Air Ride Install - '69 Chevrolet SWB Stepside

[tcb-1]

Kyle, I'd be happy to help ya when you get to that point.

[LOW DOUGH]

Doug, your work looks very nice.

I want to see the new wheels!

[tcb-1]

no pics right now, low dough. however this is the guy that has welded up several wheels for me in the past:

http://www.rallyamerica.com/hotrod_trucks/index.html

thinking seriously about the 17 x 7 smoothie with '52 Chevy caps......

just thinking about it right now, $190 a wheel for steelies is kind of high. especially when you have to buy 5!

[tcb-1]

dropped a print of my valve bank mounting plate to my fabricator yesterday and picked the finished product up this afternoon. gotta love waterjet tables. precise, even cuts.

decided to take the tank ot to make it easier to mock up the mounting holes. also thought about my valve arrangement. it'll be tight, but compact and easy to work on. oh yeah, I plan on making a lift off bed hatch to access the valve bank, tank, and compressor. the hatch will be cut from the original bed wood making it "kind of" stealth and unobtrusive. those plans are finally coming together.

here's the plate with a mock up of the valve layout. I have to flip the valve mounting brackets to get this layout, but that's pretty straightforward. I wanted to mount them to a sturdy surface that protected them from road debris and copious amounts of water spray.



once I get the mounting holes drilled, it's off to get paint.

the bed mods will be next. stay tuned.........

[VA72C10]

Nice Idea and I can't wait to see it with the bed done...

[sourkraut]

looks good doug! can i ask why you are mounting them on top and not on the bottom so you dont have to cut a hole in the bed? is it to protect them from road damage? i am ask cause i dont know know squat about air bagging! not in my future but i like the idea.

[texastrendz]

may want to drill some drain holes in it, just in case you get caught in the rain.

[tcb-1]

kraut,
good question.

1. I wanted easy access to the guts of the system.

2. in case I have a a failure on, let's say a valve, I can get to easier than if I'm aired out and have to get under the truck. I'm an engineer by trade and I always try to design for the worst case scenario. call me paranoid. plus I love the technical aspect of the system and kind of think it would be neat to show it off!

3. oh and I will be raising the bed floor, so I will be modifying it slightly anyhow.

[tcb-1]

Originally Posted by texastrendz

may want to drill some drain holes in it, just in case you get caught in the rain.

the 10 degree kick up in the front will take care of that.

[sourkraut]

cool, sounds good to me!

[tommyd241]

Originally Posted by tcb-1

call me crazy, but I think I found another set of rims so these may be up for sale. keeping the 17" tires though.

I'm never satisfied......

I'm not sure if it was already mentioned, but what size tires are those? Your truck is awesome BTW.

[72BlckButy]

Originally Posted by tommyd241

I'm not sure if it was already mentioned, but what size tires are those? Your truck is awesome BTW.

Here ya go...

General 235/55/17's

More info:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=368720

[tommyd241]

Thank you Sir.

[Slick67]

Still watchin, silently watchin and waiting. Everything looks so sanitary....kinda scary! Hope mine looks like that to everyone on here.

[tcb-1]

figured out the valve placement and installed them tonight. wow, brass is expennnnnsive! I placed and mounted the valves in this manner in case I need to pull one for maintenance. I tried to build this in a modular fashion, meaning you can take pieces out without dismantling the entire system....... and I can add another compressor later by simply adding a mounting plate. I also took thermal expansion and contraction into mind when I used air line from the tank to the valves. I wanted to hard pipe this connection, but went with flexible air line. call me technical, I know. sorry, I'm an M.E.

next on the list is wiring the valves and compressor. should be getting to that and posting pics this weekend.

getting closer!

[bobbo]

That is looking great, Doug! Can't wait to see it in person! Will it be done for Magic Dragon?

[tcb-1]

Rob, I still have the granny tranny SM465 in it and that thing is crap on the interstate. I was hoping to have installed an M21 or 22 this winter to get better mileage and higher speeds on the highway, but ...... well you see what I've been up to instead.

may be out of long distance runs again this year. boooooo!!!

[bobbo]

Well hurry and get it done! So just make it to the important ones locally, that's what I try to do but somehow the truck is attracted to KC. Really look forward to hanging again!

[Tx Firefighter]

Swapping your SM465 out for an M21 or M22 isn't going to improve your highway performance. They all have 1:1 top gear ratio, none of them being an overdrive box.

[SATownChevy]

looks good dude. im doing something similar with my 68, just a little farther behind.

[tcb-1]

yes, I guess your right, all Muncies all have a 1:1 final ratio. my top end just plain sucks, and I have a 3.07 rear! wish I could run 75 to 80 without turning the amount of rpm's I see.

guess I'm either going to have to go with an overdrive, a 5 speed, or auto. I love my manuals though!

[LOW DOUGH]

nice detail there.

[lolife99]

Originally Posted by tcb-1

yes, I guess your right, all Muncies all have a 1:1 final ratio. my top end just plain sucks, and I have a 3.07 rear! wish I could run 75 to 80 without turning the amount of rpm's I see.

guess I'm either going to have to go with an overdrive, a 5 speed, or auto. I love my manuals though!

Doug,... what kind of RPMs are you turning?
Those 3.08's should be perfect for the highway.

[ERASER5]

How tall are your tires? They look normal height to me. 3.08 gears should run well at highway speeds no matter what engine.

Most modern trucks run 3.55 or lower with OD. Just say'n.

[tcb-1]

I think the last time I was out on the interstate, @ 75 mph I'm turning 4200 rpm. I guess I'm just used to a 5th gear and 80-85 mph speeds, with the engine turning 2300 to 2500 rpm.

maybe an overdrive is the way to go.

on another matter, isn't the SM465 a very heavy transmission? still may be nice to loose some weight, regardless if I still have a 1:1 final Muncie. hummmmmmm.......