73 Squarebody Suspension Recommendations

[Ziegelsteinfaust]

First set a budget that is good with you, and or the wife. Or ask for forgiveness afterwards. That's up to you there.

Then set goals, and be honest with yourself. Do you want this truck to hang with sports cars? Or handle very nicely, and still make homedepot runs? Is towing in your future? All of these things will effect other things negatively to some extent, and in there is a happy medium that YOU can live with. Then look at the budget to confirm.

QA1 for instance makes a damn fine bolt on kit. As do Detroit speed, and something like 10 other companies. All from $4000-15000 all in.

Myself I am poor. So I am sectioning a crossmember, and relocating the A-arms to get more action out of them. Like the Gulstrand or Shelby mods.

The biggest gains in the handling department are shocks, and tires. It doesn't matter if the suspension is improved or not. The suspension upgrades make a vehicle more predictable especially at the edge of performance thus allowing you to push your tires harder.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Ziegelsteinfaust

First set a budget that is good with you, and or the wife. Or ask for forgiveness afterwards. That's up to you there.

Then set goals, and be honest with yourself. Do you want this truck to hang with sports cars? Or handle very nicely, and still make homedepot runs? Is towing in your future? All of these things will effect other things negatively to some extent, and in there is a happy medium that YOU can live with. Then look at the budget to confirm.

QA1 for instance makes a damn fine bolt on kit. As do Detroit speed, and something like 10 other companies. All from $4000-15000 all in.

Myself I am poor. So I am sectioning a crossmember, and relocating the A-arms to get more action out of them. Like the Gulstrand or Shelby mods.

The biggest gains in the handling department are shocks, and tires. It doesn't matter if the suspension is improved or not. The suspension upgrades make a vehicle more predictable especially at the edge of performance thus allowing you to push your tires harder.

Have you plotted out what benefits there will be from doing the "Gulstrand/Shelby" mods? I'm curious of what gains are achieved.

[Ziegelsteinfaust]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

Have you plotted out what benefits there will be from doing the "Gulstrand/Shelby" mods? I'm curious of what gains are achieved.

No I don't know how to do that, but I measured against the new improved version of a F body Gulstrand modded sub frame I had access too. Then took the spindle height vs A-arm positions on center in the vertical plane. And did some algebra or something to get a number I was satisfied with. Roughly 3/4-7/8 of a inch.

All in it felt snappier to me, and maybe a touch more planted. Then it did before the truck Gulstrand mod I did. I had relocated the lower A arms previously, but did not have my good drill at that point. Friend had borrowed it for a month. Plus being in a hurry I just did it later.

The truck was a freshened up 1973 C20 with C10 springs, and removed leafs in the back with a drop shackle to level it off. I was running PYO rims with 265-70r16 front, and 285-70r16 rears. The tires were E rated AT tires.

All in all I will do it again to my sub frame I am modding now. My knee is feeling better, and after chores I may spend sometime working on it again today.