The words Camaro with a bed have been passed around the CLASSIC TRUCKS HQ more than once. What does Camaro with a bed mean? We all know what a “sleeper” is, right? A really fast car or truck that looks stock from the outside, but has a huge motor that will beat faster-looking vehicles. When I hear the words “Camaro with a bed” it makes me think of a truck that looks stock, but can hang with performance cars. Is it possible for a truck to perform like a car? Some people still believe that a truck is not capable of handling like a newer truck, let alone a new car, but companies like Hotchkis Sport Suspension have proven otherwise.
For what its worth, the stock C10 suspension is not all that bad. But like all the older truck suspensions, geometry and materials can be improved. Check out this before shot of Aaron Owawa running the C10 through its paces. Notice the stock suspension’s body roll and how the front tires are leaning toward positive camber. Believe it or not, the rear suspension has a lot to do with how the front end reacts in corners.
We realize that not everyone is going to take a perfectly good C10 and race it around some cones set up in a random parking lot, but what if the truck drove more like a new car on the highway? Interested now? We should all be fascinated in making the sloppy stock C10 handling better on the streets. I’m not promoting street racing, but rather normal driving or getting on the freeway. If you have a stock classic truck around where I live in California it’s almost impossible to get on the freeway without pushing the limit of the truck. Not to mention stock drums that, in an emergency stop, would put you into the next lane of traffic.
Lets talk about the rear suspension on the Chevy C10 and how Hotchkis Sport Suspension improved the already good rear trailing arm setup. Starting with the stock Panhard bar and its downfall. The stock C10 Panhard bar is short and this can cause problems when fitting larger wheels and tires. The stock short Panhard bar travels on an arc that moves with the suspension travel of the rearend. By adding a longer Panhard bar to the rearend, the travel of the rearend, or arc, side to side is reduced. This means no more rubbing the driveshaft on the exhaust because of the stock Panhard bar’s short arc. The mounting locations of the Panhard bar make a huge difference as well; you will notice the Hotchkis Panhard bar is much lower than the stock Panhard bar. Mounting the bar lower will affect the vehicle’s roll center for better street and track performance.
The Hotchkis TVS kit also comes with new trailing arm bearings that allow the arms to cycle by eliminating or reducing suspension bind – one of the trailing arm’s downfalls. The stock rubber bushing can cause the left-side trailing arm to react to the right trailing arm or vice versa with the stock rubber bushings. To further increase handling of the rear suspension, Hotchkis has developed a rear sway bar that is adjustable. The sway bar has the ability to be tuned via three holes on each end. Want the sway bar to be stiffer? Move the mounting location inward and outward to soften the bar. We also went ahead and added a Wilwood four-piston big brake kit to the rear suspension for its good looks and significantly greater stopping power.
Here is a quick look at the parts being modified or replaced.
Looks great and the owner can’t wait until the wheels are on. Stay tuned for next issue when we install the front suspension and provide the data for the before-and-after testing.
