Check out the front wheels...
Check out the front wheels on this before photo. Crazy to see how much body roll the stock suspension has and how the front tire comes off the ground.
Keeping up with the Joneses can be a very daunting task especially when Mr. and Mrs. Jones own Corvettes. Not all of us can afford an expensive sports car, but that’s not the end all when it comes to having fun with our trucks. For several years now, companies like Hotchkis Sport Suspension have been taking what they learned from the performance car market and shoving that technology into a C10 truck. You may be asking yourself why they’d ever want to do that. Well for one, the price of getting a new or used Z06, Camaro, or sports car is far past my budget, plus I’m a truck guy, and if you’re reading this hopefully you are too.
The stock ’67-72 C10s already come with a great setup compared to a straight axle truck of ’50s, but the C10 has its limitations. The rear is equipped with a trailing arm suspension that NASCAR still uses today, and stamped upper and lower control arms in the front. The stamped control arms featured rubber bushings that make the ride nice, but allow the alignment to change when worn out and/or under hard cornering.
It’s hard for me not to compare a good-handling truck to a great-handling car because on paper it seems impossible. If we had some more power under the C10’s hood, the truck would have been a lot more competitive with the Vettes.
Speaking of alignment, the stock stamped control arms don’t have enough caster to create the desired handling characteristics that Hotchkis is used to in most performance cars. So with the Hotchkis kit, the lower arms are redesigned to extend the wheelbase 1.8 inches and add up to 9 degrees of positive caster.
We were not there to blast...
We were not there to blast past Corvettes, but rather have a fast street-driven truck that can be fun on the streets and track. Besides, can a Vette carry an ice chest, fishing poles, tent, chairs, or parts? I think you get the point.
The control arms also use a much bigger 4130 CNC-machined cross-shaft with bronze and Delrin bushings. The bronze bushings help support the load, while the Delrin lets the suspension move freely without squeaks or binding. Bumpsteer is also a problem with anything that has been lowered because the increased angle that the tie-rod ends and centerlink are under. Hotchkis reduced the bumpsteer by making the tie rods and centerlink travel on the same plain with the upper and lower control arms. This means when you are driving down a curvy road, the steering wheel will not shift in the opposite direction of the turn when you hit a bump in the road.
One of the cool things about Hotchkis is its rich history in racing and testing its vehicles on the street and track. So when I had the opportunity to head out to Willow Springs Raceway in California to test the before-and-after results of our C10 I was very excited. Who wouldn’t be? The first test we threw at the C10 was a 600-foot slalom and the stock C10 did OK – 51 mph at 7.99 seconds. After the Hotchkis TVS C10 suspension was installed it managed to jump up to 60 mph and 6.85 seconds. Even owner John Hotchkis was impressed with the slalom results.
We started by placing all...
We started by placing all the TVS C10 parts on the ground next to our work area. This helps us visualize the parts and order they will be placed on the C10.
Corey Bedortha started by...
Corey Bedortha started by placing the vehicle on the rack, but this can also be done on the ground with jackstands. Corey removed the cotter pins on the tie-rod ends and upper and lower ball joints.
We used a jack to put tension...
We used a jack to put tension on the spring as Corey removed the upper and lower ball joint nuts.
Corey removed the old spindle...
Corey removed the old spindle with the drum brakes as a whole assembly. The lower control arms can then be removed.
The upper control arm was...
The upper control arm was then removed with all of the alignment spacers.
The new lower control arms...
The new lower control arms have an alignment hole that locates the arm to the crossmember. The alignment hole also keeps the cross-shaft from rotating on the crossmember.
The Hotchkis lower control...
The Hotchkis lower control arm was then installed and the bolts tightened to specs.
Corey then installed the upper...
Corey then installed the upper control arm without any alignment spacers. The alignment spacers will be installed later when the vehicle is aligned.
Make sure the spring pocket...
Make sure the spring pocket is free of dirt and grease before installing the spring. The spring is then placed into the spring pocket.