49' shoebox front air ride

Got a front air ride kit for my 49' shoebox and everything bolted nice but there was not enough room for the shocks. The kit called for attaching the the lower shock bracket to the backside of the A-arm, but this left a decreased turning radius and put the shock at a crazy weird angle. So I decided to move everything to the front and fab my own stuff. I couldn't find any info on the subject so I'm gonna post my progress as I go.. I had to put a small notch in the frame to accomadate the new shock tower and to buy some space. I mocked everything up and ran the suspension and steering through it's full range of motion. So far everything looks good.

 

Once I sort out the front I'm gonna get a Gambino kit for the rear....

 

Nice work! Looks like a great solution for what I hear is a common problem. Got any pics of your bag mount? I'm thinkin' of baggin' my '50 and could use some ideas

 

Looks like a pretty creative solution while not being over complicated. Good thinkin'!

 

Will that shock hit the tube during movement of the suspension?

 

Thanks fellas.. I'm gonna post pictures of everything along with measurements real soon. Yeah man..I was kinda shocked I didn't find any solutions to this problem..I know a lot of guys are laying these things out. I'm sure as soon as I get this all done I'll find a killer step by step tutotrial. Oh well, whatta gonna do?

 

I hope not..I'm gonna fab the lower a-arm/shock mount next. It has about 3/8" clearance. If it does I'll be sure to post it up....

 

I should of said from the beginning that I'm using drop spindles and extended steering arms from "Fat Man"... I made some lower A-arm brackets today and they worked out pretty well. I ran the suspension all the way up and down and turned the wheel all the way left and right and had clearance. With the wheel turned all the way I could easily stick my hand between the tire and shock.I did end up opening up my tubing on the bottom a little... The shock barely touched the tower when the A-arm was all the way down. After opening it up a bit I had about 1/4" clearance at it's tightest. I think in hindsight I would of used a slightly larger tubing. I think my only problem will be re-shaping my sway bar. Good thing I'm a blacksmith, it kinda helps to have a couple of gas forges laying around. I made the brackets with a China Freight a.k.a. Harbor Freight press brake modified with a press brake kit I found on Craigslist. This thing is awesome....... It was like $150 and fits right into a Harbor Freight 20 ton shop press.. I'm not trying to sell stuff for the guy but this thing is awesome for making all kinds of goodies. His site is swagoffroad.com I think.

 

How bout some pics with that hot rod Shoe on the ground?

 

Forgot to say the bags/cups are from ride tech in Indiana...

 

Will do..Might be a minute though.. I'm gonna try and c-notch, bag and four link the rear. My goal is to have that done by Christmas. I will certainly post some pics......

 

On the ground with the back not notched yet..

 

Pretty close to frame...I think when the back is notched and bagged I'll be right where I want to be....

 

Doing a great job. I just finished mine up after two years. So rewarding to finally drive it!

 

Nice work on those shock tubes, creative thinking to eliminate the decreased turn radius. Thanks for sharing.

 

Thanks fellas... I'm sure I'll be 2+ years on mine too...Totally worth it!! I'll post up measurements on the towers and brackets soon.

 

dude realy cool..... hey i heard you say yr going to get a 4 link kit from Gambino. what is it is it a bolt on kit with lil fab. cause i want to air bag my shoebox and trying to see if there are kitts out there or do i just hav to make my own.

 

Keep us posted good work

 

Looks pretty good. I just got a shoebox this week myself. Wanna race to get them done? I'm not too far from you so maybe we can collaborate on our builds. I checked out you're website too. Looks like some neat stuff. Good luck.

 

I'll pass on the race.. When it comes to suspension and brakes I'm gonna take my time fo sho...I'm getting the Gambino 4-link kit for the rear and it's all weld in and looks pretty awesome. They also have nice pictures and thread links to check out. IMO It looks like the best thing going and it will get you crazy low. I'll post some pics of my build but there's some really talented guys that have already posted. The whole kit is about $700 with the bags/c-notch/bag mounts/& pivots... The cool thing is that you can buy the pieces individually and do it as money permits.

 

Wow, good things happen when your thinking like a hot rodder and have the talent to cover your ass. Your avatar has to go that's sick.

CRUISER

 

Yeah man... it's really tough crawling under the shoebox now that it's even lower. I lost about 80 lbs. can you tell?

 

Yeah man! I'm thinking on the Gambino kit as well. Keep us up on the build. Looking good man! You on the subway or jenny diet?

 

Subway gave me the boot for drinking straight from the fountain drink machine... If they don't want you taking it straight to the head they need to put up a "cup required" sign... They need to relax and let the big fella graze.