Air Bag

[Couper]

I'm thinking about a single bag on the center of my dropped I beam to help me get over drive way bumps and such... I wouldn't drive it aired up, it would just be for a few minutes at a time.

Something like this; https://www.truckspring.com/product...psfSnYJeYl29HymahikUqkTl9Tv1sCrhoCEXUQAvD_BwE

Jason at Pete & Jakes tell me that my I Beam is forged and I could weld a cup on it to house the bag and bolt another cup to the double U-bolts that hold the spring in the cross member.

Has anyone done this before?

Thanks

 

[Bamamav]

That’s thinking outside the box! As long as it was hidden by the grille, it might work. Would look kinda goofy on a car where it could be seen.

 

[lowbudget50]

That’s thinking outside the box! As long as it was hidden by the grille, it might work. Would look kinda goofy on a car where it could be seen.

I'm sure it would work, the only thing I would be worried about is it picking it up unevenly from side to side because of weight distribution.

 

[smallfoot]

Your driveway must be rough!

 

[Couper]

That’s thinking outside the box! As long as it was hidden by the grille, it might work. Would look kinda goofy on a car where it could be seen.

OH so now I'm goofy....LOL!

It'll be inside the grill shell and won't be seen but would be an issue to service cause the grill shell would have to be removed. Shock / headlight brackets off, Grill Shell off, maybe scratch the frame rails.....ARGGG

My other alternative is to replace the shocks with air shocks but would prefer to keep the two situations separate. I don't want my standard ride to be dependent on an air system that might lose pressure. The other issue is the set of air shocks that would fit are for the rear of a Yamaha Royal Star and probably not heavy duty enough for my HEMI

Pic's for clarity like mud

I might be able to squeeze in 2 airbags....

 

[lowbudget50]

I was going to suggest air shocks. My very first customer car I built used air shocks for the front air suspension. It picked it up 4 in I believe with a 289 in it but if you're just looking to gain a little bit why couldn't you hide two air shocks underneath the front cowl. Just put them in resting state with no air so they have a little down and then you could add air to them when you wanted them to pick up. Also a bag would work, so either way I guess

 

[Bamamav]

Couple of cab air bags off a Peterbilt might be about right. They are short and small in diameter. You could spay them a little and reduce the height as well as keep it from trying to lift just one side.

 

[Couper]

Couple of cab air bags off a Peterbilt might be about right. They are short and small in diameter. You could spay them a little and reduce the height as well as keep it from trying to lift just one side.

Bam.... not sure what you mean by this: You could spay them a little and reduce the height.....

 

[Couper]

I was going to suggest air shocks. My very first customer car I built used air shocks for the front air suspension. It picked it up 4 in I believe with a 289 in it but if you're just looking to gain a little bit why couldn't you hide two air shocks underneath the front cowl. Just put them in resting state with no air so they have a little down and then you could add air to them when you wanted them to pick up. Also a bag would work, so either way I guess

Air shocks would do the trick as well...I could work up a tower of some sort under the grill as well a a couple bags. Bracketry off the cross member / leaf spring mount would be easy... I'm not sure how I'd handle the Super Bell. It is forged so I can weld on it. If you can see my picture above a single bag mounted right under the 2 spring u-bolts might be an easy go. Trying to imagineer how to couple it up

 

[lowbudget50]

Air shocks would do the trick as well...I could work up a tower of some sort under the grill as well a a couple bags. Bracketry off the cross member / leaf spring mount would be easy... I'm not sure how I'd handle the Super Bell. It is forged so I can weld on it. If you can see my picture above a single bag mounted right under the 2 spring u-bolts might be an easy go. Trying to imagineer how to couple it up

Yeah I think with some good CAD (cardboard aided design)
You could come up with something pretty slick

 

[Couper]

Yeah I think with some good CAD (cardboard aided design)
You could come up with something pretty slick

CAD.... I like that!

 

[lowbudget50]

I'm way more proficient at that style cad than I am on a computer.
Hahahaha

 

[gene49]

A small diameter bag between the spring and the cross member would do the trick, just would need one with the capacity to lift the weight of the motor & car.

I would assume this would only be used for a temporary lift for a short time frame, and not for normal driving conditions. Your shock length and steering are probably going to be the limiting factors on how high you will be able to lift. I don't see a couple inches being much of a problem. If it becomes more of a permeant arrangement, better options should probably be looked into.

