Working Man's Burbon

[HO455]

Originally Posted by crakarjax

Looks good! I am using SS7 bags as well and also noticed some separation at the top plate -- I'm hoping this is by design because my bags were sitting on the shelf for a couple of years.

Thanks. I would call Slam and ask, they have been patient with all my questions.
Good luck.

[Dieselwrencher]

More nice work on it!

[HO455]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

More nice work on it!

Once again thanks!

This morning I wanted to put the mirrors back on the Burban. I stood and stared at them for a while in order to find a way to get the plates in position without removing the door panels. (They fell to the bottom of the doors when I removed the mirrors) Here's what I came up with. First I ran two wires (string would work too) down from the outside staying clear of the window regulator and out of the speaker hole. (This is where cut door owners win out. ) after making sure they were not crossed, I ran the wires through the plate. One of the wires I pulled extra long and then tied the two together to make a wye. ( or a Y ). Before pulling the plate up I put the gasket in place with the wires through the outer holes. I then used the two wires to pull the plate up past the regulator and nearly into position. Using a 90* pick I moved the plate so I could start a stud in the middle hole. Once I had the stud installed I removed the wires. This is where the longer wire in the wye came in to play. No need to try and get my hand up there to pull them out. Holding the plate by the stud I put an extra long bolt through the front hole in the mirror, gasket and plate. Then fit the mirror in place and installed the back screw. Then one at a time I replaced the stud and the bolt with the proper screws. Once everything looked proper I pulled the screws and put some blue Loctite on them.

[Hart_Rod]

Originally Posted by HO455

Once again thanks!

This morning I wanted to put the mirrors back on the Burban. I stood and stared at them for a while in order to find a way to get the plates in position without removing the door panels. (They fell to the bottom of the doors when I removed the mirrors) Here's what I came up with. First I ran two wires (string would work too) down from the outside staying clear of the window regulator and out of the speaker hole. (This is where cut door owners win out. ) after making sure they were not crossed, I ran the wires through the plate. One of the wires I pulled extra long and then tied the two together to make a wye. ( or a Y ). Before pulling the plate up I put the gasket in place with the wires through the outer holes. I then used the two wires to pull the plate up past the regulator and nearly into position. Using a 90* pick I moved the plate so I could start a stud in the middle hole. Once I had the stud installed I removed the wires. This is where the longer wire in the wye came in to play. No need to try and get my hand up there to pull them out. Holding the plate by the stud I put an extra long bolt through the front hole in the mirror, gasket and plate. Then fit the mirror in place and installed the back screw. Then one at a time I replaced the stud and the bolt with the proper screws. Once everything looked proper I pulled the screws and put some blue Loctite on them.

Very creative! I just used some 2-sided tap to stick the backing plates to the inside of the door...

[HO455]

So the rest of the story is, 15 minutes after I finished this I saw the tube of caulking in the back of the WMB and thought " Dang, I should have put some on the plates" and then never had to do this again. Oh well, I never claimed to be a genius.

[Hart_Rod]

Originally Posted by HO455

So the rest of the story is, 15 minutes after I finished this I saw the tube of caulking in the back of the WMB and thought " Dang, I should have put some on the plates" and then never had to do this again. Oh well, I never claimed to be a genius.

[notchbackgta]

I don't think that much castor is going to hurt anything, just make the steering feel a little heavier. I wish the steering wasn't as light in these trucks honestly. I think Mercedes run even more than your initial, they run like 12 or 15, something crazy high.

[HO455]

Originally Posted by notchbackgta

I don't think that much castor is going to hurt anything, just make the steering feel a little heavier. I wish the steering wasn't as light in these trucks honestly. I think Mercedes run even more than your initial, they run like 12 or 15, something crazy high.

Somehow I missed your post and I apologize. I was shooting for 5-6 degrees of caster and ended up only slightly off of that. I was surprised by having 9 plus degrees to start. The reasoning behind my feelings of having too much is if I had had 5-6 degrees to start I would have needed fewer shims on the rear bolts and then the nuts would have full thread contact and I would feel better about it. Come to tink of it that may be another solution to the problem. I could pull the lowers and redrill the shafts closer to stock and lose those shims. No shortage of things to ponder.
Thanks for the insights.

[HO455]

