Stock C3500 Rear Leafs on a C2500

[Westieterrier]

An add-a-leaf is a good option IMHO. Yes, the empty ride will be stiffer and the rear end of the truck will be a little higher. But with a 3500 lbs camper on, one will appreciate the extra stability, especially on rough roads or strong crosswinds.
I would ask the OP; how much camping will you be doing? Is the camper going to sit on the truck most of the year? Will you use the truck as a daily driver for most of the time?

As i said before, I had 3 extra leafs added to my 1995 K1500 ECSB. It came from the factory with the pathetic 3+1 pack. It rides stiff for sure but still softer than the 1950 GMC one ton truck I learned to drive in the mid-70s so I can live with it.

Here is the way my 95 looks, 7 leafs in all;

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Hi GMC, if it's OK with you, I'd like to reach out PM to discuss more fully how you got all those leaves under there! My '99 will be used mainly to haul the camper but won't be loaded with it all the time. I'd say like a 60/40 split in time. I have an (American-made) Honda Element as my daily, and a '66 El Camino as my weekend. Thanks for your continued guidance! P

 

[GMCTruck]

Although I try to do as much of my own auto repair as i can, I never worked on those springs. There was a spring shop in Edmonton, AB called McCoy Bros that did the work. I think they are out of business now. I think it was just a matter of using a longer center bolt and longer U-bolts. The nice thing about having a spring shop do the work is they can arch the springs to properly fit the existing pack and somewhat control the change in rear end height. Also, of course they can use whatever length of U-bolts needed because they have all the hardware at hand. One member said his add-a-leafs were noisy. I can say that mine aren't.
As far as picking springs from a wrecker yard, that is one possibility. I rarely see one ton dual wheel trucks at the yards I "frequent" (ha ha) but your location might be different. You never know what kind of life a 20-30 year old set of springs had on a one ton truck. They could be subject to significant fatigue.
As said, a set of overloads may be all that's needed. You would probably need to find the frame bump stops at a wrecker yard.....IF GM still has them they would be hugely expensive.
Your existing springs look pretty good. Maybe just look into the overloads. The nice thing about them is that they won't change the empty ride feel and they give side to side stability when loaded.
It's probably worthwhile getting some options/quotes from a local spring shop.

We are probably overthinking this.....

 

[Westieterrier]

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Not overthinking at all, but a sincere and significant offer of great advice, which is greatly appreciated. Here is a mock up of the truck fully loaded. Much adjustment still needed, starting with getting the TW out of my direct line of sight!

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Other than the bike placement, looks good and ready to go! I love to see our "old trucks" still working hard! I still see 400s in greater Houston area hauling lawn service trailers, catering bodies, at the swap meets, loaded up with pallets.... anything else a new truck can do, better and cheaper!

 

[GMCTruck]

Looks like you have a propeller coming off of the top of the camper! Nice mod. lol

 

[Westieterrier]

@GMCTruck, the truck will be used 75% for Camper duty as I have a daily (lifted Honda Element) and a weekend ride (1966 El Camino), though I don't mind a harsher ride in any event considering how nice it is as it sits now. My shocks appear original to the 152K mile truck, particularly because the only thing left I can read on them through the surface rust is "Made in the USA" (undercarriage is REALLY clean-- man, they built these so well). @GMCTruck ; @Supercharged111 and @stutaeng , what make of heavy duty shock would you gents recommend? Would prefer an American-made brand of the heaviest duty for my application.

I just replaced the water pump; idler pulley; stereo; heater controls; and washer reservoir. So easy to work on! The truck is becoming more and more of a dream to drive with each repair. I can't believe how great it handles too (I've never owned a vehicle newer than 2003). Thanks again so much everyone! My other rides (yes, those are Rallyes on a USA Honda!):

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[Supercharged111]

When I did my research, shocks came down to Bilstein 4600 or Rancho 9000. The Ranchos have longevity issues based on my research and the adjuster knob is prone to seizing, so I went with the Bilstein just like on my 1500. You'd likely need to go custom to do better than that.

 

[Ace37]

I have a Mish mash leaf pack, but for a 3500# camper a stock dually leaf pack is plenty. I hauled my 5000# camper and car hauler with empty bags on stock leaves. Could also do the GMT800 pack with 2 upper overloads.

GMT800 leafoack w/2 overloads is this a direct swap and which pack exactly