1972 C20 Restoration

[4n6mal]

In the process of doing my first restoration of my first truck I owned (89,000 miles). I stripped everything down to the last bolt and nut. Cab and bed are off the chassis. Removed and disassembled front and rear suspension, differential and chassis had everything degreased and bead blasted. Just got all the parts back from the powder coater and looks better than factory new. Now for the assembly. Waiting to receive seals and gaskets for the Eaton H052 differential to finish the assembly.
Looking for replacement parts for upper and lower ball bushings, control arm bushings and bushings for rear trailing arms (coil rear suspension).

Any recommendation for parts stores Napa, Auto Zone, Amazon etc. and brand of parts. I see there is a full range for cost of parts and wondering if there is much difference between manufactures. Eg. Upper Ball joint ranges from $15 (Dorman) - $45 (Moog). I not wanting to go cheap but at the same time not bust the bank. The finish paint will probably bust the bank.

I am have a bit of a struggle finding replacement bushings for the Rear Trailing arms. Suggestions.

Any suggestions on front and rear springs. Original springs had a heavy 11-1/2ft cab over camper. Looking for something that will give a smooth ride, not like the buck board ride when the camper was off the truck.

Are air bags vs springs worth it?

I have taken a ton of pictures during the disassembly of the truck because my memory is not as go as it once was and I needed something to refer back to what it looked like before I pulled things apart and will be posting them on this site shortly.

Any suggestions are appreciated

Thanks ahead of time

Mike

[70cst]

Hey 4n6mal ...

to the forums and from Ohio.

Here is a bump for you

[4n6mal]

Hello from Socal.
Starting to put it all back together. There is nothing better than working with grease free and freshly powder coated parts. Differential is just about done. Just waiting for a couple of gaskets and seals from Amazon.

Just found out that Rock Auto is even a better source for parts for my 72.

I'm sure I will be out here asking lots of questions as get into the real assembly.

Best regards,

Mike

[FirstOwner69]

Regarding sources for new parts...

You already found Rock Auto. They are good for basic things like stock suspension parts, starters, brake parts and boosters, carpeting, etc. It's really hard to beat their prices.

For "specialty" items such as the trailing arm bushings you are looking for, I've used and had good luck with Classic Industries (www.classicindustries.com) more than anyone else. They almost always have sales. I've seen some with as much as 35% off. They are located relatively near you in Huntington Beach (don't know if they have a showroom). Brothers Trucks (www.brotherstrucks.com) is in Corona. They have a showroom and a good reputation.They also regularly have sales. Both have provided good customer service when I've had a problem. LMC Truck (www.lmctruck.com) has a great catalog that's almost like an assembly manual. However, their reputation is not very good and customer service is not so hot. Classic Parts of America (www.classicparts.com) also has a good reputation. In addition, there are vendors with good reputations such as GMC Paul's (www.gmcpauls.com) who are sponsors of this forum.