Boy--they don't give these away do they ?..

[diesel4me]

Need one of these for my '82 GMC K2500--no parts stores locally list this particular one,and I didn't bother trying the dealers because its highly unlikely it is still available..its the "front of rear leaf spring hanger"..

You can find a hundred different ones listed for other trucks by Dorman,etc,but the square body ones seem to be gold now..rare and expensive..
Found only 3 places online that sell the ones for a 4x4 ,LMC Truck,ATS,and General Spring--prices range from $94 to $99,to $114 ..each!..

Why the 2wd ones,that I know are are different ,but not enough to justify only half that much,I cant understand..they are only $40,so is the rear hanger bracket for my truck..

I saw a truck at a salvage yard a few months ago that had a salvageable one,with no bed on it--but I'd rather get new ,if I'm going to bust my a$$ replacing it and spend a day or more drilling and chiseling off rivets..I could get that one cheap,but chopping it off myself isn't appealing,and it'll likely be as bad as what I have now in a few years,if it doesn't crumble during removal..

The one on my truck was one pot hole away from tearing right off!--only the upper front portion was still barely attached,maybe a few inches of it was still attached and had even that area has some holes showing..it had rotted all the way around on the side facing the tire,and at the bottom ,how it didn't rip right off I don't know,I'd been driving it all over the place,unaware it was THAT bad..
I knew it had some rot last time I inspected it this summer,but wow..the thing just whittled away to nothing..

I spent all day Sunday outside in the 30 degree weather with wind chills in the teens trying to cob the thing together good enough to be able to drive it to my doctors office today..

I had a mint pair of cab mounts off a '73 K10 sitting in my shed for at least 15 years,still had paint on them--hated too,but I sacrificed one of them when I found it would fit inside the spring hanger ,and the cab mount hole aligned with an existing factory hole in the frame rail --I cut off one side of the flanges and bolted it to the frame using a 9/16" bolt and a thick metal plate for a stiffener,and then destroyed my back the next 3 hours drilling three 3/8" holes thru the remains of the hanger and bolted the mount to it,lying on the tar under the truck..

--so now it has three 3/8" bolts and the 9/16" thru the frame holding it together--one of the bolts I drilled up thru the solid part of the bottom of the hanger,at an angle,and into a thick plate riveted to the frame (factory piece),so that pulled the bottom of the hanger back into place against where it should be riveted..

The parts of the hanger that were riveted to the frame are still intact--it rotted right at the bends at the gussets,almost 7/8ths of the way around..--the part where the spring bolts to it is solid though..
I think the frame itself is OK,its not scaly or rotted in that area..way in the rear is scaly where the rear hanger bolts on,but its still solid..

The rivets on the front side ,a few are almost behind the end of the gas tank--it appears I could grind them off from the back side of the frame and punch them out from the back side ,without having to drop the tank,if I had a lift...the side facing the tire wont be that hard to get at,but I know those rivets suck to remove no matter which method you use..
I have torches ,but am not willing to use them on the rivets behind the tank..

I'd like to remove the rivets from the rear side and bolt a hunk of angle iron to the frame and weld it to whats left of the gusset,to gain more strength,but the gusset is pretty thin and probably not worth the effort..By the time I got the bolt holes drilled I was about dead,it was 3:30 pm,too late to drag out the welder and do any welding..

When I drove it today it felt OK,but then I noted nothing unusual the whole time it was ready to rip off either--I figure at least now it has a lot more support than before,but it still isn't "right" either..if it didn't come apart the way it was,it shouldn't now..I hope..

I just wanted to keep it from tearing off and driveable (locally and only where I HAVE to go),till I can get it fixed right..but the cost is going to prevent that from happening right away,I must pay my property taxes before I can spend a dime on anything else..and I'll have to get a credit card to buy parts online too..

Worst case scenario,the K2500 will end up being retired to yard status--it needs so much work & parts,I'm debating whether its worth investing more money and work on it..it needs front fenders,inner fenders,the oil pan replaced,and exhaust manifold will need swapping soon too (which I have both of)....

