Camper Shell Compatability

[OlSmokey]

Hey guys, I'm pretty broke, and I really need a camper shell for my 72' chevy longbed. Is there any model years of camper shells either from dodge, ford, nissan, etc that fit the 72' longbed? I am looking on craigslist and i just want to make sure it will fit my truck before i go out and look. Thanks guys!

[cdowns]

A 72" longbed ?? Take a tape measure to it and make sure of what u have

[OlSmokey]

I meant a 1972 haha like the year sorry about the miscommunication

[special-K]

Thanks for clearing that up. I was like, a 72'? Why would you need a tape? It's 72'!
Then I see a comment on 72" and I'm like, who said 72"?
Now I'm like, OIC

that's actually a good response. Measure what you need on your Chevy and ask them to measure when you call. before the '88 GM Trucks you could swap from brand to brand with most toppers. The '88s are tapered in at the rear. A rectangle will fit, but stick out about 2" on either side. I went ahead and put a steel work cap from an '86 Chevy on my '92 and that thing at the back wasn't real noticeable. I have a set of ladder racks I made for an '84 that has 2" angle around the front and sides. It fits just fine on my '72. About any 8' topper can fit. Just get the seller to measure, then decide.

[Steeveedee]

By "longbed", do you mean it is an 8 foot bed, or a "Longhorn", which is even longer? I'm looking for a new camper shell, and have found a company, belairshls@aol.com, who can make one like mine. My truck is a Longhorn. Just putting it out there. I have not done anything but get an email response from them so far, so I can not make a recommendation. I'm trying to get past the wife talking to her friends at work telling her to just patch the one on there, which is just a joke.

Just a note to people out there- if you know what needs to be done, but your spouse always second-guesses you and asks her friends, just go get YOUR friend and prep him on the response. She'll go for it in a heartbeat, if it comes from someone other than you. Crazy, but it works. I need to have my neighbor come over and say "Man, that shell is toast, you should just replace the whole thing!".

[FirstOwner69]

From personal experience, I can tell you that the shell for a 73-87 Chevy longbed (standard length) will fit but it will overlap the bedrails by about an inch on each side. At least that was the case with the fiberglass one I bought in 1984.

[OlSmokey]

Awesome thank you all for the help! I'm not entirely thrilled to not have the camper shell fit perfectly, but on a budget I will go with a 73-87 camper shell for the time being! Thank you all again!

[Crabass]

Just a word of encouragement-----I saved a picture of a Leer shell I saw on the forum, and it looks so good I am currently in the hunt for one in my region. Unfortunately the owner didn't have the exact model# so I shop on Craigslist, comparing pictures as I go. I'll pm him to get permission to post that picture.

[Longhorn 70]

HI OlSmokey, There is a guy in Mesa that does campers. They have been in town for YEARS. I'll get the name next time I drive by. I think it is Little Dealer, Little Prices. They quoted me $810 for a custom shell with aluminum frame, 2 sliding windows and a lift tailgate for my Longhorn.

[RPBurris]

When I bought my truck it had a topper. It was from a mid 90s chevy longbed. I took it off and traded it in for a tonneau cover. They guys at the shop verified dimensionally that it was in fact for a mid 90s chevy long bed. You should have no problem finding one of those for a good price. It even fit pretty good. I don't think I have any pics with the topper though. It was not very pretty.

[kcsa75]

Originally Posted by Steeveedee

Just a note to people out there- if you know what needs to be done, but your spouse always second-guesses you and asks her friends, just go get YOUR friend and prep him on the response. She'll go for it in a heartbeat, if it comes from someone other than you. Crazy, but it works. I need to have my neighbor come over and say "Man, that shell is toast, you should just replace the whole thing!".

I could say that the sun rises in the east and my ex-wife would tell me I don't know what I'm talking about.

[Rich72C10]

So I been thinking about a camper shell myself.

1. Being just a C10 LWB, can my truck handle the weight? My SPID lists, 1G5010 Heavy Rear Springs - if that matters or helps me?
2. This camper shell in my photo is said to be on a 1985 Long Bed Square Body Chevy Truck.
3. Asking price is $225 is that a reasonable price? Says all the doors / shocks work and has keys.

[CG]

I cant speak to fitment for sure (I think it will fit), but I can tell you that canopy (that's what we call them up here) would be no problem for your truck weight wise, those things are super light. And my opinion on price is that its way too much for that, at least up here its way too much.

[Rich72C10]

I guess I forgot to ask, will it fit properly! Hopefully someone has a idea on that part. Would suck if it is a bad fitment.

I was thinking the weight wouldn't be a problem, glad to have that confirmed!

So if $225 is to much, what is a reasonable counter offer?

[Impact02]

This is off a early 90s Ford it fits my86 to

[special-K]

Yes a half ton can handle the weight because there hardly is any. The aluminum one on my '72 long bed, off an '86 long bed Chevy, weighs less than 100#. It fits nicely. Before GMT400s with tapered beds a piece of truck equipment designed to fit the top of a pickup bed was interchangeable between brands and model years.

[purple gas]

My dad had an aluminum one on a mid 70's truck, 8' box.
I could install or remove it by myself when I was17. ( it's all about leverage ).
Fiberglass ones are heavier of course but they're fiberglass, not cast iron.
It is a truck after all. It was meant to carry loads.

[67 twins]

So if $225 is to much, what is a reasonable counter offer?[/QUOTE]

I don't know about anyone else but I've never paid over $75 for a used camper shell.

[special-K]

I bought my aluminum cap a few years ago for $80 with everything working and keys. I bought it for it's vintage, but all the other caps I saw that were too new were in the $100-$150 range. That one has lift open side windows, so was more expensive new. I wouldn't say the price is out of this world, but if you don't need the opening window you should be able to find one cheaper. Many are fairly beat when you get a closer look.

[Rich72C10]

Thanks guys for all the replies!

I haven't seen any shells up close or for sale to compare. As for weight, no idea what that how much the weigh but I was thinking the aluminum ones would be on the lighter end. Also since my truck didn't have the "camper" option I didn't know if that played a part in anything.

Great information, again thank you!

Edit:
My cousin that lives near the seller will be taking a look at it for me and trying to get a better price too. He'll be able to FaceTime me once he inspects it and perhaps get a lower price. Hopefully he wants to get rid of it by now, it has been listed over two weeks (but that also could mean he is staying firm on the price too). Then as luck has it, my brother is coming down to my area this weekend with a empty trailer to pick up a 1929 coupe from a customer - so I'll could be scoring free delivery from East Texas

[Rich72C10]

the fellow didn't want to go under 200, so I passed. If he would have at least gone to $150~$175 I would have likely bought it.

Interesting thing, is the camper is sitting on a '86 454 4x4 that is for sell too. My cousin didn't get the price... I think he wanted to get out of there before he ended up buying the truck for himself LOL.

[special-K]

Sounds like a nice truck