Parts recommendation

[775stepside]

What are good places to buy good replacement parts for my 77 step side?

Like hood, fenders, door shells tailgate? I plan on ordering from lmc but I have been reading that lmc is not that great? Any other places that are not expensive?

I added up a right fender, both doors, hood, tailgate, carpet, and outside mirrors and other misc stuff and it totalled over a little $1,000 since I was trying to purchase over that since it's free shipping which I don't think its too bad. What do you guys think

[andrewmp6]

I would call junkyards around you and south of you and find rust free oem sheet metal.The aftermarket stuff is ok but it will never fit like the oem stuff does,And in some cases the aftermarket stuff is thinner metal.If you don't want to do the leg work talk to member 1774btcrew he goes out and finds good oem parts and nos parts.

[bbbc10]

don't buy aftermarket sheet metal fits like poo an is weak, ur better of going to a salvage yard an getting some good used oem stuff

[old Rusty C10]

goodmark is decent aftermarket also check out site vendor Captkaos

[natedogg]

Check your local craigslist. There is always someone parting out a squarebody for cheap.

[tucsonjwt]

Lots of good sheet metal still available in the Southwest US junkyards - but you do need to be persistent and keep looking. Have you tried your local pick and pulls? Good old squares are getting scarce out here, but you can still find complete trucks on CL and elsewhere which have good components. You might consider buying a good body old truck and take what you need - sell the rest on Ebay or CL. I have seen several old service body trucks for sale with good doghouses.

[775stepside]

The thing is Im hours away from a pick n pull west or east, so it sucks there is nothing where I'm at. I would love to have oem parts I just don't want to deal with any rust unless it's surfAce rust that I can take care of. The nearest junk yard is 1 hour away and they have some Chevys but all parts mostly gone or not worth it and the ones that are they charge the same as a new one replacement part.

[bbbc10]

well that sucks sometime its worth the drive trust me....ur gona get that weak aftermarket an regret it an kick urself in the butt

[tucsonjwt]

So that puts me to check CL in Las Vegas, Reno, Phoenix, etc. and find a driver quality square with good sheet metal. Have it shipped to you or fly/drive back if you are brave. You might even make a few dollars on the deal if you get the right truck. Scrap value has to be $350+ after you take what you want.

[gasmn1620]

What does nos mean here?

[775stepside]

I might be picking up some parts from a member here from California so we will see I gotta wait until I get my tax returns

[andrewmp6]

Nos is short for new old stock which is oem parts gm made for replacement when the trucks was new.After about 20 or so years those oem parts become new old stock and the price of them starts to go up.

[bbbc10]

I knw guys that have drove a few hrs to get good parts, ur takin it to the max with all that other stuff u said but guess some ppl are not willing to do the distance to get good parts for their truck......good luck

[Jaysonb]

I painted my truck a year and a half ago. Looks real nice, but the aftermarket front fenders just fit like crap, a few weeks ago I found some nice oem front fenders on craigslist and snatched them up. About a 5 hr round trip, but well worth it in my opinion. Its a lot of work to build a nice truck, and it sucks to be all done and have poor fitting panels. My truck turned out pretty nice, but all I saw when I looked at it was the uneven door to fender gaps, and how the body line on the front fenders wasn't true, and the hood fit the fenders funny, and the chrome light bezels didn't fit nice to the fenders. Drove me nuts!!!

[1774btcrew]

I agree on going with OEM parts when at all possible. It should be very easy to come up with parts in your area that only have surface rust. As another member said it just takes some legwork. Since you are waiting on tax returns you have a little time to do some looking. The wrecking yards in Las Vegas are the worst I have been to in my life! I went to 4 different yards when I was there last and didn't find a single thing worth buying! I have never travelled out of state to go to wrecking yards and not bought anything. I did surf Craigslist while I was there and there seemed to be a reasonable amount of Squarebody stuff available so that is probably your best bet.

[775stepside]

Not driving 6 hours to Vegas, but most likely I'll meet up in Reno for some oem parts from a member here. Thanks guys

[KrazyRay]

I'm the member that is meeting 775stepside in Reno. I have 30 parts trucks and mass quantities of clean sheet metal. This also gives me an excuse to take my wife to a nice hotel casino with coupons for a free stay.

[775stepside]

Well when we meet up stay at the grand Seirra, nicest rooms in Reno

[KrazyRay]

Yes, I stay there a lot. They have a good poker room, but I like the seafood buffet at the Silver Legacy. Summit Racing is just around the corner! Sadly, they won't sell gas cans to California residents because its a heinous crime here to have a gas can that dispenses gas.