New Member: Rear Susp. and Bed Project

[adis]

Hi, just bought my first truck - a '76 K20 (maybe Camper Special?) I will be doing some work to it to get it road worthy. This is gonna be a long post, so here's the BLUF:

1. Besides the glovebox, is there a build sheet anywhere else on the vehicle?

2. What rear leaf spring will get me closest to a 3200 lb max-short hauling capacity (14 bolt rear)?

3. I can't seem to find replacement bed cross sills for my '76 longbed fleetside in any of the catalogs, can anyone help me find them?

4. I think I might need to replace a bunch of the rear spring mounting/hanging parts (esp. front of the rear), does anybody have decent used parts for reasonable prices shipped to 21032 (or pick up within an hour's drive of DC)?

First question: if the sticker in the glove box is gone, how can I tell what the factory build was? Is there another build sticker hiding somewhere else in the vehicle? All I really want to know is if it was in fact a Camper Special.

Second: Looking at the springs in back, in addition to the top leaf (with the eyelet and bushing) and the bottom (helper?) spring, there are 6 leaves in between (7+1 ?). The guy I bought the truck from said they were the originals. He planned to replace the springs with what he said were new correct replacements - part numbers 22-485ME (6 leaf) - which he threw in with the truck when I bought it. Looking at a different online catalog, I can get either a 6 or a 7 leaf spring for my '76 4wd application. So, assuming that what I've got is a Camper Special (RPO G51 rear springs,) are 6 or 7 leaves correct? I'm not restoring this or anything like that, I am just trying to get a vehicle to use for projects around the house and have decided that a pallet of sackcrete from the local HD is a good max-short hauling benchmark (3200 lbs.) I don't think that the new springs the former owner planned to use will do the trick, BUT if they can, then there is no reason for me to buy new ones.

Third: I bought an 8' bed from an '84 to replace the '76 bed which is a rusted POS. The '84 bed has structural rust in three of the four cross sills (probably really only need to replace one of them but since i'm under there...) Should I use '76 or '84 replacement parts - are they even different? Regardless, I can't seem to find these parts in any of the catalogs. I see stepsides, but not fleetsides. Does anybody know a part number? Also, Is there anything more than spot welds holding the cross sills to the bed? Where are these welds typically?

Fourth: The front of the rear spring hangers and support plates are pretty rusty - looks kinda rotten in there. What is a good measure to tell when a significant piece of frame/suspension is rusted to the point of replacement? I see that the major parts catalogs have these parts and they aren't too expensive, except for the front of rear hanger ($113 each.) I could easily spend $450-500 dollars replacing both front and rear of rears. Do any of the forum's used parts vendors have a good deal on serviceable parts?

Sorry for such a long introduction. I've been lurking for a few months, and am finally knee-deep into this tuck - it was supposed to be a tool to help me complete OTHER projects... Anyway, TIA for any help and looking forward to being a member of the classic Chevy truck community. - mark

[Keith Seymore]

Relative to the build sheet: sometimes, if you are lucky, and depending on the build plant, there may be one stuck in either the seat back or the seat cushion bottom. There was not a requirement to leave one in the vehicle so it just depended on how lazy the person was feeling that day, whether they left it in there or decided to throw it away.

Depending on how desperate you are, you can also send the GM Heritage Center Archive $50 and your VIN and they will send you the vehicle invoice specific to your truck, including your original options and pricing.

Invoice: http://www.gmmediaarchive.com/?page=3

[adis]

Thanks for the reply, Keith. No luck under the seats. I'm not $50 interested in knowing about this truck's heritage. The VIN plate says its 8400 GVWR, and the springs that are on it would "support" the Camper Special theory (weak pun.) Really i was just curious because I wanna get those cool teepee emblems - when somebody finds an "8400" set ;-)