I'm looking for somewhere that sells the manual air valve switches. Or what a lot of people call the manual paddle valves. I have a set of four of them but they are for 1/4 inch O.D. lines I would like to find a set of switch valves like what I have but for 3/8 O.D. lines. The switches I have will let air in one way then you switch them the otherway and they will release the air out of the middle of the backside of the switch. Oh yea and the switches are plastic that I have also. Anyone know what I'm talking about? I've been looking for them on other sites and I can't find anything but electric valves. Can anyone help me? I guess maybe I could sell my 1/4 o.d. ones to someone to help pay for the 3/8 o.d. ones when I find them.
<font color="green">So, you are talking about switches that are really manual valves? They mechanically let the air out? I know there are plenty of electric solenoid types out there. Just trying to clear up my brain. RASHY You ar </font>
Why do you want to change from 1/4" to 3/8"? If it's a matter of 3/8" line size versus your paddle fitting line size of 1/4", why not use a Swagelok (or similar) 1/4" X 3/8" tubing adaptor. A lot cheaper than changing out the paddle switches. If the idea is to get up or down faster, you can by p*** the switches altogether with a 3/8" ball valve to get the pressure on quick and tee in another 3/8" ball valve to exhaust air fast.
I do want it faster thats why I wanted the 3/8 line instead of 1/4 inch line. If the ball valves are what I think you are talking about I've seen them and I don't really like them they are to bulky. Does anyone run the 1/4 inch lines on your bags? Do they inflate in a reasonable amount of time? I want to be able to drag my car then pick it up in enough time to clear any obsticals that I might run across.
dude i run 1/4 line and its plenty fast enough.....i have a big compressor as well and manual switches.....my switches are firestone.....
Mine are firestone also I have a whole firestone set up minus the compressor. I'm debating right now which I can get done faster set my car up using an ac compressor for air which I will have to start the car everytime I need to refill the tank or just go buy an electric compressor. What size tank are you running and what kinda car are you running everything on? My bags are either going on my 60 chevy four door or my 54 I can't decide which yet. My 60 looks like it would be easier to do since it is a coil spring car.
what they said. stick to the 1/4" line if you just want it to go up and down and have controllable speed. If you increase the size, the whole system is faster, up and DOWN. meaning that your car will drop HARD when you air it out. if you want fast up and slow down, you can run the bigger valves but instead of having an open dump run an air line outside the car with a silencer on the end. it will make the drop nice and quiet (it's usually pretty damn loud) and will make it drop nice and slow.. there are even adjustable silencers.
<font color="green">Keeping in mind that I am an air bag system TARD. Well, really just a TARD in general. Do they make 5/16 Shiite for these things? Split the difference? RASHY </font>
see I always thought the 1/4 inch stuff was super slow but I didn't know because I haven't talked to many people that have used the 1/4 inch stuff till now. I know a friend of ours has a buick with bags and his runs 3/8 lines but he has electric valves and I know what you mean about the dumps being loud his come out one of his portholes on the fender and it is real loud if your standing beside it.
My 1/4 was slow. I would go with 3/4 or bigger. Airride also said to use plastic lines insted of hard lines mainly because of the condensation down south here. Manual vales are faster and you really want to run four seperate bags. You get much, much less body roll that way.
3/4 is waaay overkill for most of us on here, unless you're looking to try to hop, and 1/4 is generally too slow, especially if you want to lift it for something in the road and such where you can't wait 4-5 seconds for it to lift. (especially with those old paddle valves). Switch to 3/8, and look at MIC's manual valves or look into electric valves, they've gotten reall cheap for 3/8, and like has been said, you can run a muffler on the backside to slow the drop. As for 3/4, it'll drop like a rock, and I doubt you'd be happy with it, plus it's really too fast to pick an "in between height" like if you want to drive low but not on the ground, too fast makes it hard to get there.
[ QUOTE ] Mine are firestone also I have a whole firestone set up minus the compressor. I'm debating right now which I can get done faster set my car up using an ac compressor for air which I will have to start the car everytime I need to refill the tank or just go buy an electric compressor. What size tank are you running and what kinda car are you running everything on? My bags are either going on my 60 chevy four door or my 54 I can't decide which yet. My 60 looks like it would be easier to do since it is a coil spring car. [/ QUOTE ] its on a 63 olds .which is a heavy car....plenty fast enough.....just get a good continuous duty compressor. that will make a huge difference...i think mine is the viair 550...it's *****in..and 1 five gallon tank.with a dryer for the air to keep water out of the tank..i think the larger line is over kill but i guess it is all opinion.....i love my set up......i also have each corner controlled separately......
I had 1/4 inch manual and it was a bit slow, I am in the middle of going to 1/2 inch manual (M.I.C -Master Image Customs) I believe they are the only ones with manual valves. The way I understand it is; The electric solenoid stuff is real fast because it immediatly dumps the air from the bags (the closer the solenoids are to the bags), the manual has to drain the system all the way back throught the valves first so its slower. A buddy of mine has electric 3/8 (when that was hi-tech) and it is controllable, but I didn't want to deal with the electric **** and seeing it (I don't have inner fender wells) so I figured 1/2 manual would give the same speed and control......... I'll find out when I finish. I have a 8-10 gallon tank and I am running two Firestone compressors and one Viar (kinda the next size up from the Firestones) it was cheaper going with the three (since I owned two of em) then going with one big one, and it looks kinda trick as well..... -SAM
I has a MIC 1/2 manual valve, all 1/2 inch lines and a bottle of nitrogen on my 49 Dodge and it was plenty fast but not to much, if you want it to raise fast and set down slow just don't push the valve all the way open, my brother has all 1/4 on his ride and it is way to slow
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