I hate to park it because it drives fine ,shifts good,rear & front end are good,and its a 3/4 ton...but I'm in no condition to be doing a frame off in this weather--or even in warm weather ,really..

I'll have to swap the plates to my Suburban,which isn't free,and is a royal pain to do, and spend even more on that pig fixing everything that's gone to seed sitting 10+ years--and it'll probably need a transmission too,and the rockers patched up to pass inspection..
It'll be a money pit too most likely,one thing after another will fail..my van would take less work to put back on the road,but I'd rather have 4wd in the winter..the Burb has a plow on it too,the van is useless for anything but getting around in..

Been scouring craigslist and FB Marketplace for something better ,but everything under 2-3 grand is about as bad off as what I own or worse....and I'd rather not go "up" to a computerized newer GM ,that will have a rotted frame worse than mine most likely..I'd rather stick with a square body..at least I know all the things wrong with what I already own..

 

[sweetk30]

ebay used or ask here for used .

2wd to 4wd short or tall is why by around 3"

 

[rampage]

My ADD didn’t allow me to read your entire post.

 

[Melch77]

Try an air chisel on the rivets they fly 9ff

 

[wheels87k5]

View attachment 324601

Need one of these for my '82 GMC K2500--no parts stores locally list this particular one,and I didn't bother trying the dealers because its highly unlikely it is still available..its the "front of rear leaf spring hanger"..

You can find a hundred different ones listed for other trucks by Dorman,etc,but the square body ones seem to be gold now..rare and expensive..
Found only 3 places online that sell the ones for a 4x4 ,LMC Truck,ATS,and General Spring--prices range from $94 to $99,to $114 ..each!..

Why the 2wd ones,that I know are are different ,but not enough to justify only half that much,I cant understand..they are only $40,so is the rear hanger bracket for my truck..

I saw a truck at a salvage yard a few months ago that had a salvageable one,with no bed on it--but I'd rather get new ,if I'm going to bust my a$$ replacing it and spend a day or more drilling and chiseling off rivets..I could get that one cheap,but chopping it off myself isn't appealing,and it'll likely be as bad as what I have now in a few years,if it doesn't crumble during removal..

The one on my truck was one pot hole away from tearing right off!--only the upper front portion was still barely attached,maybe a few inches of it was still attached and had even that area has some holes showing..it had rotted all the way around on the side facing the tire,and at the bottom ,how it didn't rip right off I don't know,I'd been driving it all over the place,unaware it was THAT bad..
I knew it had some rot last time I inspected it this summer,but wow..the thing just whittled away to nothing..

I spent all day Sunday outside in the 30 degree weather with wind chills in the teens trying to cob the thing together good enough to be able to drive it to my doctors office today..

I had a mint pair of cab mounts off a '73 K10 sitting in my shed for at least 15 years,still had paint on them--hated too,but I sacrificed one of them when I found it would fit inside the spring hanger ,and the cab mount hole aligned with an existing factory hole in the frame rail --I cut off one side of the flanges and bolted it to the frame using a 9/16" bolt and a thick metal plate for a stiffener,and then destroyed my back the next 3 hours drilling three 3/8" holes thru the remains of the hanger and bolted the mount to it,lying on the tar under the truck..

--so now it has three 3/8" bolts and the 9/16" thru the frame holding it together--one of the bolts I drilled up thru the solid part of the bottom of the hanger,at an angle,and into a thick plate riveted to the frame (factory piece),so that pulled the bottom of the hanger back into place against where it should be riveted..

The parts of the hanger that were riveted to the frame are still intact--it rotted right at the bends at the gussets,almost 7/8ths of the way around..--the part where the spring bolts to it is solid though..
I think the frame itself is OK,its not scaly or rotted in that area..way in the rear is scaly where the rear hanger bolts on,but its still solid..

The rivets on the front side ,a few are almost behind the end of the gas tank--it appears I could grind them off from the back side of the frame and punch them out from the back side ,without having to drop the tank,if I had a lift...the side facing the tire wont be that hard to get at,but I know those rivets suck to remove no matter which method you use..
I have torches ,but am not willing to use them on the rivets behind the tank..

