Bed Bolts

[Conundrum]

Where is the best place to buy bed bolts from?

[tucsonjwt]

If you are lucky - junkyard. LMC has them. I would try to get the GM part number and check with the OEM sellers on the net also. Different years take different length bolts.

[Conundrum]

Mine is a 74, and anything 73-80 is hard to find in the junkyards close to me.
LMC is probably where i'll go.

[tucsonjwt]

You might as well check the usual suspects while you are at it: Classic Parts, Rock Auto, even Ebay, etc.

[gchemist]

Carrier bolts work. Carrier bolts are easy to find at any hardware store.

[codydubb]

Got mine at IPACO HUGE Hardware store

[Conundrum]

So what length of carriage bolts do I need for a 74?

[oldblue1968chevy]

I just dropped some long bolts in the holes till I got a length I wanted, then went to the store?

[1986swb]

Originally Posted by Conundrum

Where is the best place to buy bed bolts from?

I got mine from Classic Parts of America as a set. They offered the bed bolts in stainless, chrome, or zinc bolts. I went with the stainless. You can also try Lowes for one offs. They have zinc and stainless. Be careful when removing the original bolts especially if the are a little rusted. Use a manual socket wrench and lots of loosening lube. If you use an impact wrench you risk stripping the bed holes as the rusted bolts will tear and spin in your bed. This is from experience. Others may have suggestions as well.
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[1LowToy]

When loosening them on a wood bed I'd hold them from underneath withvice grips or a pipe wrench. They will spin and break the wood in the bed. Don't ask me how I know I'm still trying to cry out $300 from my wife for new wood.

[1986swb]

Originally Posted by 1LowToy

When loosening them on a wood bed I'd hold them from underneath withvice grips or a pipe wrench. They will spin and break the wood in the bed. Don't ask me how I know I'm still trying to cry out $300 from my wife for new wood.

Ouch. Sorry to hear about your wood bed. I feel your pain. My bed is metal so only two holes got messed up but I was able to remedy the issue with a couple of hex heads.
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[Conundrum]

I don't have any bolts at the moment, my truck came without a bed and I found one for it.

[hlp-3]

Not 100% sure about your 74, but I just had the bed off of my 85 and the bolts were 1/2-13 x 4" with a little dog point making the overall length 4 1/4". 4" will get it done or 4 1/2" if you want a little insurance. I am assuming the 73' - 87' are the same.

[bigblock73]

Hardware store carriage bolts will likely not fit, the "square" will be a different size and won't work.

[allengator]

its a better deal at LMC to buy the whole body mount kit... core support mounts (2) cab mounts (4) and the bed bolts....
IF you need those things anyway!

[Prerunner1982]

Hardware store carriage bolts worked fine on my 82 long wide bed. On the long bed there are 8 bolts, 6 are the same and the other 2 are very long. I didn't guess the long ones right, but figured 6 out of 8 should be fine.

[Jonboy]

Originally Posted by allengator

its a better deal at LMC to buy the whole body mount kit... core support mounts (2) cab mounts (4) and the bed bolts....
IF you need those things anyway!

After that, go to the hardware store and get a stack of body washers, too. My LMC core support mounts were almost 3/4" too short. Just FYI.

The bed bolt set is pretty cheap, though. IIRC is is about $20.

[tucsonjwt]

So, here is the deal - You have a 74 truck but what year was the donor truck?
I got a 76 bed from a junkyard to install on my 73 longbed, but the bolt holes were not in the same location on both trucks, and the length of the bolts was also different. As I recall, there were two bolts in a different location, which required drilling through the frame in the new location of the bolt holes. Fortunately, I had a crap 73 and the junkyard drilled the holes for me and gave me "free" bolts with my $400 used box.

[broey]

Just get carrier bolts from home depot.

[Altec]

Do you have to have the original bolts? I always replace them with simple hex head grade-8's. Just because half the time the factories spin anyway... My current K10 is getting regular bolts, and I'm going to weld the nuts to the frame. I don't feel like dealing with having to hold 2x4 on the bolt head while having someone crawl under the truck to try and loosen the bolts.

Have you tried Mcmaster-Carr? Under Screws & Bolts > Specialty Bolts. Might have something.