Hello, I have a 53 Chevy with airbags in the rear and I had mentioned in some other thread that it's really hard to take the rear wheels off since the rear end is out of a 57 Chevy (according to the previous owner). Someone mentioned inflating the side of the wheel I'm taking off, and deflating the other side will give me more clearance to take the wheel off easier. I can't control each side independently with my system but someone said maybe I could deflate the rears and connect a Schrader valve adapter in the line to inflate the side I'm working on. Is this a good approach? The previous owner said it was a pain to take the wheels off and he would inflate the rear all the way up and put a bottle jack by the leaf spring to get a little more clearance and wiggle the wheel out. Thanks
That will work. I do the bottle jack thing on my Olds, but with bags, it would work. You could put some sort of valving in to have one Schrader, or just install 2 of them in "T"s inline.
You might also try deflating the tire on the side you want to remove. Also ... I think it is good idea to have a schrader inline somewhere in the bag setup in case your pump dies when you are out on the road, you can then stop by a service station to add pressure to your bags to get you home.
Thanks, that is a good idea in case I am stuck on the road. Does anyone know if the adapter part has a particular name when applied to airbag suspensions? Last weekend I used a jack on the frame and took all the air out of the tire I was trying to remove. I had to squash the tire by hand and pull the wheel out and it was really tough. It was even harder getting it back in. I didn't try the bottle jack on the leaf spring idea but I'm not even sure how that would work. Is that supposed to drop the axle/wheel further by stretching the airbag further out beyond the max I inflated?
Sounds like both bags are on the same circuit, the Schrader valve will not help unless you isolate the bags from each other. The problem with deflating the tire to get it out is you have to deflate the good one to get it in, then air it back up somehow.
Right, the previous owner said maybe I could deflate both bags. Disconnect the airbag line from the side I want to work on from the rest of the system, and put a shrader adapter in there and then pump it up with an external air compressor. Then remove the wheel (still have to deflate it to wiggle it out probably). After working on the wheel or brakes, etc, the process is reversed. Seems like a lot of work. I'd have to think about what would happen if I needed to replace the wheel on the road.
With as much hassle as it sounds like you have to go thru anyway ... it may be quicker/easier in the long-run to just unbolt the bottom of the bags from the axle, then unbolt one end of the leaf springs to allow the whole axle to drop down further.
Thanks that is a good idea. Can I jack one corner at a time and put a jackstand underneath on a car that sits really low or will I damage/twist something since once side would be really high on a jack until I get to the other side? I'm guessing I can put a jackstand on the rear on both sides and then use the jack under the axle and unbolt the airbag/leaf springs with the jack under it?
I usually would air up the back of the car to start with so I can get the jack under to something solid and centered, jack it up, put in your jackstands, reposition the jack under the differential for a second, higher lift. Extend and place the stands once again, release some air from the bags, Then first unbolt the bottom of the bags, and then the back or front mount of each leaf spring (whichever end looks like it will give you the most extension). Whatever you do, be sure to pay much attention to not over extending your bags, never having the axle hang by the bags, as that will lead to pre-mature bag failure.
Thanks! I definitely need to air up the back before I can get a jack under the frame just in front of each wheel. Is it OK to jack one corner high enough to put a stand underneath it or do I need to initially jack from the differential so I am not lifting the car too high (enough to slip a jackstand underneath) on one side while the other is on the ground?
you need to isolate the bags from each other. it'll actually help the way the rear reacts anyhow an is an improvement. if you are already set up with switches(a switch) that lifts/drops you are basiclly gonna have to double that and have one to control each bag seperately. if you aren't set up with so above you can do so or another cool simple option that you don't see as much is manual valves http://littlelarrys.net/the-touche-double-valve/ the touche can be set up to control the front as a whole and rear as a whole or you can set it up to control 2 corners like your situation(left rear/right rear). they make a 4 valve set up to control 4 corners seperately. i want to set something up manual just because it's something different....ken....
