h1 suspension mod

[Aaron]

Sorry for the hyjack of the thread...

... the reason I am asking is because I am in the middle of putting a system together for my hot rod.

So you have gotten back to it?

Ya slowley, but I installed a new front frame crossmember with all new suspensions with air bags, installed the LS1 and trans (with all brackets). The next step is to get a triangelated 4 bar set up on the rear. It is moving slowley.

My goal is to get moving so I can go to the Turkey Rod Run in Daytona.

[ronb]

post some pictures!

rb

[Mark]

post some pictures!

X2

Either that or I will just have to come over and see it

[Aaron]

Mark I put up an update in the other section

http://www.hummerxclub.com/forum/viewto ... 7995#77995

[ronb]

a report on mod progress:

-swapped the 150 psi gauges out for 220 psi gauges

-made new mounts about 1/2" longer (to take care of the droopy rear-end and to run at a slightly lower psi).

-really loving the improved ride on rough sections (been to Rowher twice).

-really not liking too much how complicated it can be to get the truck to sit level and/or at the stock height -- still learning the bags' characteristics.

Now, at 180 to 185 psi, both front and rear crossmembers sit at 22 inches. I gained about 3/4" in the front and 1 3/4 in the rear which puts the ucp at 20 1/2 inches. I need to keep an eye on the rear bags...at the max height the upper control arms come VERY close to rubbing.

Again, not to be wheeled (or, god forbid, ever driven) at the max height; just used to get out of a pickle.

going to run Cleghorn and maybe 2N tomarrow for further testing/playing. Troy and some other lifted hummers will be there so It will be a good opportunity to compare trucks.

rb

[ronb]

Did Cleghorn on Saturday with some Psychos, then went to Hungry Valley with a Rover buddy on Monday.

I had a good time on Cleghorn...I don't remember it being that much fun. Took all the fun bypasses, and for the first time was able to do a pretty gnarly section that had always been blocked by a broken vehicle the last few time I was there. You can read about Troy's steering problem/carnage in the video section...hope he can figure out what's going on with his truck.

Gorman, as you know, is pretty tame with a few crazy sections scattered about. There's fun if you look for it. There are some crazy climbs I've never been able to make...maybe a short run someday so you guys can give some of these hills a try?

Anyways...about the truck -- I'm still loving the ride both on and off the road. On a recent trip to Rowher, my wife commented how quiet my truck was. On some steep sections on Cleghorn, I played around with airing down my uphill side, which in one section reduced the side angle from 30+ to under 25 degrees (I don't have any good pics yet, but I'll post a picture of the deflation in progress). I was curious how the bags would handle stuff like that compared to the springs -- they seem to be very similar. I imagine having a blowout on a side angle would be disastrous! Need to work on the roll bars now!

One of my bags was rubbing the upper control arm at full extention. I turned the bag 180 deg. on the mount to see if this will solve the problem. We'll see...I'll keep an eye on it over the next few days. Might have to make a new mount angled slightly the other way or somehow shim my current one to deal with the problem. The bags are really easy to get off and service/change if needed; popped the left rear one out, rotated it and put it back in about 15 minutes.

rb

*here's a couple pictures to compare similar side angles and how the tires/front suspension would naturally would sit in relation to the truck.
The top pic is me on Cleghorn (I have deflated the uphill side and aired up the downhill side)
The bottom one is Jim on 2N17X at about 35 degrees

9601061722_2C7932F3F8BE2BFBC095CCEFECD51C4B.JPG (52.81 KiB) Viewed 2069 times

IMG_2239.jpg (101.61 KiB) Viewed 2068 times

[PhilD]

The top pic is me on Cleghorn (I have deflated the uphill side and aired up the downhill side) [/attachment]

Wow, looks like a real axle now

Very cool, definitely adds to the flexibility of the vehicle.

[ronb]

The top pic is me on Cleghorn (I have deflated the uphill side and aired up the downhill side) [/attachment]

Wow, looks like a real axle now

ya know...I never thought of it that way!

rb

[Bondage]

Wow Ron...OUTSTANDING mod!!! Now if only you'd call me when you're gonna be out here wheeling 15 minutes from my house...............

That looks seriously gooooooooooooooooooooood.

[ronb]

scott - pm me your digits.
rb

[Bondage]

Done.

[ronb]

found my first weak link (besides a mysterious phantom air leak in one of the bags)...the cv boots. With the extra droop the boot retaining rings popped of on both inner fronts, the rears seem to be fine. I think I'll tighten up the limit straps a bit! I'll put them back to stock droop...I was about an inch past stock.

I'm not sure how long they've been like this...I did Rowher the week prior then Cleghorn, they were both pretty dusty so I'll probably just throw on new half shafts and send these off to be rebuilt. I could probably clean them up myself, but they've been through 2 years and 10k miles of hard wheeling...time for some tlc anyways (I like to fix/replace stuff before they go on the trail -- worked so far, knock on wood!).

rb

[ronb]

image3431.jpg (9.7 KiB) Viewed 1815 times

ok...where the heck were these guys when I needed them! I would have much rather bought the parts then gone totally custom. Looks like the lower mount even has a pivot point to keep the bag aligned (maybe I'll do that on my next version?). Looks pretty cool. This looks like the guy who does the dual shock mod advertised on Cepek's GT Hummer page.

http://mashmotorsinc.com/index_files/Page385.htm

rb

[Rod]

Reminds me of the time I invented a pump that moved water uphill using only the water's velocity for power.

Turns out a bunch of monks did it first 600 years ago.

[ronb]

Funny -- I've never seen the site before, but got his number from Mr Cepek before I started to see if this guy could make stuff for me...he never called me back (if it's the same guy...but the pictures are the same). I wanted to buy a kit, not re-invent the wheel. The only folks I could find besides my mechanic who had donee this was Predator, but their job was way more involved than mine (different application).

image3431.jpg (9.7 KiB) Viewed 1804 times

btw...went with some longer bag mounts and shorter limit straps and now things seem to be pretty nice. Originally I wanted to use the stock shocks as the limiter/bumpstop (like the picture) but wanted more travel after talking to Mike Sabrese and Chad Hall. I'd love to check it out up close and personal!

rb