Same here... I had a '92 Eddie Bauer Explorer that ran really well, was actually easy to work on, and I got 500k miles out of it without any major problems, although the body and interior was a rattlebox and the factory paint job was S-H-I- you know wha-T...
After several friend recommendations on the new models, I balked and got a clean, old '69 pick-up, sold the problem laden V-8 LX Mustang rattlebox (GTs were just plain ugly accessorized plastic) and went back to the later '80's BMW M3 and M5.
Finding QUALITY parts is extremely tough and the parts distribution folks also deserve to fail because they purposely refuse to carry QUALITY replacement parts for a lot of things and they don't have knowledgeable staff.
If I see something that says "Made in China" or "Made in Mexico," I just hand it back and go somewhere else (like the internet).
I had a 69 3/4 T 4x4 GMC for years. Man, I loved that truck. It would go absolutely anywhere.
The only thing I would suggest, if yours is 4x4, replace the front diff with a '70s diff. the full-floating '69 is awesome for bearing life, but the ball-and-socket is a bugger to keep seals in, and the '70s diff will give you disk brakes in front... well worth the switch...
And headers/dual exhaust (2 1/2" pipe) for power and gas mileage as with all Chevy small blocks... :D