Reclamation project help (suspension upgrades and vehicle maintenance)

Quick question: is it a terrible idea to buy the cheap UCAs from Amazon and replace the ball joint with factory to get a set of UCAs for the 3-in lift for around $200 all in?

Longer story and several questions:
I have a 2001 Tacoma Double Cab Pre Runner 2wd 3.4L. I originally bought the truck for $500. It came with 155k miles, a smashed front end and a salvage title. I did some realigning of the core support, straightening of the hood and replacement of the plastic parts, radiator and condenser with cheap aftermarket stuff. Since then I've put on another 75,000 mi and treated her very poorly (I'm truly sorry). Now I'd like to turn her into a little camping vehicle with enough reliability to take her to somewhat remote places with my family.

First question: just a sanity check here: is this a good idea? Am I going to dump a ton of money into this truck and not end up with something that's reliable? Also are the salvage title and two wheel drive major detractors in terms of resale value and off-road ability?

My plan:

Maintenance: fluid changes all around, spark plugs, brake pads, clean the k&n air filter and map sensor, replace the timing belt, recharge the AC and suspension (more on that later).

Maintenance questions: what other critical maintenance items are there? What are the greasable / serviceable components I should address? There is an issue with the shifter, it doesn't feel too sloppy, but it usually is in second gear when it looks like it's in drive. I just have to push it forward without pushing it into neutral and it goes in the drive, the selector still says drive. I'm assuming this is a cable adjustment not a bushing? The emergency brake light comes on and off periodically with the e-brake disengaged. I assume this is also a cable adjustment? The hood latch doesn't close because the cable is sticky. In order to get it to close I have to manually reset the cable at the latch. Is there a way to lubricate the cable? How time-consuming is it to just replace the cable?

Suspension upgrades:
On Black Friday I purchased:
Front:
Wheeler T1 coils
Bilstein 5100 front shocks (actually I installed these about 50k miles ago)
Cheap Amazon UCAs
Factory upper and lower ball joints
Factory strut cushions
Rear:
All Pro expedition kit with Fox 2.0 shocks from Wheeler (When the front 5100's I do for replacement I can go with Fox 2.0's up there also. Or should I cancel this and go with the 5125 rear shocks?)
Silverado yellow bump stops
Tires:
Trying to figure out what tires to go with. Currently I'm thinking the move is pizza cutters with load c range. There don't seem to be many options but the ones I'm most interested in are the FALKEN
WILDPEAK A/T4W LT255/85R16 load c rated. These tires are heavier than they should be. I might just wait on tires until more pizza cutter options are on the market. Not sure if that's a fools thought though.

Other mods:
I have an adjustable height Yakima rack and a smittybilt three-person RTT. After the upgrades I can finally install the RTT (The rear leafs have been frowny since I got it). I'm not sure about other mods. I don't want to waste money on overland gear that I don't need. But maybe bumpers and a winch someday. Finally, I would definitely consider doing a four-wheel drive conversion in the future.

Thanks a bunch for reading along. I'm open to any advice, suggestions, feedback and of course answers to my questions. The biggest question I need help answering is if the Amazon UCA's with factory ball joints are safe and a worthy investment?