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hen Pete and Leslie Richmond sat down with the Cotati Speed Shop crew to determine how to get their 1968 C10 to sit right, look good, handle well, and stop even better, the one thing they knew was that they were going with a company that offered a “full system.” They knew that mixing and matching components had the risk of incompatibility. It was also decided that they wanted a system that would allow for full adjustability when it came to the stance as well as the handling of the truck. Stock coil springs and non-adjustable tube shocks wouldn’t cut it nor would the stock trailing arm setup out back.
Last month, we followed along with the Cotati crew as they installed a QA1 front suspension kit from Speedway Motors on the Richmond C10, so it should come as no surprise that when it came to addressing the rear suspension, the guys went with more of the same.
QA1’s Tubular Truck Arm Kit is the perfect complement to their front tubular control arm coilover shock setup. With double-adjustable 200-pound coilover shocks, fully adjustable tubular trailing arms, adjustable sway bar, and extended Panhard bar, the limits are endless when it comes to setting up the suspension exactly as desired. The upper coilover shock mounts on the bolt-in C-notch bracket, relocates the shocks to the outside of the frame, closer to the wheel, providing more cornering stability and increased real estate for a rear-mounted fuel tank. Tubular truck arms built from seven-gauge DOM steel replace the stamped factory trailing arms with integrated pinion angle adjustment, eliminating the need for angled shims. The adjustable truck arms also allow for wheelbase adjustments to get that rear wheel perfectly centered in the wheelwell, a common problem with lowered trucks. A full-length, adjustable Panhard bar with multiple mounting locations keeps the rearend centered while also correcting roll center geometry on a lowered truck.
Installation of the QA1 kit begins with the removal of a number of crossmembers, as well as a handful of stock brackets. Thankfully, the Cotati crew did the dirty work before we arrived, going so far as sending the chassis out for blasting and powdercoating after they installed the new QA1 C-notch and shock brackets. We showed up just in time to catch the guys as they started bolting in all the new componentry.
![QA1 rear coilover conversion with tubular truck arms from Speedway Motors](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-1.jpg)
![chassis](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-2.jpg)
![chassis side profile](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-3.jpg)
![bolts on the chassis](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-4.jpg)
![the adjuster links are installed on the truck arms and centered per QA1’s instructions](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-5.jpg)
![the passenger side rotator box bracket that mates the truck arm](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-6.jpg)
![The rotator box bracket is first attached to the truck arm and adjuster link](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-7.jpg)
![before it’s fastened to the rearend](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-8.jpg)
![a look at the installed rotator box assembly](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-9.jpg)
![The rear of the rotator boxes](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-10.jpg)
![crossmember](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-11.jpg)
![QA1 X Series self-lubricated rod ends](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-12.jpg)
![high-misalignment spacers](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-13.jpg)
![bumpstops are installed in the QA1 C-notch brackets](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-14.jpg)
![200-pound double-adjustable QA1 coilover shocks](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-15.jpg)
![install the sway bar upgrade option](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-16.jpg)
![before the bracket is bolted in place using the provided fasteners](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-17.jpg)
![The sway bar is then installed](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-18.jpg)
![A pair of adjustable endlinks](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-19.jpg)
![Here, the sway bar assembly is clearly visible](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-20.jpg)
![Panhard bar and support brace bar](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-21.jpg)
![With the QA1 suspension install a wrap, the Cotati crew turns their attention to the binders on the rearend](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-22.jpg)
![disc brake kit](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-23.jpg)
![caliper brackets were installed](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-24.jpg)
![properly shimming the calipers and installing the brake pad](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-25.jpg)
![torquing everything to spec](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-26.jpg)
![23. Here’s the finished chassis with QA1 suspension components and CPP brakes installed fore and aft, giving the guys at Cotati Speed Shop total control of how the C10 will ride, sit, handle, and stop.](https://digital.classictruckperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ctp-sep-21-contemporary-27.jpg)
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