h1 suspension mod

[EMS Construction]

Oh my lord baby jesus! is that a 1969 two door chevelle?

gotta get me one of those....after i get a monkey of course

[ronb]

Oh my lord baby jesus! is that a 1969 two door chevelle?

gotta get me one of those....after i get a monkey of course

nah, It's a '67 (my fav year) -- I think it was being shipped to Australia. I have an '69 SS396 in storage in Nor Cal:

IMG_4388.jpg (141.63 KiB) Viewed 2052 times

rb

[Rich]

I have an '69 SS396 in storage in Nor Cal:

My dad bought one of those brand new in 69. Until about 1995 it was the only car he had ever bought new. It's also the only car he ever wrecked.

[ronb]

it's a tank -- We were the 2nd owners, bought it in '82. I haven't driven it for maybe 10 years?!

rb

[Seth]

it's a tank -- We were the 2nd owners, bought it in '82. I haven't driven it for maybe 10 years?!

rb

Nice vehicle. You need to go drive it. They break down without a little love now and then.

[ronb]

Looks like I'll be setting up a air ride system too. How much air pressure is being run in front/rear. Do you have a rule of thumb? I assume that the front would be heavier than the rear. But then the H1's seem to have the drivetrain tucked behind the front wheels, transmission and Tcase in the center. I'm not that familiar with the weight distribution.

Almost missed your post -- the engine is slightly offset so I'd geuss it's maybe a bit heavier on the driver's side. I seem to need more pressure in the rear to...uh...get it up. But that could be due to any number of factors including the length of the mounts/my age. I haven't been to a scale yet, but those that have weighed their trucks say it is very well balanced.

The digi gauge seems to be working out really well. It's nice to have a more accurate reading of the pressure in the bags/tank. For stock (or close to) ride height, I'm around 130 psi in the front and 150 in the rear. I could bring the required psi lower if i used longer mounts (so the bag is shorter) but then the suspension would bottom out sooner. To raise the truck to what I've guessed the max "safe" height (1" to 1.5" over stock droop) it takes about 175-ish in the front and 195-ish in the rear. This raises the truck to about 20 to 21 inches at the crossmember (measured on level ground, 37" iroks at 40 psi, wind 2 mph to the south-east).

Here's a before shot (roughly 16 3/4 to the crossmember), and some recent shots of the truck at about 20.5" to the crossmember:

front-before.jpg (215.03 KiB) Viewed 1945 times

hi front1.jpg (182.83 KiB) Viewed 1980 times

hi front3.jpg (196.85 KiB) Viewed 1975 times

hi side1.jpg (148.49 KiB) Viewed 1974 times

hi rear2.jpg (190.07 KiB) Viewed 1974 times

hi rear1.jpg (180.13 KiB) Viewed 1975 times

it's sitting a bit low on the driver's side rear because the limitstraps were adjusted to slightly different lengths (oops).

rb

[PhilD]

Looks great Ron, very nice stance

[ronb]

thanks -- once I work out the bumpstop situation I'll feel safe putting the 39.5's on. My military wheels/beadlocks have been sitting in the garage for a year waiting for new shoes! Not sure if the Psychos are doing Moab or the Rubicon this year -- gotta get ready for some carnage!

rb

[paulg]

Awesome job on the conversion!!!

I have been thinking bout trying this on my wagon for a long time but never really thought it would be practical, but now that I see it has been done with good results...

Just curious as to how the airbags have held up and it you have run into any issues???

also what brand and model airbags are you using??? seems like the highest wieght rating i can find in a compact double convolute is the AirLift D2600 which has a weight rating of bout 3000lbs and a max unrestricted pressure of 600psi...

again great job!!!

cheers
paul

[JustinOK]

Welcome to the site, Paul.

Where do you live??

[ronb]

Just curious as to how the airbags have held up and it you have run into any issues???

also what brand and model airbags are you using??? seems like the highest wieght rating i can find in a compact double convolute is the AirLift D2600 which has a weight rating of bout 3000lbs and a max unrestricted pressure of 600psi...

Hi Paul,
the bags have held up very well. I'm sure they will continue to do fine unless they are physically damaged/punctured. Here's the spec sheet on the bags:
http://slamspecialties.com/specs/XS-7.pdf
As you can see the bags are quite beefy from looking at the capcities on the chart (I usually hover around 6 to 7 inches at 180 psi -- that's about 6000 lbs each). I'm worried they'll break my welds for the limit straps! They ride really nice, but have the same headaches as any other air system. If you can deal then maybe it's for you?

Here's a picture of the bag after one year of trails (during balljoint install a few months back):

IMG_7097.jpg (202.69 KiB) Viewed 1787 times

[Rich]

I'm sure they will continue to do fine unless they are physically damaged/punctured.

Wondering Ron, do you carry a spare with you?

[ronb]

Wondering Ron, do you carry a spare with you?

yep -- this model bag is about $200 each so it's cheap insurance.

[paulg]

Thanks for the info Ron!!! I may bother you a little more as I get more into the project, right now I am designing and installing the air system, then I figure I will tackle the rear suspension first...

What did you end up doing for your bumpstops??? I have been thinking of trying to use sway-a-way progressive hydralic bumpstops to elimenate that hard bottoming out that tend to happen do to the short wheel travel.

did you have custom shocks made up or are you using off the shelf parts???

I figured the bags would be plenty tough, I have seen them used on alot of 4x4 up here and the only time they seem to have problems is mud bogging cause there is usually debris and sticks stuck in the mud holes that get tangle up in the suspension...

Justin thanks for the welcome!!!

I am located in Vancouver BC, Canada... so if any you guys make your way north let me know!!!

cheers
Paul

[ronb]

It seems bumpstops with the short wheel travel of stock/close to stock independant suspension is tricky. There's only about 7 to 8 inches of travel at the wheel, so about 3.5 to 4 at the spring (about half way). If you put the hyd stop half way it will pretty much always hit. I did some preliminary sniffing around and talked to a bunch of race and fab guys (including Mike Sabrese, who knows more about our trucks thean most anyone) and decided to put it on the back burner until I have the extra time and $$ to deal with the fab work and trial and error needed to do them right. The bags have internal bump stops so it doesn't hurt them to be smashed. I am currently putting on 39.5's and a 2" lift to protect the hood and rear fenders from impact if there's some sort of failure. There was no hitting with the 37's when fully deflated. The tires hit the hood when steering while deflated.

here's a shot of the truck all the way down on 37 Iroks:

IMG_5871.jpg (105.63 KiB) Viewed 1692 times

and all the way up (pretty much maxing out the balljoints):

IMG_5865.jpg (103.52 KiB) Viewed 1691 times

You won't be hitting hard as long as there's air in the bags, just look at the chart I posted the link to. These bags are designed to hold up to 20,000 lbs at 600 psi! I've been pretty tough on mine and never bottomed out, even at 160 psi.

Everything is off the shelf except the bag mounts. I am using standard 2 inch Fox resevoir shocks (can't remember the travel...6.5? 8.5?) they are aboutthe same price as the bag -- $190-ish.

fly down and try it out first. It's an investment...a plane ticket is a drop in the bucket compared to what this will cost you. I wish I could do my own fab work!

rb