[hpcgmc]

Wes at Classic Heartbeat told me that the shackels don't work well with the leafs because they hit the bottom of the bed and sills. He has a leaf flip kit for a reasonable price, but my truck has 9 leaf springs! I assume when my dad had the rear end changed (after I blew the rear end burning rubber in high school) they put in a 3/4 ton rear end, including the leaf springs. That also explains the very low gearing on the truck (when I had 31" tires, I was still running 3 mph fast on my speedo).

SpecialK - I thought about the 1973 rear axle, but that would give me a wider rear end and 5 lug wheels (I've got 6 lug and I'm keeping that for now). Plus, I think I'd still have the problem with the shackels hitting the bed floor, if Wes is correct.

If I have only 5 leaf springs, that should only lower my truck about 4-5" on an axle flip - can I just remove 4 of the springs from the spring pack - or is this asking for trouble? The truck won't be used for towing or much hauling, other than a couple dirt bikes on occasion (under 1000 lbs in the bed).