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Squarebody Coilover Conversion Part 3

This old ’77 square body Chevy is being converted from farm truck to corner carving, coilover carrying street truck. In the last issue we installed the rear of this impressively engineered squarebody coilover conversion kit.  We chose QA1 for our squarebody build for the simple reason that we wanted a painless, DIY installation with no wiring, running air hoses or dealing with leaky systems. Just a solid stance, a smooth ride and some really nice new parts for our truck! 

Dialing in the stance will be easy with the adjustable coilover system—4 to 7 inches of adjustment below stock can easily be achieved. The major benefit of the torque arm design is that each component is designed to perform one function. This provides superior control over suspension movement, resulting in a smooth ride and great handling characteristics. QA1 engineered this unique bolt-in torque arm design, which maximizes performance without the inherent binding issues of other four-link systems.

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The factory frame rail on this truck is cracked completely in half. So we will remove all of the body panels from the original donor truck.

We will also be installing a 6L LS engine using new engine mounts and a new wiring harness. The real question is whether to keep the topper on it while we rip up the corners! The paint is not that bad for a 40+ year old truck, so we will simply buff it and let it ride. There is no reason we shouldn’t be ripping it around the track later this year!

 

Both front and rear systems use QA1 shocks, with the choice between our double or single adjustable shocks. All QA1 shocks are 100% dyno tested, serialized and proudly made in QA1’s Lakeville, Minnesota, facility.
The drivability will be greatly improved, with 7 degrees of added caster and fully adjustable ride height from the coilover system.

With the factory suspension removed, we need to use a pneumatic chisel to remove the rivets holding on these tophats.
Cleaning the holes and clearing them of debris will make the project perfect in the end.
The top of the spring cup needs to be opened larger, but test fitting and lining up the new tophat is an important step you can’t skip.

With a confirmed cut line, Dave broke out the plasma cutter and made a quick cut. You can also use an angle grinder for this step if needed.
With the spring cup cleaned and painted, the tophat can be installed and the coilover can slide in.
Next is the upper control arm from QA1. This finish is very impressive. It’s an incredible product.
The lower control arms have mounts for the coilovers as well, and they come completely assembled and finished to perfection.
With the lower control arms hung, you can clearly see how it all goes together.
Here is the final look for the front! Great engineering and design. Next to replace those brakes!

To catch you up with the rear, this is the completed install. Did you miss this part? Head over to StreetTrucksMag.com and search “QA1.”

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