52" VS 56" Rear Leaf Springs

[K5ride]

I have a 75 C10 Stepside and I'm changing the rear leaf springs. When I went online and purchased them from SD Springs, they only listed the 52" with a 4 leaf spring pack like I currently have. I "assumed" mine were 52" as all of the 56" had many more leafs. Okay, I admit I'm an idiot for not taking the 3 minutes to actually measure them....LOL. After checking my glove box RPO codes I find I have the G50 HD spring option. SD Springs found a 6 leaf 56" one that rides smooth for a Suburban, but there is a $278 per spring price difference. Also, the shipping costs to ship back the old ones and ship me the new ones. I have heard many say you can move the spring hangers and use the 52". Will the 52" ride rougher? I don't use the truck for hauling so I'm not worried about how much weight the spring will carry. I just want a smooth ride. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Also, if I move the hangers is there an easy way to remove the rivets? I assume you would use grade 8 bolts to reattach?
Thanks for your input.

 

[PrairieDrifter]

If your truck came with 56's in the rear I would not swap to 52's. The guys talking about swapping springs are swapping 52's in the front and usually 56's in the rear to get more suspension travel and flex.

 

[Bextreme04]

There is zero chance I would swap to 52" springs. I would actually look at Tuff Country EZ-Ride 56" springs for the rear if you want improved ride quality. Replacing with a stock leaf pack at that price seems ridiculous to me. I actually went one further and am putting in a 63" K2500 Suburban leaf pack to get better ride quality and retain the 3/4 ton hauling capacity in mine.

 

[Bennyt]

I don't know if you solved this or not...

Is the truck a shortbed?

The new 52 will be an improvement over the old 56". New 52 vs new 56 may not even notice the difference unless hauling. Most C10's had the 52" and few complaints for 40-50 years. Cut and hammer out the reviews and move them forward as the frame should already be drilled and be done.

My answer would be different if longbed, 4wd, used for towing/ hauling frequently, etc