has anyone hooked a compressor to some airshocks, hid a switch to pumpit up and i need some idea for a dump valve. i know its been done.
By who? That's a real bad idea. Air shocks can't carry the load alone, and shock mounts are not nearly strong enough to safely carry the vehicle load without failing. Lots of bad stuff has "been done" before.
I agree that this is not the best way for many reasons but is everyone referring to the shock itself or the physical mounting point is not strong enough because 2000hp promods and less launch on them all the time in coil over application. This is many times essentially a shock but with a metal spring instead of bellow.
Wired in a small compressor in the trunk of my old 37. When I needed to pump up the air shocks I just hooked up the hose and hit the switch. Usually pumped it up before I took off. Worked well. Dan
It's been done keep the springs but get the car low. Use air bag dumps or the dump valve off a big rig air seat. I've see it done it works friend did it no problems just don't make it lay frame keep some spring in the car and use the shocks to get over stuff like speed bumps ect. Ghetto but... Dave Hitch FBBF
We did it all of the time when we were kids back in the late '70s and '80s. We were kids and dumb but it got the back bumper up in the air.
There is not a Pro Mod car out there ANYWHERE using a general automotive airshock, an OEM mount and a rigged pump/dump. There is nothing in what you have stated and the OPs question that relate.
I've looked at a few Pro-Mods over the years, most of them don't have the upper end of the shock mounted to a stamped steel floor pan. Perhaps that has escaped your attention...
Yeah, and coilovers are just a standard shock with a small spring. An airshock is NOT designed to hold the entire weight of the rear of a vehicle. Nice random post, though (blk210)
Somehow I'm missing where this guy said he wants to replace the spring with air shocks? Dave Hitch FBBF
Before everyone tries flaming me they need to look at what I had written, I asked if people were saying the shock itself could not handle the weight or where it physically mounted to the vehicle because more then one person vaguely posted they couldn't. Also when looking at a shock in a coil over application the spring rests on the perch around the shock just like an airspring rests on it's perch around the shock, but both internally are a gas charged shock, some adjustable and some nicer than others. Most all manufacturers use the same round stock for the shaft or have an eye at each end. Never stated or ***umed anything stupid like mounting one through sheet metal which really is not related to original topic cause it's clearly for a truck. Hope that helps people if they were being sincere, if they were just trying to be smart I missed the humor.
a friend did it to his brand new 1980 chevy stepside tuck in 1980, he used an ac ford compressor ran some hard lines with a "tee" fitting one to shocks other end to a valve under the seat that he just opened and down it went.never had any problems he just used it to pick it up when needed
Pointing out the incorrect info in your post is not flaming you. Correct, an airshock is not designed to carry the full load of the vehicle. And an OEM mount is not designed to carry the full load of the vehicle. A coilover is designed to carry the full rated load. Most have spherical bushings, or dense urethane or similar bushings. An airshock uses standard shock mount hardware (rubber). Common shocks have either a stud or loop friction welded to the ends. It is not a common shaft. The OP did not state an application, why is it clearly for a truck? I'm not trying to be smart, just intelligent and informed.
I am both as well and I was just trying to let the guy know that the 1000 lbs monroes can handle in conjunction with his leaf springs would work fine to lift up the *** of his truck (or car, not sure got this mixed up with the other post almost identical to this one,if it is a car don't jam it through the sheet metal). A rod or loop is welded to the end of a common shaft that runs all the way through the nitrogen, oil, and discs within the pressure tube. Hope the message got to the original poster through all the BS,later.
If you are wanting to raise up a lowered car that normally rides on coil or leaf springs but needs a boost once in a while to carry extra p***engers or get over a curb or clear a driveway angle it will work. If you are planning on using air shocks as your suspension 100% of the time with no springs it is a seriously bad idea. Almost every Cadillac from the early 60's up into at least the mid 90's has air shocks on the back with a compressor under the hood and a control valve on the rear axle to control ride height. Load the trunk with luggage or engine parts and the car levels it's self. Put a couple of your large size buddies in the back seat it level's it's self. When someone gets out it lets air out of the shocks and levels it's self again. That is what air shocks are about. maintaining ride height when you have a load change on the vehicle. And yep we used to run them to jack rigs up so that we could run wider tires on the back but I replaced more than one cut tire in the tire store I worked in in the early 70's because someone's air shock blew or an airline blew or broke.
