So, the journey has commenced! This has had always been a dream of mine, and I absolutely love the car. It's my first car and I've had it for just about a year now. Although the engine is extremely weak, it is such a blast to drive. But I've got something in store for her, and I think you all will enjoy it. Bags. Yep, all 4 corners. So far the parts I have are as listed: Dual Viaair 444c compressors 4 bags and brackets heavy duty valves What I need: Tank Air line Shock relocation kit for front(maybe) I am going to keep this thread updated and the thread will continue in this form: Day 1: Teardown So, not much progress today but I've gotten the stock suspension torn out and test fitted the rear bags. I'm shocked that all that was holding the rear springs in was the weight of the car! Once the bags were test fitted in the rear, I was surprised to find theat there is a lot more clearance in the wheel wells than I originally anticipated. Could I fit 20s? What wheel and tire combo do you think would work? 30 years of driving and sitting left the parts a challenge to get apart, so the daylight was gone real quick. Anyways, I can't wait to continue! Thanks for reading.
Is this gonna be slammed, or just for cruising? If slammed/low I'd go for something between 15s and 18s, big wheels look silly to me.
Its going to be fully adjustable. With the bags completely deflated, it will be slammed. With them filled up, it will have a higher ride height than stock.
First off, sweet ass ride you got there. This project screams all about fun, can't wait to see it laying frame and than standing up to tackle a parking lot curb. As for wheel size, I'd go as small as you can possibly stomach. More rubber to take hits, cheaper tires. I'd love to know what riding on air feels like, such a foreign concept to me, and I loved being slammed on coil overs but couldn't stand dailying it on crappy roads in a car someone needed to lift up on the fender just to get a jack underneath it.
This looks awesome! I personally like smaller wheels, but that is just my opinion Are you going to do engine modifications too?
I like those, but I've already had in mind for a while some polished grey Torq Thrust wheels. The car came from the factory with 15s so I'm looking to step it up a little bit. Probably 18s. And the 307 that this car came with is extremely weak and there are not many performance upgrades available. We've been talking about doing an Olds 455 swap though.
If i was you, i would keep the car standard and get to look as new as possible. Its a darn wagon with woodgrain. who wouldnt want one?
Parts are extremely hard to find for this car and I am trying my absolute best to restore it completely. But I am going to put it on airbags. There is really no drawback because it will ride better and it will still look stock. Then, when I park it, I can let the air out and lay frame in the parking lot. That's the dream.
Bagged station wagon. Wat. But hey, We've all got different tastes. I've got air bags on the red Cummins Dodge, but for a totally different reason. It's got a Viair 480C Compressor, a homemade 3 gallon tank, and Firestone bags, I forget the model numbers, but I could find them if you want. The compressor runs automatically until the tank is full, and if it drops below 190 PSI it kicks back on. I assume it has a 307, If so, that's your primary reason it has no power, 307's are terrible, don't bother trying to make it better, use it as a boat anchor. I'd find a decent SBC somewhere, then without a whole lot of effort, (assuming you've built an engine before) you could make an easy 300-325 HP, just using cheap Summit parts.
Day 2: Ball joints and planning Not much progress today, but I did manage to get the old ball joints knocked out and the new ones installed. The upper ones were surprisingly diffeicult to get out. I had to grind down the rivets and knock them out with an air hammer. Just the ball joints took quite a few hours in itself, so I didn't have much time to get anything else done. But, we did figure out that we are going to mount the compressors behind the headlights. Some things will have to be rearranged in order for the valves to fit nicely, but that's easy. Also, I tested out the rear to see how low it would go That's all, see you guys next weekend!
Update for all you guys. I was just invited to bring my car to be entered into the Portland Roadster show, just one month away. I'm gonna have to kick it into high gear to get this build done, as long with a few other thing, to be ready for the show. If you live near Portland Oregon, come see the car! I'm extremely excited about this opportunity
Day 3: Huge progress Where do I start? We got a ton done today. Also, one of the judges from the Portland Roadster Show came to my house to check out the progress. First, I got all the air line run to all 4 bags. This went way smoother than planned. The line is run inside the frame to the rear spring pockets. All 4 bags mounted and suspension is back together. For the front, trimming of the spring pocket was required for full air bag clearance. We cut it with the plasma cutter, ground it down to be smooth, In my opinion, it came out extremely well. Next, we made the compressor mounts. We designed them so that the compressors show through the grille. This desing will give the compressors plenty of air flow, and it looks killer from the front. After this was done, we decided to test the bags. And man, I am not disapointed. Keep in mind, this is not the finished product. I still have to install the air tank, valves, switches and gauges. This was all controlled externally and was limited to just front and back. When complete, it will be able to articulate side to side as well.
