Rough start

[96GMK1500Z71]

Hey there all. Well Ive had a rough start to my GMC initiation. Was a Jeep man for many years but tired of working on them. In Dec I found a mean 96 Sierra K1500 4X4 Z71 stepside. Already 4" lifted...35 tires 8000 wench.....200000. 5.7 L . Drove like a beast for a few months....I did alot of maintenance on her. First thing to go was the transmission. Come to find out it had a replacement Jasper that was 3 weeks out of warranty. ...lol. Have to pedal shift from 1st to 3rd. No 2nd or 4th. Reverse ok. Still driving just annoying. Next the rear in starts squealing. ....check diff and bone dry. Fried pinon..gear..among other things. Just ordered a new Eaton Posi Unit and master rebuild kit. Now Im losing oil....not leaking underneath. Smokes a tiny bit sometimes but not enough to lose 2 quarts every tank. Pulling my hair out but I think she is worth it. Maybe some of you experts can give me a hand. Thanks.