The OP's listed Hamb friendly car is a 59 Galaxy which has studs top and bottom on the rear shocks. I don't remember if the top shock mount goes to the frame or the body but I believe that it goes through the frame. It doesn't matter that coil overs mount almost the same way that air shocks do. Air shocks are not intended to be the sole supporting suspension component as coil overs are.
No one is flaming you, and I DID look at what you wrote, perhaps you need to review it yourself. I have quoted it in bold, so you can take another look at it. You said something stupid, I pointed out the error in your reasoning, now your feelings are hurt. as far as the '59 Galaxy, he didnt specify what kind of car it was anywhere in his post. I think we can rule out a truck, as he doesnt own one. EDIT: He also has a sunbeam alpine, I believe the shocks on those mount to the sheet-metal floor-pan, but I'm not certain.
The Sunbeam is, of course, a lot lighter than the Galaxy. In fact the load in question might just be in the general range of the load differential between empty and loaded of the sorts of applications the air shocks are meant for. If that range is exceeded, however, there would be very large and rapid changes in pressure, which are likely to have unforeseen thermal effects, because one would be dealing with a much smaller volume of air than in the case of a bag set-up. One would almost be turning one's shocks into diesel engines; and unless one designs for the heat thus generated, unexpected failures are probable. The top-mount issue has been mentioned. Rates of damping have historically been increasing, so the anticipated impact load would tend to be lower compared to the spring load, the older the design of the car is. That should give an indication of the sorts of forces the designers were thinking of when designing the vehicle structure. A car designed according to a modern approach to damping might anticipate a momentary initial load at the damper almost equal to the load on the spring. That means that just upgrading dampers on a design where dampers were considered a nonessential luxury might require attention to the damper mounting details.
Just do it the correct way. Why spend all that time cobbing?? When you can just do what your looking to do the correct way and not be a cob artist????
I had a 4 sir shock setup on an 85 Toyota truck bck in the day, right before airbags hit and when the set ups were expensive. I made mounts front and rear. It worked well and rode great. The down side is that the airshocks need high pressure to get max lift...about 180 psi. I had to use a portable "Truck Air" compressor and fill it slowly. I would have to replace the shocks about once a year due to leaking. That said, airbags are the way to go....more performance and less pressure to activate.
If it's a leaf spring car, they make simple air over leaf kits that may be able to be adapted. If it's a coil spring car there could be a bag option to replace the spring. Air lift makes small compressor/valve setup combos for fill and dump. I would go that route before air shocks. In the long run you'd probably be happier.
Sometimes how I speak is confusing, I see the way I wrote it may have lead people to think I meant the floor was strong which I didn't, sorry for the confusion, still love all you guys cause your hard to get along with like me.
1. Did the guy ask a simple question? Yes 2. Did he say he was getting Rid of the springs? No 3. Did he state what the car is? No Maybe the guy just wanted to make his air shocks for towing a camping Trailer adjustable from inside the car? This thread is absurd Help the guy Don't treat him like he's an idiot Flyin Brian is right this just scares people off Dave Hitch FBBF
am I the only one who read the original post? sounds like the guy has airshocks and wants way to control them from inside the car. I don't know anything about bags and thier components, but I would guess wherever you get a compressor from would have what you need. had a friend with a NICE 58 Impala. sat pretty low and he needed airshocks to raise it up to get over bumps and such. had a compressor in the trunk and switches and air gauges under the dash. probably raised the back about 4-5"... very slowly I might add I think all of your brains have been boogered up by too many cars laying frame with "conventional " bag setups. I could probably use something like that on my Dodge. it's not that low, but there is 5 feet of car hanging out behind the wheels. I actually bent my bumper dragging out of a ****ty driveway. EDIT: yeah, what studhud said.
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