Forgot to update this - I got everything together late last week and got the fork back on the bike. Took it out on some trails and through some parks near the house this weekend. WOW! The fork feels brand new! It's like it's breathed new life into this late 1990's hard tail MTB. I was never much for off-road riding before, but now I think I'm hooked!

Definitely wishing for disc brakes, though. The trails were VERY muddy, and man the braking was just awful!