I replaced the rear bags today. I went with Slam SS-7's like I have on the front. The mounts were different between them and the old ones so a new plan was needed. Which was fine as the old bags were bolted to the top spacer and then the spacer was welded to the frame. Which has seemed to work ok up to now but it left no easy way to remove the bags. (Photo 1) I had to take a rotary die grinder with a carbide cutter and remove about a 1/2" of material on each side of the air fitting in order to fit a wrench in and remove the fitting. Once I had the fitting out I was able to remove the nuts from the studs holding the top of the old air bags. Then I removed the bottom bolt and tossed the bags aside. Then I removed the two tabs up inside the spacer that secured the bag with a pair of Vice Grips. They were only welded on one side so they broke right off. After some clean up with a 4" grinder I noticed that the bottoms of the spacers were not cut off square. (Photo 2). Another 15 minutes of grinding got them fairly square.
I had cut two six inch circles of 1/4" plate for the new bags to bolt to. Marked the center of the plate, scribed a line through it and then center punched two spots 1 3/8" from the center for the mounting bolts. These got drilled to 19/32". Then I scribed a second line 90 degrees to the first on the center of the plate. Then center punched a spot at 1 1/4" from the center and drilled it with a 1 1/8" hole saw for the fitting to pass through. Using one of the old front mounts as a jig I welded four tabs on each plate. Some clean up grinding then a quick shot of paint. (Photo 3). After carefully test fitting the plates I locked them in place with an air jack then center punched all the holes in the tabs.
I planned to drill and tap the upper mount to hold the plates. Over the years the best way I have found to tap things like this is with a cordless drill. As long as you have room for it. (Photo 4 Just barely room) First off you must have a sharp tap to do it this way. Then make sure you have drillled the correct size hole for you tap. The trick is to put the drill in the slowest speed and then set the setting dial to screw and not drill. Then put the clutch in a middle setting. Before starting put cutting fluid (most oils will work OK) in the hole and on the tap. Start the tap in the hole slowly making sure you keep the tap in the same plane as the hole you drilled. The nice part of using the drill with the clutch is it will stop the bit if your at a bad angle and you can then reverse and start again. By changing directions often you keep the chips from binding the tap and it becomes somewhat self aligning. After each hole clean all the metal chips off the tap and reoil for the next hole.

[crakarjax]

You could just use an offset control arm crossshaft http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=202859&jsn=3

[HO455]

I didn't think they made those for the solid bushing control arm shafts.

[crakarjax]

Originally Posted by HO455

I didn't think they made those for the solid bushing control arm shafts.

Ah I didn't think about that -- they don't seem to make one I guess. I guess I'll run into this same issue... a couple of ideas:

- Taller upper ball joint to swing the arm out away from the engine a bit (depends on arm placement at ride height)
- Longer cross shaft bolts and extra solid spacers
- Slice the control arm near the bj and weld back together, adding some material

The last option would allow you to correct the ball joint angle at the same time by taking a pie-slice out of the sides of the control arm. I don't recall anyone with a drop requiring any of this though (besides bj angle).

[Advanced Design]

Just catching up. Really nice work!

[HO455]

Thanks Doug. I forgot to mention it was 67-72 day at the shop.

[HO455]

Now all the prep work is done it's time to bolt it all together. Install the fittings in the bags, bolt the plates to the bags, bolt the plates to the truck. When I put plate and bag in position I just installed one bolt and left it loose while I inserted an 7" headless bolt through the trailing arm and threaded it into the bottom of the bag as a guide (You can see it at the bottom of the 4th photo. You could use a longer regular bolt, but I didn't have any handy) Now I installed and lightly snugged up the rest of the bolts that hold the plates. After hooking the air lines back up I slowly inflated the bags until they were just touching the trailing arm. This allowed me to adjust the bottom of the bag with a rubber mallet until I could untread the bottom bolt I had used as a guide and then install the correct bolt. Once every thing was done and the truck on the ground I crawled under and tightened the bolts that secure the plates in position knowing that any play between the plates and the spacers had been removed by the weight of the truck. The last picture shows one of the old bags and the split in the outer layer of the rubber at the top of the bag. They didn't leak, but I am sure it was just a matter of time. I inspected the aluminum top plates of the old bags thinking I would find some kind of wear pattern from the unevenness of the spacers they were bolted to. To my surprise there was none. I guess the bags must of prevented shocks hard enough to do damage.

[HO455]

Spent some more time on alignment Monday. Went over to Trackside Motorsports and we went over it again. They have a nicer set up with wheel plates. So much easier! After it was all said and done I went with a one inch higher ride height and that made it possible to lose three shims on each side and now the nuts have full thread contact and the camber is not as aggressive. I will drive it for awhile and see how I like it. The other thing we looked at was bump steer. With it still on the rack I raised it up and dropped it and we checked the toe numbers. With the air bags full and suspension at max drop the toe changed 2* and with it aired out it was a .08 degree difference. Which the guys at Trackside said was real good. They are Rally racers and are happy with 7-8 degrees with a much larger suspension range of movement. After finishing there I was off to the muffler shop. I have in the past done my own exhaust pipes but I sold an old video game and had some extra cash. It was nice to drop it off and pick it up the next day good to go. The I went for a 45 mile shake down run around town. Some highway, some stop and go rush hour, and a nice cruise up Skyline and back. The only issue is the speedometer cable is now making a huge racket. They must have repositioned it some how.
I do like the way it drives but the rear shocks are lacking. I haven't done anything with them yet and who knows how old they are in addition to they are at the bad angle that comes from lowering. Yet another thing to tend to. Tomorrow back up on the lift to check every bolt one more time for peace of mind.

[francisharvey]

This is a good one. Very good reference for others who are having the same experience. Thank you.
____________________________
Carpet Cleaning Annapolis

[Ol Blue K20]

I've been watching but haven't said anything lately. It's looking awesome and good luck with figuring the best ride height / alignment. Keep up the great work.

