Im airbagging the rear of a 54 Chevy(p***.car) with leaf springs and 3 inch blocks and I was wondering whats the least amount of leafs i coluld run? I took all of them out except for the main and the car layed pretty low. I put 2 leafs back on each side(total of 3 leafs a side) and it doesnt lay nearly as low. I was wondering whats the least amount of leafs anyone has run???thanks
Those are 1 3/4" wide springs. They are known to break after all these years when ALL of them are in the spring pack (I have broken 2). I would not trust them. Lots of corrosion and use have prob weakened them over time.
Check this out... -Anthony http://www.lowridermagazine.com/tech/0604lrm_air_bag_suspension/index.html
What Tman said, Ive got a set of 53 rear leafs still in the spring pack. Reason for Removal? Old saggy and ready to crack. ^^ ha ha kinda sounds like some people i know
Anyone ever put MORE than 3' Blocks on a Stock rear set up? I got 3' and bags are a ways down the line, sometimes I wonder if there is any other simple adjustments that can be made until that major notching opperation occurs.
and your point is? lowrider magazine has some of the worst tech advice ever published. just because they do it with one leaf doesn't mean it's a good idea. like Tman said, these springs are notorious for breaking. they are also stacking aluminum lowering blocks in that article, another bad idea. if you car has been converted to open drive, don't even think about running one stock leaf, get some new springs, or switch the suspension over to a 4 link or truck arm setup.
if you have a open drive rear now like a camaro or 9" as soon as you gas it the spring and rear end will wind up like a yo yo.
My point ray was answering alexs question of how many leafs he could run, if the car is being done on a budget, .. i believe that was the name of the article.. "air bagging a bomb on a budget".. I think if the Tovar brothers were to do an article on how to bag a bomb period it would be alot different.. So ray I think your missing the POINT of this whole question.. if you want to tell alex that he should run a 4link or truck arm set up i think he knows that already... and as far as criticizing lowrider magazine, write a letter to them and maybe they'll read your opinion.. cause it doesn't matter to me. Let me know when your magazine comes out so i can let Joe Ray know (whos been LOWriding since LOWriding's been LOWriding)to check it out.. -Anthony
I know Ray, he has been flipping switches since you were trading Garbage Pail Kids cards...............he is right, that tech ****s.
I have 2 with airbags...but not good if you have a 350 or any thing with power in it they just can't handle any power with only 2
doesnt matter if its published in a magazine or not - it the physics say the process is **** then it is regardless if its published or not. the original springs were designed for a torque tube rear - when that driveline was all together the springs could handle the torque (hence the name "torquetube"). You take all that out and go to an open drive line you better be switching springs, not taking leaves out. (I know, I know everyone runs the stocker springs with small block and open driveline, but the point is still valid)
Thats why I have wider replacement springs sitting here Tom........those 1 3/4" springs are woefully inadequate.
thanks Tman. i think i had a few garbage pail kids cards... i know what your point was, you're under the impression that one leaf is just fine because you read it in a magazine article. me, tman, and others who have actually worked on these cars, know that they the springs are not as strong as the leafs in nearly every other car. running just the main leaf is asking for trouble. notice that i had "new springs" as an option along with the other suspension setups. he could get some new leafs from posies or wherever and be MUCH better off than running the narrow, thin, prone to breakage stockers. i grew up reading lowrider mag, they've been publishing bad tech for decades. a letter from me isn't going to change that.
.. i've had my fair share of 49-54' chevys.. with 6's.. with small blocks'.. with no blocks.. so u can add me in to your little group of people who have actually worked on these cars, which was a pretty jerkish comment to begin with. And call me lucky or call you UNlucky, but i've never had a leaf spring break on me, maybe my cars weren't that rotted who knows.. and maybe if everyone like you actually did send a letter it would change that, but everyones a critic.. and lets not bring age into this. Again, its building on a budget, i dont think lowrider was taking the car to the track.. maybe whittier blvd.. but who knows.. I did like the way they bagged the front end. I just posted the article because I had told alex the week before about it when he told me how he was going about it. No need to rag on me for it. PM me if u want to talk more about it. I'll give you my number and we can talk cars from there. Thanks. -Anthony
I'm about to do the same on my 50. I look at the air over spring and decided it was too weak. I bought an air ride setup at the local swapmeet cheap for $350. It came with some lower arms that bold in place of the springs and then goto the fron spring mounts. I'm changing the front mounts so that they will fit, I then have two bars that will go triangulated from the rearend to the ch***is. I'm going to get the rest of the parts from a company called suicidedoors.com. They have a bridge bar with bags and mounts for an S10 pickup which I sould be able to use. They want $199 for it which is quite cheap.
some times s cheep aint good if those bottom bars are strait i dought they will work , were coming out with a silular kit soon. are notch and over the axel brackets are made for 50's chevys and work there 229.00
it will work with one leaf but they will eventualy brake just like the guys said , air bag suspension on top of the leafs being old will add to failure advenuly some times sooner some times they'll last awhile,some guys do it cause thats what they can aford right "now"! at least you know what can happen .were a possies dealer and they have droped springs if you ever wanted to go that rought.
I always leave the helper in place, that keeps the main leaf from D-Arching, thats when it will more than likely break. Godspeed MrC.
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