I'd like to remove the rivets from the rear side and bolt a hunk of angle iron to the frame and weld it to whats left of the gusset,to gain more strength,but the gusset is pretty thin and probably not worth the effort..By the time I got the bolt holes drilled I was about dead,it was 3:30 pm,too late to drag out the welder and do any welding..

When I drove it today it felt OK,but then I noted nothing unusual the whole time it was ready to rip off either--I figure at least now it has a lot more support than before,but it still isn't "right" either..if it didn't come apart the way it was,it shouldn't now..I hope..

I just wanted to keep it from tearing off and driveable (locally and only where I HAVE to go),till I can get it fixed right..but the cost is going to prevent that from happening right away,I must pay my property taxes before I can spend a dime on anything else..and I'll have to get a credit card to buy parts online too..

Worst case scenario,the K2500 will end up being retired to yard status--it needs so much work & parts,I'm debating whether its worth investing more money and work on it..it needs front fenders,inner fenders,the oil pan replaced,and exhaust manifold will need swapping soon too (which I have both of)....

I hate to park it because it drives fine ,shifts good,rear & front end are good,and its a 3/4 ton...but I'm in no condition to be doing a frame off in this weather--or even in warm weather ,really..

I'll have to swap the plates to my Suburban,which isn't free,and is a royal pain to do, and spend even more on that pig fixing everything that's gone to seed sitting 10+ years--and it'll probably need a transmission too,and the rockers patched up to pass inspection..
It'll be a money pit too most likely,one thing after another will fail..my van would take less work to put back on the road,but I'd rather have 4wd in the winter..the Burb has a plow on it too,the van is useless for anything but getting around in..

Been scouring craigslist and FB Marketplace for something better ,but everything under 2-3 grand is about as bad off as what I own or worse....and I'd rather not go "up" to a computerized newer GM ,that will have a rotted frame worse than mine most likely..I'd rather stick with a square body..at least I know all the things wrong with what I already own..

Are those the same for an 87' K5. If so, I have the ones I took off for the rear links. You can have them for the cost of shipping.

 

[diesel4me]

I'll PM you tomorrow ..the listings say they fit '73-87, K10 + K20 4x4's only..no right or left ,I guess they fit either side..

If your old ones are in good condition I'd be glad to have them..

I tried some spring shops in Providence RI and New Bedford,both had no hanger listing for what I need,they suggested if I didn't want to pay over $100 plus shipping to get the correct ones online,they have used later hangers off 2000 & up trucks and adapted them to the square bodies by adding a metal plate or drilling some new frame holes--or just weld them on the frame in the right spot..(truck isn't going to last another 30 years anyways)...those newer hangers can be had at parts stores for $50 each..but I'd prefer to just bolt on a pair that were made for it...its enough work removing rivets and the spring bolt..

My friend had a bunch of spring bushings he gave me,leftovers from shackle kits he's installed ,3 different sizes,I think one of them will be the rights one,in case I have to destroy the original to the the spring bolt out..

I called one salvage yard Thursday that I knew still has some older vehicles and I know the owner,he looked and called me back--he has at least two 4x4's and claims between the two ,there is two spring hangers in "real decent condition"...but the trucks are stashed behind several other cars so he'd have to move them with the loader,then remove the hangers--due to that much labor,he wants $100 each..

I cant say I blame him,but I may as well buy new if I'm going to pay that,and go thru the agony of installing them..(I only need one,the passenger side looks great,but I wont be finding any more any easier later on if I end up needing one--may as well get two so I'll have a spare)..

Went to another salvage yard Friday to look for any there--the truck I saw a month ago was only half there,someone bought the frame from the cab back....

There is all of one K10 like mine left in the yard,that's it,only three or four other square body 2wd's there now--sucks,this place had over 100 a few years ago..

The spring hangers on that K10 look "useable" but by the time you get them off they may not look too great--cant expect miracles for 30+ year old parts up here....truck was in dirt with no rims so I couldn't inspect them that closely,bed was still on it too..

