Squarebody Parts Guide – It’s Hip To Be Square
Expanded coverage from the Squarebody Parts Guide inside the May 2018 Goodguys Gazette.
GM Squarebody trucks have exploded the last five years. Spurred on by niche groups and builders like Jason Hill, the movement got off on solid footing right from the start and has enjoyed rapid expansion in both enthusiast and manufacturer support. Just look around your local car show, major event or on the SEMA Show floor and you will see shining examples of sick squarebodies, most of which are slammed to the pavement. But there are plenty of lifted lookers as well. There’s a good reason for that. They’re about half as much as a ’67-’72 C-10 and they’re more plentiful too. You can find them in junkyards across America (we recently saw pictures of a Tennessee junk yard with over 100 squarebody trucks available for cheap) but you can also find them online. If you’re building one, or would like to, you will be stoked to know that a cottage industry has sprouted with chassis, inner fender kits, gauge clusters and more. This buyer’s guide is an extension of a recent article in the Goodguys Goodtimes Gazette titled “It’s Hip to be Square.” We hope you will agree!
Billet Door Handles
GSI Machine & Fabrication has introduced NEW ’73-87 Square Body Billet Door Handles that are a far cry from your stock handles. Designed and machined in-house, these bring a sense of style and unmatched quality. Choose between smooth or groove handle detail with raw, polished, or black anodize finish options. GSI’s Billet Door Handles are sold in a pair and come complete with all new internals. These are ready to be installed right out of the box. Upgrade your Square Body’s classic style with new modern GSI Billet Door Handles. Grab A Set Now.
Bolt-On Notch Kit
These bolt-on step notch kits from KP Components are for 1973-87 Squarebody C10s and are a breeze to install. Their unique and innovative mounting design gives you the same advantages of weld-in frame notches without requiring expensive tools or installation hassles. The fabricated frame notches and caps feature pre-drilled holes and mating weld-nut tabs to eliminate any chances of misalignment and create a structurally solid, boxed frame section and allows you to run up to a 29.8″ overall diameter tire and still lay completely out. Bolt One In your Truck.
Rear Disc Brake Kit
Finally, a rear disc brake conversion that doesn’t break the bank. The kit from Little Shop Mfg. is easy to install, requires no welding, and it’s not necessary to pull out the axle shafts. All serviceable parts are also available individually. This kit is compatible with GM 1971-87 pickups and 1971-1991 SUV’s with 5 lug axles. Slow Down Here.
Billet Hood Hinges
All American Billet hood hinges for ‘73-’80 Chevy Trucks are a great way to make your engine compartment pop. They are machined from 6061-T6 aluminum and engineered to operate smoothly. AAB hinges are manufactured to last and come with large bearings, stainless steel gas springs and stainless steel hardware. Available in 3 styles: plain; with holes; or with cutouts and 3 finishes: machined; polished; or their exclusive Silverline Series (anodized black with machined areas). Sold in pairs. Made in the U.S.A. Pop Your Hood Here.
LS and Gen 5 LT Engine Conversion Parts
MuscleRods offers everything you need to drop an LS or Gen 5 LT-based engine into your 1973-87 Squarebody pickup. These bolt-in engine mount and crossmember kits are specifically designed for your truck with the late model engine. The kits support all early and late model transmissions including the new 8-speed automatics. MuscleRods fabricated steel and aluminum oil pans are designed from the ground up to meet the oiling requirements of these newer engines. Stainless steel and ceramic coated mid-length and long-tube headers are available and designed specifically for this conversion. LS Your Truck Here.
Spindle & Big Front Brake Kit
The growing popularity of squarebody trucks has made it important to match braking power with upgraded performance. Wilwood’s C10 ProSpindles and big brake upgrade kits provide a sturdy, safe, and reduced-weight method of improving handling and stopping power on your squarebody pickup. The Forged Aluminum ProSpindles are designed for use with OE-style suspensions or a custom fabricated direct replacement. The 2.50” drop improves handling and the dual pattern, modular bearing hub accepts 5 on 4.75” or 5 on 5” wheels. Stop Here.
Kick Panels W/Speakers
These RetroSound kick panels mount easily in your 1973-85 squarebody truck, and will fit most 6.5-inch speakers. The speaker mount is angled to direct sound upwards towards the listener, and not at your feet. Kit includes driver’s side and passenger side kick panels. The panels can be painted to match your trucks interior, come with sound dampening and three different speaker options. Turn It Up Here.
Apparel
Squarebody Synidcate produces a full line apparel for 1973-1987 GM truck fans everywhere that consists of custom hats, teeshirts, sweatshirts and decals. They just recently launched their own line of Syndicate Series Products too! Get Fitted.
