[51 3600]

Been on this forum almost two years mostly lurking, learning and buying a few items from members. Getting to a point where I now have questions I haven't seen covered here or I've just missed them. This is my first AD truck (previous experiences with Karmann Ghias and Shovelheads) so a lot of ignorance behind my questions.
I have a '51 3600 I'm trying to upgrade to use as a reliable, daily work truck. I flip houses so it needs to haul sheetrock, flooring, mulch, etc. So far truck is down to frame, unwanted items removed, frame blasted and painted, Blazer front suspension installed, Exploder 8.8 rearend with 3.73 diff & traction-lock ready to install, and 2001 Tahoe purchased for donor 5.3LS & 4L60e sitting in the wings.
Keeping a leaf spring rear suspension but would like to update it with newer wider (2.5") leaf springs for better ride/handling but keep load capacity. Also was hoping to utilize the original spring hangers which I know are made for 1.75" springs but thought inner side of hanger could be welded up and then machined to accommodate the the wider leaf. And rather than have a custom spring made is there a vehicle out there that has a appropriate spring (2.5" wide x 47" long) that would work. I know square body 3/4 tons have the kind of setup I'm trying to mimic but springs are a lot longer.
Any help and suggestions greatly appreciated. Al