Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

I had originally planned to go with a buckskin color. It seemed as if every project I looked at was going with a tan color. I decided red was traditional, and should never go out of style.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1513613045

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Great work man. Maybe its just the camera angle but it looks like the shock mounts hang really low. How much ground clearance do you have?

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

They lower mounts do extend down quite a bit. When I first saw them I was concerned too. The folks at Ridetech assured me there is no scrubline concern.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Friday a received my shipment from RideTech. They included the rear swaybar and additional fitting for the air system.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

I mocked up the swaybar and measured for center. I snugged the bolts down and marked the bottom brackets. These will be welded on later. The lower swaybar bracket is the only part of the 4 link kit that's not bolt on .

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Saturday morning I moved closer to getting Elwood back on the ground. Chris had stripped and painted the gas tank. It was time to get it installed.

I removed the filter and pump to prep the inner frame for paint. I painted the pump cast iron and added more satin black to the frame

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

While the frame dried I added sound deadner to the support straps on the gas tank. It makes a great replacement for the factory insulation.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

After the frame rails cured I concentrated on the fuel lines. When Roger did the Ramjet install he used Parker push-lok fittings and hose. It's great stuff, but it's meant to stay on once installed. It requires surgery to remove it, so I replaced all of the fuel lines.

Once the layout was determined I cut the hose to length and added fuel injection style hose clamps for added security.

Note that loose wire you see is a ground wire. I decided to run it to a different location.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Christmas eve was productive for me. We aren't hosting the family this year so I spent my day in the shop.

With The fuel system done I moved over to the air supply side. The RideTech Big Red valves will stay but the frame needed painting and lines rerouted to accommodate the changes.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

When Roger at RPL Customs installed the system years ago, he made this cool plate to mount the valves one. All it needed was a clean up and fresh paint.

With the valves out of the way, I prepped and painted the frame. While it was curing I worked on the Big Red valves. All that was needed was a good cleaning before I updated the pressure fittings.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

What kind of paint are you using for the frame and other parts? On a side note, there's a '74 stepside I have been watching. I'm thinking about selling my '57 and my Toyota and buying it. I won't have to smog it and I'll still have a hot rod.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

I use Krylon satin black on all my parts. Its durable, affordable, and easy to touch up.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Looking great man. I like it a lot

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Really nice. I love that you are explaining as you go. I never seen that heat shield before. Thanks for sharing and awesome work.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Thanks guys.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

While waiting on paint to dry I worked on the gas tank shield. I tried cleaning it up, but it was too scuffed to leave raw. I decided a light coat of undercoating would give it enough texture to cover the scratches in the plastic. I followed that up with a satin black. Its amazing how the texture changes the color. Both the tank and the guard are painted the same color.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

With the tank shield done, I moved back to the RideTech Big Red valves. Part of the updates will be replacing the Ride Pro E3 system with the new Ride Pro X air management.

I will document the entire Ride Pro X installation once I move inside the cab. For now I wanted to replace the E3 pressure sensors with the new Ride Pro X sensors. I unscrewed the old sensors and bagged them up. I cleaned the threads with a brass brush and installed the new sensors.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Looking good as always.

I had a thought when I was looking at your calipers: custom ELWOOD logos in the WILWOOD font would be super trick, but subtle enough that most wouldn’t notice

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Its a good thought, but Wilwood might not appreciate that since they are a sponsor.

I will find a way to get "Elwood" on the truck somewhere.:metal:

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

The valves were mounted in place tucked up on the side of the frame. I cleared all of the wiring away and concentrated on the air lines first. The supply line from the tanks needed to be replaced so it was first. Once it was safely routed I adjusted the remaining lines and secured them.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Unfortunately you cant always run the air line exactly like you want since its rather rigid. I had to go around a body mount to get to the rear of the truck. I was concerned that this location might come close to the exhaust so I created a heat shield. I found a bracket that I had saved and cut it down to fit in front of the body mount. The air line tucks behind it and its now protected from exhaust heat.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Ken have you ever used these Parker elbows? They make sharp turns really easy. I think I found these on Amazon.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Keith, thats what I am using on the air tanks. I plan to switch them on the valve block as well. I just need a functioning system for now.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Ironically the fittings I needed to clean up the output lines on the Big Red valve block came in. Of course there wasnt enough room to switch them with the block mounted, so I had to pull it off again.

The ports are 3/8" NPT so the fittings are pretty thick. I removed the old straight fittings and replaced them with 90 degree 3/8" npt x 3/8 ptf elbows. This allowed me to cut about 6" off of the 3/8" air line and tuck it in much tighter.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Much mo betta! What are you using to protect the lines where they pass through the framerails?