Negative camber is part of the answer, but you can only get so much of it with the factory spindles and control arms. Installing a set of taller B-body spindles-and the tubular upper A-arms that complement them-fundamentally changes the car's geometry. "You have a taller spindle with the necessary-i.e., negative-camber curve," explains John Hotchkis. "The upper A-arm ball joint is higher than the cross-shaft at ride height. Therefore, during bump travel, the upper ball joint pulls in toward the engine, giving negative camber." The top of the tire tilts in under load rather than out, allowing more tread to contact the pavement.
Of course, it's all well and good to talk about changing suspension geometry, but what did it do on the test track? In short, we picked up 0.6 mph running through the slalom and also gained on the skidpad, registering 0.87g. With more of the front tires' contact patches on the pavement, front wheel traction was noticeably increased. Our subject Elky's front end felt much more planted; check out the sidebar to see how we took full advantage of our updated front-end setup.
Mounting up one of Hotchkis' B-body spindle kits also allows A-body owners to employ a set of 12-inch B-body discs and their big, single-piston calipers. We went for this configuration, and also elected to ditch the factory rear drum brakes in favor of a True Connections rear disc brake kit and proportioning valve. Impressive as our handling gains were, the improvement in this El Camino's braking was amazing; our new setup chopped a staggering 36 feet off our previous 60-0 best. Performance is improved, and this classic Chevy is now just plain safer to drive.
In the end analysis, we can tell you about improved suspension geometry, and we can report that this almost 30-year-old El Camino ran through our test track like a madman, but what's most important is what happens in the real world. We again turned to the '69's owner, Bernie DeMarkey, for a report: "First of all, the braking is so much surer, without the concern of locking up the rear that El Caminos are notorious for," he tells us. "With four-wheel discs, you get the full effort out of the front brakes, and it's a much more controlled stop; she squats rather than nosedives. And with the new front spindles in place, there's no sliding; the front end stays where you put it. It's a much more fun car to drive than it ever was." And isn't that what it's all about?
Another benefit of changing...
Another benefit of changing over to B-body spindles is that you get bigger B-body disc brakes and calipers as part of the package. When teamed with rear disc brakes and a properly dialed-in proportioning valve, the improvement in stopping ability is marked.
It looks good, yes? The spindles...
It looks good, yes? The spindles themselves provide a 0.75-inch drop compared to the A-body pieces; the total drop with all parts installed was 1.75 inches. "People know what state-of-the-art street cars handle like," says John Hotchkis, "so they want their musclecars to handle like that too, if possible. Adding the B-body spindles and new A-arms to our already installed TVS package created a vintage El Camino that does just that.