[HO455]

Thank you all for the good words and following along. I don't remember if I posted the link to the thread that got me started down the caster modification path so forgive me if I did. Besides Chevyrestoguy needs the credit.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=501241

[HO455]

Did some air line plumbing today. Actually it was more running back and forth to the parts store than anything. Since my dash is a truck dash it has the air pressure guage where the vacuum guage usually is. I teed into the supply hose to the bag controls (Photo 1) and then forward under the carpet to the dash. At the dash is where it got complicated as I had to convert from the steel 1/8" ferule fitting coming out of the guage to the 1/8" push on tubing. I was able to get some 1/8" copper line and a new ferule for the guage at Napa along with new fittings to connect it all together. (Photo 2 makes it clearer) My first try failed and had to get a second set of ferules. I had inserted the copper tubing too deep in the fitting and as I tightened it the tubing bottomed out and distorted resulting in a leak. When working with ferule fittings this small you just have to snug them up or you can crush the tubing. Napa sells the tubing by the foot which was nice. While I was there I installed a desiccant filter (orange cylinder in photo 1) in the supply line to the valves. Now that the guage works I see it is crooked in the bezel. Fracking wonderful. I guess it will only bother me when I look at it. Grrr..

[HO455]

After lots of thought and forum searches I came up with a plan for bump stops for the front suspension. I didn't want to rely on the internal bump stops that the air bags have as Slam's instructions state not to drive on them. And since you just never know what might fail I wanted a back up. My solution was too take two steel blocks 2" x 2" x 3/4" and drill and tap a hole in each one for a 3/8" NC bolt. I totally forgot to get a photo of the blocks, but the holes were centered on the 2" direction and offset on the 3/4" direction. Then I welded the blocks to the modified factory bump stop/ steering stop. (I circled the block in the second photo) I then threaded in a pair of Energy Suspension low Profile snubbers. ( 9-9102G). The snubbers are 2" in diameter and touched the bags so I ground them down for clearance. I am happy with them especially since they were so simple to do.
After I was done installing them I aired up and dropped the suspension several times to test them and just as I was finishing that I realized that the compressor wasn't running. After ten minutes of screwing around I found that the relay that OP installed with the pressure switch to control the compressor had failed. Tomorrow another trip to the parts store for two relays. Got to have a spare.

[HO455]

While I had the welder out I installed a couple of Oxygen sensor bungs in the exhaust pipes so I can hook up my Innovate A/F guage. Today's shopping tip is if you need to by a plug for a O2 sensor bung buy a oil pan drain plug with 18 1.5 mm threads. They are cheaper and often the exact same part in a different package. I get a copper seal ring with them and install with high temp anti-seize.

[kevinstephen]

Thank you HO455. I did buy an oil pan drain plug with 18 1.5 mm threads and it worked.
___________________________________
Towing Springfield VA

[HO455]

You are welcome. Glad to be of help.

[HO455]

It was do over day yesterday. I have put about 250 miles on the WMB and started hearing a clunk from the back going over bumps. I crawled underneath for a look and found three of the sound isolation mounts I had used had broke apart. They were rated for 7 pounds apiece and I figured they would be fine but apparently they were not happy with the bouncing of the truck. I was able to get replacement mounts with the same fastener size but rated for 20 pounds apiece. (Photo 1) So I will see how these last. I had figured they would transfer more of the compressor noise to the interior but I really can't tell the difference.
After that was done I noticed the compressor wasn't running. So after 20 minutes of troubleshooting I find the ground wires for the gas guage and the compressor relay use the same bolt. Which is fine but the gas guage ground lug was the most corroded lug I have ever found that still worked. (Photo 2) I have no explanation as to how the gas gauge still worked. The compressor relay ground was stacked on top of the corroded lug and I must have bumped it while replacing the mounts and ended the small bit of conductivity it had. So a new bolt for the grounding connection, buff the frame shiny, new connectors, and some copper anti-seize for the mating surfaces, and magically it works again. Then I thought it would be a good idea to replace the relay with brand new sealed one. Jet to the parts house and return with a new 40 amp rated relay. I decided to slightly reroute the harness which took five minutes and then replaced the relay. Now no compressor operation. Twenty minutes later I figure out the new relay is bad. Grrrrrr! Back to the old relay for now and I will have to clean all the copper-seize off the relay so I can return it. Double grrrr!!
Now all was working I reset the pressure set point from the 175 psi the PO had it at to 130 psi. Should be less wear on the compressor and it won't peg my new pressure guage. After a bunch of cycling of the bags to test everything one of the air valves started leaking past and inflating the right front bag. I removed the valve set and pulled the air line out of the bad channel. Looking through the fitting I was able to see what looks like part of and O-ring stuck in the valve seat. I called the folks at AireJax for some information on how to tear the valves down and what size of O-rings to get. They said no problem and they would send me some new ones out before the end of the day. The best news of the day. Some times you just can't get ahead.