There is a diffrence.. between the two , Qa1's and Ridetechs...
Not saying one is better than the other.. but I know from experince of riding in a Pro-Touring G-body with shocks and Springs, and then in one with Ridetech's coilovers.
The diference is in the constuction, and quality, the QA1's , I belive are off shore manufactured, "dont quote me on it" and are many conponets designed to be a coilover kit, basicly it's a shock inside of a threaded tube with a upper spring seat kit to fit over the upper shock mounting area. and a lower coil spring plate that threads down the tube.
with various springs availible to fit closely to weight and use of the vehicle. Again no reference where they are made.
They in their design work as intended as a coilover shock. and their inexpensive cost.
Ridetech's shock is a mono designed shock tube, it's a peice of flat billet aluminum puck, that is impact forged to 1 single tube, ineffect no seams to leak, and a stiffer stronger tube that's threaded and the valving rides inside that tube only, these are made here in Indiana, the springs are Hypercoil springs also made in Indiana , specificly designed for your car or even a street rod.
The spring company has been in business for years in various forms of racing, all the parts to assemble the coilspring are designed in house at Ridetech, made also by local shops.
The coil spring plate and lower adjuster do not have set screw to set them that tightens the screw to the surface of the tube, they have it designed to have a threaded hole thru the end mating surfaces to allow a bolt to go thru to tighten up and clamp the the threaded tube.
if you look more into the two, you will see the difference, and why the cost factor is different also.. in my opinion the ridetechs quality and craftsman ship will give you the better ride, knowing that the shocks control 90% of the cars ride quality and handling, its good to know that a product will deliver to its upmost standards and then some.
As for straight mounting from frame to axle with no mount is not a good idea, the mounts are made for two reasons , one being to pull the coilovers away from the brake drums for clearance if one should go to disc brakes in the rear and ve to clear the bigger calipers, number two is the angle of the coilover, it's that way to reduce stress on side loads of the coilover, thus giving it longevity, and also give better control to the compress and rebound of that tire, more direct.
Hope this helps