I should have asked the owner if he'd swap me the remains of that K10 for the '93 Caravan I have that should have been hauled off already..the truck is pretty much stripped of a lot of parts and the frame is probably the best part of it...he said he'd only want $25 for each hanger--if I could take them off...or he'd just cut the frame up and sell me the hanger part for $50,and take the rivets off at home--the bitch is the leaf spring bolt,it'll probably have to be sawed off ,and doing that without damaging the hanger isn't easy..

 

[diesel4me]

Today totally sucked other than the fact it was 74 degrees and sunny,a new all time record for January in MA..

I no sooner got the truck jacked up and started trying to remove the rivets on the hanger facing the tire,so I could bolt on a piece of angle iron and weld it to the remaining solid part of it to beef it up,and get me by until I can get a new or good used hanger-

----then I saw something dripping,I prayed it was just water in the bed dripping out from being jacked up...NOPE...the dam fuel tank is leaking now,right under the rear most strap..up until today it hadn't leaked a drop...I feel jinxed...

I was hoping to replace the hanger without taking the tank out,it wouldn't have been fun,but I could get at the rivets from the back side..but now it HAS to come out..and get replaced,and I don't have $100 for a new one,and wont for 2-3 months..tank was just filled too,of course..it'll lose a gallon or more by morning..

I felt like tossing a match in the pail I put under it to catch the fuel...and eating a bullet too..

This nixed any use of torches or my 9" grinder,which was too big to fit where it needed to go ,and I'm too weak to hold it up more than 30 seconds...had to drill the heads off the rivets ,then chisel them off by hand,my p-o-s air hammer is only good for sheet metal duty,no balls at all..
I smashed the out of my left hand several times while chiseling,got 3 out of 4 rivets out,but the lowest one was hidden behind the spring,cant drill it,so I had to hand chisel it off..got dark as soon as I got the head off the rivet,couldn't see,and it didn't want to punch out by hand--I had to quit,my heart was pounding all day long,and all my limbs are sore and dead now..

I am probably going to have to resort to running the truck off a boat gas tank in the bed for now,then I can still plow my driveway at least--it really needs to be taken off the road and completely taken apart--nose off,bed off,replace all the rotted sheet metal,oil pan,exhaust manifold,etc--and I cant do that when its my only transportation..

I'm not sure if its even worth wasting any more effort on this truck,I'm going to have a heart attack if I keep working on it,and every time I touch anything on it--something else fails..--took me over an hour to get my heart to stop pounding after I gave up for the night..
I'm too old for this ...

Its to the point it's too risky to use it on the road until it gets everything wrong with it I've half-assed back together to get by with it fixed "right"--or just retire it to "yard truck" status..

 

[imiceman44]

Are those the same for an 87' K5. If so, I have the ones I took off for the rear links. You can have them for the cost of shipping.

K5 from 81 to 91 are different from the pickup truck in that area.
One of the mounts is tapered and one is flat

 

[diesel4me]

Yes, Wheels PM'd me some photos of his spring hangers,and they are a lot shorter than the ones on my truck,they look like the 2WD ones used on C series pickups...so they wouldn't work for me..

Doesn't matter much now anyways,I found some holes and cracks in the frame real close to where the hanger's rivets went in the frame,so the truck is pretty much focked at this point...

I'm just going to cob it together best I can with angle iron bolted on where the hanger was and bolt it to what little is left of the hanger,and hope it doesn't rip the frame out there before spring...it might be able to be fish plated,but the rest of the frame from the forward hanger to the rear bumper is really scaly and likely thin & weak...it'll be a losing battle to weld it back together probably--and at inspection time,it may get rejected,they don't like welded or patched frames here (though thousands of them are )..

I hate to even buy a gas tank for it now,seeing I really cant trust it on the street now....my heart isn't going to take much more of me lying under the truck drilling holes,and getting up & down 200 times,last night I had such bad palpitations I was ready to call for an ambulance..