I went to O'reillys told them I wanted a schader valve to screw into an air tank, they handed me one with 1/8" pipe threads on the other end, charged me a couple bucks. You have to adapt to what ever your lines are. If you tell the parts guy it is for an air bag, he will get confused and God only knows what you will end up with! PS always use brass fittings on air lines, they seal better and they don't rust together. 2nd PS, going to bust chops a bit here! I question the madness of building a car you can't get the wheels off of on the road. Is "low" so cool that "smart" doesn't matter?
i believe the instructions that come with the bags do not recommend filling an unloaded bag to max pressure .to change my rear tires i have to jack up one side and disconnect the shock , but i do have a new secret to reveal soon to eliminate this problem what i did on my system was add a quick disconnect coupling , i carry a 20' coiled air hose with a chuck and a double male quick connect fitting so if my pump fails i can hook up to any gas station for some air
Wolkcreek-Steve, I wouldn't screw a Schrader valve into the air tank. On my 63 BelAir the Schrader valve is securely mounted on a trunk bracket with a flexible air line thats "T-eed" into the tank fill line. Much easier in my estimation. Doing it that way eliminates the need to carry anything with you. All you need is an air source. I also carry a few pieces of 2x4's just in case of a bag malfunction.
Hi all, I haven't had too much time to check out my car inside out and to learn about what it has. I bought it in December last year and since then have gone through a lot of job changes, buying a house etc etc. I appreciate all the advice. It seems the single toggle switch and air pressure gauge is the only way to change the rear bag inflation/deflation. I've attached some pictures. The tank on the right is not connected to anything. Does it seem like a lot of work to control each corner separately (do I need more lines, switches, adaptors?) I am also worried about not having a way to fill the bags if I have a compressor issue while on a road trip of some type. Any advice?
You need more ports in your air tank to control the sides independently. As for inflating the tires on the side of the road, I took an extra port on my tank and put a quick connect for an air line. I then got some standard air hose and cut it just long enough to reach the front tires. I keep it rolled up in my trunk and it has saved me and some others a couple times. I figured, hey I have a compressor, might as well be able to use it for other things besides the bags.
Thanks. I'm wondering if its not even worth the hassle to control each side of the rear independently. I wonder if I can accomplish the same thing by putting the bags all the way up, having the frame on a jackstand for the side im working on, and then using a bottle jack in between the frame and leaf spring to pull the axle down a little more and hopefully pull the wheel off... .. im not sure if this can overextend the airbag.. but inflating one side and deflating the other and using a jack on one side seems like it would extend the airbag the same amount?
When raising one bag with the other deflated, you are not making the full bag longer. You are just increasing the angle of the rear end, which helps get the tire off.
systems such as accuair and ridetech can use 1 inlet so your tank would be fine. there have been articles written about the transfer of air between bags during cornering if they are not valved individually
the manual valves i posted above also only need a single port out from your tank to the valve panel(true fo the touche or 4play version). that set up thats there is weird and looks pretty hodge podge to me. as 59 brook sais theres info here on this site an TONS online about the transfer of air when they are not individualized. the basic summary is alot more "float".
Thanks that is some good advice. I believe a suspension shop did that work which surprises me but perhaps they just did some of the critical parts. I have no idea. I bought the car at a price that felt like a good deal so I can overlook certain things. I'm mostly concerned with working on the car when needed. I want to go on a road trip but am nervous of not being able to get a wheel off, etc if something happened. I have AAA but was hoping to do a 200+ mile journey some time.
Don't be afraid. You can fix anything on the side of the road. This was replacing a shredded shockwave with a coil spring and shock at a Turnpike parking lot on my way home from the Jalopy Showdown last year 200mi is nothing to worry about Now if I didn't have individual valves on each wheel this would have been more difficult.
I have the same problem on my shoebox after fucking around with all the same fix its ie deflate tire,putting separate air valves I resorted to the real fix ( narrowed the rear 1" on ea side )this is the only fix that works its costly but u dont have to worry when u go on a trip.
I would buy 4 more valves and rewire them so you can have front back and individual corners never really saw the point of having side to side unless you have fat friends on one side lol. But having a dump and fill valve for each corner helps the ride out a bunch. The way yours is set up if you go around a turn the bags will deflate on the opposite side your turning and the pressure goes toward the side without the weight on it. Good shocks and sway bars will limit the feel of the roll but it will feel way more stable if you have the corners valved independently and also you can deflate or inflate the corner to help with tire removal. My hudson is only lowered but I can only get the tire off by jacking the whole rear of the car up and putting stands under it (but not under the rear) and jacking the corner of the wheel I'm removing up letting the other side hang so the rear is angled enough I can side the wheel out just barely.
I just reread your first post you would only need two more valves for some reason I thought your car was bagged all the way around. Any pics of the whole thing?
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