deal on someone else's project. He already had a NV4500, 4BT, all the adapters, the axles, and a bunch of other stuff shoved in a blazer. I took it off the blazer and shoved it in the CJ. If I had not gotten that deal, I may have gotten a Dodge truck chassis. But, at the same time, I was looking at VW 1.9 diesels and could have gone with one of them as well.
I try and keep my eyes open and look for good deals, then work off of the deals I get. I have found that flexibility keeps my projects at least somewhat affordable.