hen the 1963 Chevy C10 was introduced, it was one of the first fullsized trucks to be offered with a modern, independent front suspension design. While Ford retained its love for the straight axle, albeit upgrading eventually to the twin I-beam design, Chevy opted with a frontend more reminiscent of their passenger car line of the era. The design was a success and one that GM eventually carried on into the ’80s and beyond. Yet while the basic design was a success, especially when it came to easily lowering these trucks, it wasn’t without its faults. The stamped control arms tended to flex under heavy cornering or aggressive driving and a rudimentary lowering job meant the original suspension geometry oftentimes changed, and not for the better. But factory improvements throughout the years meant the early trucks could be easily upgraded with such bolt-in items as disc brakes and power steering, making for a more modern classic truck.

While modern amenities no doubt helped keep these classics on the road, we eventually hit a tipping point where these trucks were being pushed to their breaking point, performance-wise. While the aftermarket industry concentrated on every upgrade imaginable for the muscle car market, our lowly trucks were left with 30-year-old components and technology.

Recently, it seems the aftermarket has seen the light and we’re entering a renaissance of sorts when it comes to upgrading our old trucks par with their contemporary passenger car brethren. Oversized tubular control arms, sway bars, coilover shocks, big brake packages, and even LS swap kits have made it easier than ever to bring that old truck into the 21st century.

Speedway Motors has been offering parts for racers and hot rodders alike for decades, with the classic truck market recently becoming one of their ever-growing outshoots. From fuel tanks to radiators, Speedway offers just about everything needed to upgrade or restore that vintage pickup. It was with this knowledge that led the crew at Cotati Speed Shop to Speedway Motors while searching for solutions to alter Pete and Leslie Richmond’s 1968 Chevy C10’s stance. Pete and the Cotati crew discussed their goal of having a truck that sat right (5-6 inches lower) and handled similar to the vehicles he and his wife are used to driving on a daily basis. They decided on a kit from QA1 and sold through Speedway that fit the bill perfectly and would even allow the crew at Cotati Speed Shop to fine-tune the camber and caster settings, resulting in a further-improved driving experience for the Richmonds.

Coupled with a set of their double-adjustable coilover shocks and stout sway bar, the guys were convinced the QA1 setup would be perfect to give the C10 the handling characteristics they were looking for with the ride height adjustability and superior performance QA1’s products are known for. What’s better? The entire QA1 kit is a 100 percent bolt-in affair. No welding necessary; just a variety of simple hand tools is all that’s required.

To complement the QA1 front suspension kit, the Cotati crew added a pair of Classic Performance Products (CPP) Dropped Modular Spindles to the build sheet, which will lower the truck an additional 2 inches (bringing the total drop to 5 inches) and will accept CPP’s Zero-Offset SOS Big Brake Kit with its large caliper and 13-inch rotors. A brand-new CPP 500-Series Power Steering Box will bolt in place of the stock manual unit, the final piece of the upgrade puzzle.

1. Here’s the QA1 front control arm kit for 1963-1987 Chevy/GMC C10 trucks straight from Speedway Motors (PN 72152611D750). Tubular control arms and 750-pound double-adjustable coilover shocks are standard fare. The guys at Cotati Speed Shop opted to add a QA1 sway bar kit (PN 72152896) to further complement the components.

3. Before the new QA1 upper control arm bracket can be installed, there are a few modifications that may be necessary, depending on your particular chassis, which includes modifying the 1 1/4-inch hole toward the front of the truck to line up with the upper control arm mounting studs on the QA1 bracket.

5. With all the fasteners loosely installed, the 3/8-inch frame bolts are torqued to 30 lb-ft, followed by the larger crossmember bolts torqued to 45 lb-ft.

7. QA1’s lower control arms use a larger 9/16-inch U-bolt, requiring the holes in the crossmember on the 1972 and earlier trucks to be enlarged to suit.

9. The G-Comp subframe was the perfect width to slip inside the Ford frame. It was then welded at each end, skip welded along the bottom of the tubes on the inside of the frame, and rosette welds were made through the factory holes in the ’rails.

11. … followed by the upper control arm. Note that the flat side of the cross shaft faces the frame.

13. A bumpstop and bracket is included in the QA1 kit, which attaches to the lower control arm using the provided 3/8×1-inch hardware torqued to 30 lb-ft.

15. The lower control arms have a recessed front strut to increase tire clearance. They come equipped with heavy-duty ball joints and Delrin bushings.

17. The installation of the spindle is the final step in wrapping up the basic suspension component installation. The spindle is first attached to the upper ball joint, then the lower control arm is raised to connect the lower ball joint. The upper ball joint castle nut is then torqued to 50 lb-ft while the lower gets torqued to 90 lb-ft. Once torqued, each nut is further tightened until a cotter pin can be installed.

19. Dropping the C10 wasn’t Pete’s only goal when it came to upgrading the front suspension, he also wanted to improve the handling of the pickup as well. For that end, the Cotati crew will also be installing a QA1 tubular front sway bar. Designed to be installed using the stock mounting location, for trucks originally equipped with a factory sway bar the installation is a breeze, requiring a simple swap of the factory brackets with QA1’s dropped units. When it comes to a truck not equipped with a factory sway bar, two rivets that mate the crossmember with the framerails need to be removed and the holes used as the rear mounting position of the QA1 sway bar brackets.

21. With the suspension loaded (truck on the ground) the endlink is installed, mating the sway bar to the lower control arm. These fasteners are also torqued to 30 lb-ft

23. Another benefit of QA1’s suspension design is the use of their maintenance-free, low-friction ball joints. Installed in every QA1 control arm, the use of ultralow-friction composite bushings eliminate flex and deliver bind-free movement.

25. Installing CPP’s Big Brake Kit is super easy thanks to the use of their Modular Dropped Spindle and a simple caliper bracket. After the spindle bearings are packed, the aluminum hub is installed, using the provided castle nut and cotter pin to secure things.

27. The one-piece caliper bracket is then attached to the Modular Dropped Spindle.

29. … completing the brake installation.

31. While on the topic of steering, the Cotati crew also opted to upgrade the stock manual steering box with a new 500-Series power steering unit from CPP. This upgrade is a direct bolt-in modification, making it one of the easiest improvements to be made to an early C10.