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Has anyone fitted the QA1 A-body suspension kit yet? They're local to me and the price is better than most. I've used their shocks before with very good luck and like the looks of their kit. I suspect its labeled for other more expensive brands, as they have a pretty significant manufacturing facility and, well, that's what places like this do to pay the bills.
I have their control arms and coil overs in the front and adjustable shocks for the back. No complaints whatsoever. I tried different shock/spring combinations and was never satisfied with ride quality or ride height so I decided to give it a shot. I was very surprised how smooth and comfortable the ride is now and I can set it at desired height and still have nice comfortable ride.
At this point, the sales tech at QA1 suggested starting with coil over shocks. He thinks its all I need. Of course int he process of inspecting my car I also noted one upper control arm bushing is toast, so I'll replace all those before I get too deep into other aftermarket parts. Rockauto has the black Energy Suspension kits for $65.
The stock lower control arms will need to be modified, in stock form I wouldn't trust the lower shock mount to support the weight of the frontend. Aftermarket control arms designed for coilovers is the way to go.
You need to modify your lower control arms even if you're only using QA1 shocks alone, no coil-overs. The shock tube is wider than the opening. The alternative is to drop the lower control arm to install the shocks.
Do they offer a B-spindle upgrade on the control arms? Blackgold x2 the QA1 shocks will not fit unless you route out the holes in the lower control. Then if you do that the enlarged hole is very close to the bolt holes to mount the shock. In addition, is becomes hard to reach the adjustment ****(s) on the shocks. On my 64 F-85 pro touring build, I went with QA1's in the rear and Hotchkis tuned a pair of Billsteins for the front. I put a complete Hotchkis front (B spindle upgrade) and rear suspension on the car with a Mosier 9 inch.
I went with Koni orange on all four corners on my W-30. They're adjustable, but only off the car. I installed them on their softest setting and haven't touched them since. I couldn't be happier with how they handle both on the road and on the dragstrip. Highly recommended.
July 14th, 2016, 06:14 AM
