i installed mine on the top of the axle similar to keith`s pictures, i had the bags on the outside but they were just too big and took too mutch room. if i remember correctly the bag diameter was 4 inches, compressed you added 1 inch each side, 1 inch clearance between the frame, 1 inch between the tire=8 inches, there was no way i could fit a decent piece of wide rubber, as for axle tubes there not cast,they can be welded on!
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55 ford f100, stock
crown vic frt end
4 link, bagged!
Looking at your project from above , your best bet, and probably the easiest thing to do, might be to emulate what Rockher_man has done and weld those air bag brackets to the backside of the 4-bar brackets and mount the bags to the rear of the axle outside the frame.
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Central Oklahoma Chapter
No Child Deserves to Live in Fear.
1956 F-100 289 w/ 460 warming in the wings.
2006 H-D FLHXI, 95" stage 2.
Looking at your project from above , your best bet, and probably the easiest thing to do, might be to emulate what Rockher_man has done and weld those air bag brackets to the backside of the 4-bar brackets and mount the bags to the rear of the axle outside the frame.
no room outside the frame rail. I either keep what i have or i have but different airbags for the rear.
mount the airbags in the center just directly behind the rear axle and run a rocker arm or cantilever system from the bags over to the axle ends where you were going ot mount the bag brackets. Space problem solved and it would look WAY more trick!
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Proud member of No Sympathy truck club
mount the airbags in the center just directly behind the rear axle and run a rocker arm or cantilever system from the bags over to the axle ends where you were going ot mount the bag brackets. Space problem solved and it would look WAY more trick!
you`d have to mount them in the front of the axle , the rear has the fuel tank and cross member, that would look trick Sundown!
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55 ford f100, stock
crown vic frt end
4 link, bagged!
In the picture there are 2 pad looking things on the back of the diff that appear to be directly under the frame on each side. Would it be possible to weld the brackets to the lower part of those behind the axle tubes and then have the upper brackets on the frame and have it work that way?
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Central Oklahoma Chapter
No Child Deserves to Live in Fear.
1956 F-100 289 w/ 460 warming in the wings.
2006 H-D FLHXI, 95" stage 2.
In the picture there are 2 pad looking things on the back of the diff that appear to be directly under the frame on each side. Would it be possible to weld the brackets to the lower part of those behind the axle tubes and then have the upper brackets on the frame and have it work that way?
THose tabs are gone now! They where for the sway bar. There is no room on the back side. I would have to remove the rear crossmember and relocate the gas tank setup i have already.
mount the airbags in the center just directly behind the rear axle and run a rocker arm or cantilever system from the bags over to the axle ends where you were going ot mount the bag brackets. Space problem solved and it would look WAY more trick!
I like the idea but dont really know how to go about it? I see pics on line but thats it. Have any pics with dimensions? Im open to any ideas, as long as they work!!lol
They work, mini truckers have been using the design idea for a few years now. Carts and F1 and Indy types also use this idea with springs instead of bags, though thier designs are more advanced than what I am thinking of. I dont have any diamensional info to give you, that would be up to you to decide based off of where you would want to put the bags.
The bag behind the axle might not work in your case, cause of the fuel cell and what not, but that doesn't mean you cant run the bags in front of the axle along side and inside the frame.
Think of a rocker arm in your valve train for the basic idea. Design a rocker arm for the suspension where the bag side from the pivot point of the arm is shorter than the axle side to the pivot point. That will put the bag in a mechanical advantage and give you a nice ride. If you make a rocker arm that puts the bag in a 1 to 1 ratio, where both sides of the pivot out measure the same, it will be like putting the bag right on top of the axle, giving you a crappy ride, but it will work. I would make sure the bag side of the rocker is shorter thant he axle side, better ride and more lift out of the rear axle that way.
As for where it would go, you have what appears to be quite a bit of frame real estate sitting there in front of the axle that could be used to hang the bag bracket off of and the center pivot would need to be mounted to something very stable like a cross bar or an additional crossmember.
If you have a tubing bender or a friend with one, I would have a crossmember bent out of tube with a bend in the middle for the drive shaft to clear. You can weld on the end plates and then either weld the crossmember to the frame rails or bolt it in.
as for drawings, I don't have any myself, but you could do one vehicle specific with the diamentions you have to work with.
I would love to run something exotic like this on my 55 and I just might, I am just not there yet though.
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Proud member of No Sympathy truck club
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