Front Airbag Brackets
Slam Specialties direct bolt-in airbag mounting system for the popular 73-87 squarebody C10 trucks includes bolt-in upper and lower airbag brackets, a set of SSF6-7 airbags and mounting hardware. Slam Specialties airbags are rated at 200 PSI, feature an integrated DOT approved 3/8” push to connect air-line fitting, internal bump stops, and a non-ballooning design to aid in clearance issues. The SSF6-7 air bags are a direct replacement the Firestone 224, Goodyear 2B7, and 2600 series airbags. All Slam Specialties products are proudly Made in The USA. Slam Yours Now.
Steering Box
Borgeson is now manufacturing all new, OEM Saginaw 525 series manual steering gears for the 1973-1987 2WD Chevy/GMC Squarebody Trucks in their Travelers Rest, South Carolina facility. This is a true OEM gear built to the original specifications and drawings from Saginaw, not an off-shore copy. Each gear features a precision machined casting created from the original tooling coupled with all new internals manufactured by Borgeson. Each gear is carefully assembled, inspected and tested to Borgeson’s precise specifications. Steer Here for More.
Gauges
The HDX-73C-PU Instrument System from Dakota Digital is a direct bolt-in for 1973-1987 Squarebody pickups and is available with black or silver alloy gauge-face styling and lets the driver select illumination colors for the gauge readings, needles, and twin TFT message centers. Built-in, capacitive-touch switches or the available Bluetooth app handle all calibration and personalization settings. Use your stock or reproduction front bezel for installation. Monitor Your Engine Today.
Front Fenders
Slosh Tubz are the ORIGINAL custom fiberglass bolt-in inner fenders for 1973-87 Chevy/GMC trucks. After launching the original Slosh Tubz for 1967-72 Chevy trucks back in 2011 Mike has since expanded his product line to include 73-87 Chevy trucks. We installed a set of “Mild Tubz” here.
Steering Column
The new ididit 1973-78 Squarebody steering column installs in the same location as the OE column and includes everything you’ll need for easy installation. Ididit offers both a standard and rack column for the 1973-78 squarebody trucks. The standard column will bolt right to your stock box (with a u-joint). The rack version is made shorter to lessen the angle of the u-joints. Shift Into Yours Now.
Fuel Tank
Fuel injection for your Squarebody truck! Converting your classic squarebody c10 to EFI is now an easy and affordable option thank to Tanks Inc. Their stock style powdercoated gas tank has all the internal baffling needed for late model EFI engines. The saddle tank has a separate pump and sender to easily match the pump to your engine as well as different ohm ranges for the sender to correctly match to factory or aftermarket gauges. Get Fueled Here.
Cooling
GC Cooling designs a fan/radiator combo for your 1973-1987 Squarebody Pickup. Designed to their specs by Fluidyne this 3-row drop in unit replaces the old factory radiator. Efficiency and capacity increase 35% with this radiator/fan combination. It comes complete with radiator cap, custom aluminum laser-cut shroud, transmission cooler, and twin 14″ fans cranking out 3522 cfm and good for applications up to 850hp. Increase the Cool!
Chassis
The Roadster Shop SPEC sqaurebody chassis features the latest in manufacturing technology to build the lightest, strongest, and easiest to install complete chassis system. The SPEC IFS is engineered to deliver outstanding performance wrapped up in user friendly package. A completely new proprietary suspension geometry has been designed to provide the best balance of ride quality and performance for your squarebody truck. SPEC Yours Now!
One Piece Door Glass
Say goodbye to your vent windows! One Piece Products offers one piece window conversion kits for your 1973-1987 Chevy/GMC Squarebody pickups. The kit includes tempered glass, mounting brackets and hardware for both doors of your truck. One Piece Your Glass.
Wiring Harness
Painless has you covered with wiring for your squarebody pickup! Designed to fit everything from trucks to Blazers and Suburbans, Painless chassis wiring is versatile. With many of the connectors pre-terminated and installed out of the box, installation is a breeze. All wiring follows GM color code, and each wire is custom printed with its circuit identification. Painless only uses the highest rated TXL wire, all brand new connectors, and offers a Lifetime Warranty! Upgrade Your Wiring.
Air Conditioning Kit
The Gen IV is Vintage Air’s most powerful and intelligent climate control system. The Gen IV uses an exclusive fully electronic microprocessor control system that eliminates cables or vacuum connections. Separate high capacity copper parallel-flow heat coil and aluminum plate and fin cooling coils provide outstanding performance and instant temperature adjustments. Cool Off Now
Control Arms
Michigan Metal Works (MMW) offers a full line of suspension and steering solutions for the 1973-87 C-10, C-20 and C-30 trucks. Everything from specialized camber correction upper control arms for static dropped trucks, to their full line air suspension-ready control arms, along with custom control arms that offer narrowed track width. Control Your Square.
