Rear Suspension Controversy

[AusTruck]

My 69 C-10 has the factory truck arm suspension; peg-leg, i.e. non-posi.

Like most owners here, I'd love to have a posi rear. And 5 lugs do open a lot of wheel options. So a friend has a 78 3/4 ton truck with a factory posi rear end in it. I've rode and driven the truck and I know the guy takes pretty good care of his stuff. At least until he hit..........a cow. Yeah, he hit a cow. You can guess what about 1500 lbs of beef on the hoof does to a front end. Thank heavens no one was hurt but the cow was DOA.

Well he's offered me the rear end for free, as the front is pretty much toast. But its a leaf spring rear. I've heard that I can swap out the spring perches to my 69 and the rear will go in, albeit with the extra width of the 73 and up rears. I get 5 lugs and a posi in the deal. Probably need a new driveshaft too for the different U-joints. I'd really rather just do a nuts-and-bolts swap rather than weld on new truck arm mounts to the 3/4 ton rear. Yeah, I'd probably have to do some shock mount fabrication.

It seems like a lot of folks here wouldn't swap the truck arm suspension for anything. I can guess the truck arms are pretty good at the strip. I never raced the truck but have always wanted to make a pass just to see what it'd do.

So what do folks think here? Go to the leaf springs for a free heavy-duty posi rear (yes, it is certain to be posi) or just stay with what I've got (non-posi basic 6-lug rear)? Chevy built zillions of trucks with leaf springs after 72, so they must have been ok. Do the leafs change the ride and characteristics that much? Leafs do seem to open up exhaust options too.