Brushless LST2 Project, Few Questions...

[JAILBIRD]

I just grabbed a nice LST2 off RCU that is begging for a new life without the nasty heart it currently has. I am going to tear down the entire truck so I can clean the whole thing part by part, and replace a fer that are pretty beat.

The plan so far is:
-MMM 2200kv with a custom motor mount
-4s lipo (would go 5s but my ICE charger can only do 4s)
-Tekno battery box
-Full RPM arms
-Rebuild shocks
-New tires and wheels

My main question is about the trans and brakes. The truck has the foreward only conversion so I'm going to ditch the reverse servo, but should I ditch the mechanical brakes?

I'm also confused about the gearing. I'm thinking about keeping the 2-speed gearset but upgrading to the Losi TiN coated set. It looks like it's 18/70 for low and 25/63 for high gear. Is this a pretty good ratio for the brushless power?

I can't bring myself to run my UE/FLM V-Twin Maxx as a basher so thats the plan for this project. I have a habbit of sinking so much money into projects they're too nice to run, not this one though.

Thanks for any help you guys can offer to get me going in the right direction!

-JB