Airbags are for Accordians: Hydraulics in Traditional Customs

amazing thread and pics...thanks to all

 

Not as cool as an old school air plane setup, but if someone wanted a really nice modern setup, check these guys out.

www.hydroholics.net

These guys make a real nice product that is based on ride quality and longevity. They run accumulaters(sp?) instead of springs, so the "spring rate" is tuneable. They also make their own multiple dump manifolds, so you can have full functions with just one pump.

 

those guys know their shit, they don't just toss some pumps & lines in they do it up right & fix some mangled installs

 

I just talked to a hell of a good guy this morning (and a big part of lowriding and hydraulics history,) Andy Lodi-- who also gave me a correction in my article that i'd like to point out....

In the article i had mentioned that in the 70's Andy remade Adel dumps and I had put "Adex" in parenthesis. Actually, i've learned that Adex didnt even exist back in that timeframe-- and I think Andy meant that the valves he did were similar to Adex.... and not Adex itself.

Andy Lodi is the founder of Adex, and a very early lowrider in Southern California-- we're talking from late 60's-early 70's. He then later invented the Adex.

In our talks, Andy also provided some good info and pics that i'd love to use in my part II of the article (relative to Southern California and the birth of hydraulics.) I'm looking forward to meeting him on my next trip down south...

Andy, if you're reading this--- good to talk and i'm happy to clarify your piece in this history. Look forward to meeting in person...

-scott noteboom

 

I have a newer style hydro set up on my '66, and I love it. If the car is layed out all the way or locked up it rides rough, but anywhere in between rides great. I also have an acumulator (sp?). My friends truck is bagged and mine rides smoother than his IMO, not as bouncy. I love my hydros. Mine was done professionally and I have not had any issues with oil leaks. I can't drive mine everyday due to my job, so I just keep a trickle charger on my batteries.

 

On a related side note, has anyone ever added switches to a torsion bar front suspension? If so, HOW?

 

Hit the switch to raise it back up!!..

I've been slowly getting pieces over the years to build my own set up but trying to find these parts on the East is nearly impossible..even many of the old school articles..So i've had to depend on kats on LIL, e-bay or craigslist. I will say i was soo stoked to see your write up man & hats off on a nice job!! Also, The book that came out a few years back is a must have for a 'juice head'!!

 

so nice to see the real thing,,,great post,,,,Reds was a name in hyd. as well if I remember right

I remember all the sweet lowrider set up s you'd see in Lowrider Magazine back in the 80's

 

My high school car was a '72 Impala. Bill Hines and a guy I hung out with in 11th and 12th grade helped me set this up. I ran a single Pesco with two dumps. I don't remember the cylinders but they were pretty small in diameter. They minimized the hole in the upper control arms but if I laid the front down too hard, I had to jump on the front bumper while some held the switch up in order to get the back pressure up enough to raise her. They were a bit too small for that heavy front end. I really dug them. Driving under the chain that was across the school auto shop drive way always stumpped the janitor. My second juiced ride was a '51 Bel Air. I liked the ride on that one better than the '72. It was set up by the previous owner and I don't remember anything about that set-up. I haven't had lifts since then. I will be doing bags this time around on my '51 Vicky.
Michael

 

that lil article you did was 'cute' for the kischsters.,,

but if you are going to do a history on the So Cal hydraulic history you better do alot more resarch than you did on your article in garage.

there are MANY dudes still around today that were around back then that will school you...

 

the 'cute,' 'lil,' and 'kischster' comments could motivate me to reply with in kind attitude, but i figure there's enough of that on the hamb/internet... so instead, i'll say..... thanks for the feedback.

i'd love to talk and learn from anyone that's willing to give me the time of day and i have time to talk to. So far it's been people like Andy Douglas, Ted Wells, Bill Hines and recently Andy Lodi. If i'm talking to the wrong people, i'd really be appreciate if you'd school me & let me know who i should talk to... In reality, i get schooled from MANY people everyday-- it's the best way to learn.

the reason i didnt do the socal article first is because i felt it required more work and research.... so, i agree with you there. by the way-- the hardest part of talking to people about history is that everyone one of the legends i talk to remember things slightly differently. Years do that to people and stories. that's the hard part in trying to make everyone happy....

take care,

-scott noteboom

 

when i was in high school i worked at a hydraulic shop here in dallas i worked there for about 4 years,i must ve installed a couple hundred set ups wile i was there,this brings back a lot of memories.

 

I want to lift my 48, don't have the heart to bag it, I'll feel as if i sold out.

 

what up Tom!I seen that you scored some 560 's.........You know who to come to for tanks right?

 

I bagged the 50 and felt the same way the whole time!Lift it!I feel alot better now that I got lifts going in.!

 

Great Read. I love Garage mag. It and the Rodder's Journal are the only ones out there that are good for at least a week's worth of pooping.

Now where can I get one of those Rick James T-shirts that Andy was wearing in one of those pics?

 

Missed it by that much!

True story: A close friend of the family was Rick James money manager and close friend when he died. Shemanaged sales of a number of things in his estate. I was thinking about buying his Range Rover.

Thus, im sure we could have hooked you up with a REAL Rick James shirt. That would have surely given you special powers too...

-scott noteboom

 

I would have framed it and hung it on the wall....well at least it would go into my stack of shirts that can only be worn on special occasions like my original Ozzy Osbourne Randy Rhoades tribute shirt.....

I'm Rick James, Biatch!

 

were can i get my accordian air baged???

 

Great article man.......

 

i heard a guy in san jose maybe?, is pretty good.

 

Yeah, I heard about that guy.... some scary looking Italian hoodlum in San Jose. I'm not sure if he worked for a printing press, or IS the printing press-- but he's got ink stains all over him. No matter the case, I heard that guy can lift, drop, bag, or juice just about any accordian (well, maybe not billet ones...)

By the way--- that same hoodlum is the guy who introduced me to Andy so that i could do the article. So, i guess i support his accordian playing....

-scott noteboom

 

Cool post Notebooms....timely for me....
I'd LOVE to put my wife's Impala on Hydraulics rather than air....more fitting for the car.
I gotta go out and get that issue!

 

here's a parts hunting in action pic for ya that i just found...



-scott noteboom

 

goldmine!

scott ive got the cylinders we need for yer car, cups to!

 

idono
acorians i hear aint easys to bag?

 

awesome article indeed, and the pictures in this thread are mind blowing.....It made me start digging through the garage for all the hydro set up I have, I dont know squat about all the stuff, it has a 220v motor and a small pump approx 4" across on it and a bunch of electrical switched valves, a small hydraulic motor, fittings, 10 gallon hyd. tank etc, kinda for shop use maybe to make a press out of or I dunno whats its off of. Would be neat if the electric valves could be used on a car system.
edit:had 110v valves, should be easy enough with a decent inverter. install the pump on the front of the engine with a pulley......hhhhmmmmmmm [wheels in head turning]

 

Damn Scott! you've been busy!! thats one hell of a find!

 

shit... i wish that find was mine. it's just a picture i have.

if i had all those motors and pumps, i'd polish them all up before, oil myself up too, and we'd all pose together for a "my hydraulics find is bigger than yours" picture...

-scott noteboom

 

don't forget !!!!