Lighting
Klearz offers a variety of clear lenses for the 73-87 Chevy and GMC trucks. They began by producing side markers back in 2014 and their squarebody product line has since grown to six products including the tail lights for both the stepside and fleetside as well as cab lights and fender clearance markers. Unobtainable tailgate markers are coming soon. Get Lit.
Front Suspension Kit
Detroit Speed’s X-Gen Series 595 Front Suspension Kit is available with a 59.5″ track width and is ready to be subbed into your application with the 2” x 4” rail sections. Applying the same suspension systems found in Detroit Speed’s bolt-in front frames, this kit has been designed, engineered and manufactured to provide the ultimate in performance and ride quality for both the road and the track. Get Clipped.
Flush License Plate Bracket
The license plate hanging below the rear bumpers on 67-87 trucks has always been an eyesore. So BROTHERS designed a new flush license plate bracket to clean up the body lines. The stock bracket hangs 1-3/4” below the bottom of the bumper, but BROTHERS new license plate brackets sits flush with the bottom edge of the bumper. Kit includes license plate bolts with LED lights to illuminate the license plate, bolts to hold the bracket to the bumper and the license plate bracket with a black powder coated finish. Get Flush Mounted.
Bed Rails
McMillan Rod & Custom builds each set of bed strips individually to your exact specifications. Built from their “Low Profile” line of solid stainless steel moldings, they are available in 1/2”, 3/4”, 1”, & 1-1/4” wide versions. Some applications will allow installing them with two-sided tape or they do offer studs (8-32 stainless) put on in your specified locations. Various end shapes are available, most at no extra cost. These strips are high quality, type 304 stainless that they hand polish and buff to a brilliant shine. Strips are covered with a protective film, and then sleeved in plastic before being carefully packaged to insure that you receive them in perfect condition. Bling for your Bed.
Shifter
For over 30 years, car and truck enthusiasts alike have experienced the superior craftsmanship and safety features of Lokar’s automatic transmission shifters. Their 16” Bench Bend model is no exception; available in chrome or black powder coated finishes, it’s the perfect match when using a bench seat. Incorporating all of the features Lokar shifters are known for, they are available for GM, Ford and Chrysler transmissions in both floor and transmission mount configurations perfect for squarebody enthusiasts. Shift Gears Today.
Instrument Panel
Classic Dash makes it easy to upgrade the instrument panel on any 1973-87 Chevy C10 truck (and its GMC counterpart). In addition to the popular bolt-in panels that accommodate analog gauges (both electric and mechanical), they are now available for Racepak IQ3 and Holley EFI digital clusters. Move The Needle.
4-Link Kit
Update the ride and handling of your 73-87 C-10 with a new Heidts® 4-Link Kit. Kit features a 64″ Track Width, Adjustable Ride Height, Double Adjustable Link Tubes, Adjustable three-Position Panhard Bar, one-inch Rod Ends, Billet Aluminum Shock Mounts, Optional Fabricated Housing and a Built In Drive Shaft Loop. Heidt’s 4-link kit has been made to fit factory coil spring trucks, if your truck came with factory leaf springs, you will need extra fabrication to make the 4-link kit fit. Get Linked.
LS Radiator
This Ron Davis Racing Products radiator is specifically designed for high horsepower 1978-1980 LS engine swapped Chevy trucks. The radiator comes with outlets sized for the LS motor, 1.375” top and 1.5” bottom, steam port, and is equipped with dual 16” high performance Spal fans that pull a huge 3836 CFM. Welds are all hand TIG welded for a show car quality look and it’s designed as a bolt-in installation. Stay Cool.
Sway Bar
QA1’s front sway bar offers a new level of stability to your squarebody pickup. They are precision CNC formed for proper fitment and bolt-on installation. Front sway bars fit 1963-1987 Chevy/GM trucks. All products listed are proudly made in the USA in QA1’s Lakeville, Minnesota facility. Eliminate Sway Here.
Front Suspension
No Limit’s 73-87 C10 Wide Ride front suspension kit includes tubular upper and lower control arms, options for airbags or coilovers, brakes, sway bar, power rack and pinion and No Limit’s very own spindle. Wide Ride Your Square
Seating
Wise Guys manufactures bench seats for your squarebody pickup. Their all new redesigned foam pack maximizes cab space without compromising comfort. The 16 gauge steel frame, multi-density foam seats come equipped with back reclines, armrest and can be finished in a variety of materials ranging from naugahyde to ultra leather and suede. Options like cup holders, heat and modified seat backs are available at an additional cost. Have A Seat.