An air line to an air compressor that can be operated from the drivers seat could be used to control the up and down of the lift. My son had air bags between the body and the rear axle on his 57 Dodge wagon. He can adjust the rear ride height while he is driving down the road. If the entire family is riding along, he needs more lift, if he is by himself, the bags are deflated.

 

[05snopro440]

Going through all that trouble, a set of air shocks with an onboard compressor would seem like a much simpler solution to me without reinventing the wheel.

 

[Couper]

A small diameter bag between the spring and the cross member would do the trick, just would need one with the capacity to lift the weight of the motor & car.

I would assume this would only be used for a temporary lift for a short time frame, and not for normal driving conditions. Your shock length and steering are probably going to be the limiting factors on how high you will be able to lift. I don't see a couple inches being much of a problem. If it becomes more of a permeant arrangement, better options should probably be looked into.

An air line to an air compressor that can be operated from the drivers seat could be used to control the up and down of the lift. My son had air bags between the body and the rear axle on his 57 Dodge wagon. He can adjust the rear ride height while he is driving down the road. If the entire family is riding along, he needs more lift, if he is by himself, the bags are deflated.

Hey Gene....yes, just a couple inches and just to get me over an occasional speed bump, driveway angle ect. If I find I built her too low for normal driving I'd have to rework the suspension.

 

[Couper]

I'm way more proficient at that style cad than I am on a computer.
Hahahaha

I'm not bad on the computer but we have guys at the office lab that do CAD CAM, Solid Works and others....that stuff is pretty slick. I'm always running over to the local bike shop to grab a couple boxes! And much cheaper than ruining a piece of steel!

 

[Couper]

Going through all that trouble, a set of air shocks with an onboard compressor would seem like a much simpler solution to me without reinventing the wheel.

I'd really like this ability to lift her to be independent of the suspension. Again its just to lift me for a few minutes when needed. I do like the idea of the one air bag between the spring and cross member, but if have to use two bags to insure of a level lift I can do that as well.

Thinking Thinking thinking LOL

 

[Bamamav]

Bam.... not sure what you mean by this: You could spay them a little and reduce the height.....

Hummmm, I don’t think that came out right. I’m gonna blame it on autocorrect, lol!

What I was trying to say was to space them out, leaning closer in at the top.

Maybe this stupid technology won’t put words in my mouth this time!

 

[Couper]

Space it out.....got it Bam!

So after cutting up a bunch of cardboard and mocking up a bunch of heavy looking dual bag bracketry I'm moving back to my original idea of 1 bag in the center.

I'm thinking of taking a piece of 5/16 or so plate, running some gusset looking stiffeners along the 2 sides and attaching it to the bottom of the 2 U-bolts that hold the spring into the cross member. Remove the existing locknuts, slap it against the plate that is holding the spring in and bolt her up.

The Air Bag I'm considering using is 6.5" in diameter so the plate would have to protrude out past the U-bolts 7 or so inches.

Then I'd add "L' plate to the Super Bell forged axle. Same size plate with stiffeners. I could weld it or Bolt it...If I bolt it I could weld up a with 4 or 5 - 1/2" grade 8 bolts. They say i can weld on it cause its forged, but am concerned about weakening it. If I bolt it I'd have to drill holes in it, but this axle does also come as model that has holes all across the whole span that are much bigger than I'm going to drill. I would assume that drilling it would be ok.

Firestone makes a bag that has a compressed height of 2.7' and an extended height of 8.25 of which I'd only need to go to 5" max. I'm gona check on Monday to see if they do have a shorter fully extended bag so I don't go busting any shocks.....my existing shocks only have an additional 2" of upward stroke. They do have a 1 bellows that only goes to 5.8 but a weight of 1580 vesus the 2 bellows of 2080.

Some pics..... You guys see anything obvious that I'm missing?

Thanks fa listening!

 

[offroadrolls]

Is there something on the car that's lower than the front axle? It looks pretty low anyway and lifting the car won't give it any clearance. If it was me, I'd wait until the scenario in which I actually needed it before welding that plate to the axle or approach it from the position of the shocks. (Timmy would say, with that hemi, just pop a wheely over stuff.)