as you can see in the picture, the springboard has a slight upwards angle. once i make an angled shim for the axle, this bar should come level. by doing this, the front main spring hanger will ride towards the upper edge of the frame.
as for the bags, they are just sitting there to get an idea. they actiually will be secured to a cross bar, which ties both spring bars together.
each side will then receive a ride height valve...
This will be another busy day tomorrow :-)

 

Nate, that looks just like the air ride system on that F-Superduty ambulance we saw in the junk yard when I was up there. You should scarf that up!

 

I was out there for something this past weekend and looking that thing over again.

 

Subscribing! That looks like a really cool modification! Will it hold up better than the stock springs?

 

if you can get the air ride setup up out of the ambulance, you should pick it up.. even if you just re-sell it for some profit. they are pretty darn expensive. I was actually hoping to find one locally, as they are a better fit. they usually come with ride control and a dump valve..
BTW they made by Reyco Granning.

 

again we had pretty bad weather here today and i also had to do some more christmas shopping, so i did not get too much accomplished.

I utilized the factory overload spring shim and cut it down into a wedge. 1/4” one side , 5/8” the opposite site. Once i inserted the shim between the axle and the new suspension spring, i finally had the arms level. I drilled all 6 front mounting holes and temporary installed the hanger. As you can see from the pictures, i have no doubt this holds. The bolts I use are 3/4” x 2”. The front crossmember is right at the fwd 3 bolts. The Air bags will be just aft of the rear cross member.. I think this should be stiff enough, considering the type of suspension. Unless you guys of course recommend additional support members...

 

I like this mod, not for the fact that i'd do it but because it looks damn beafy!!
Question tho, youve got the spring gangers in front of the axle and the bags in the rear tied together across with the crossbar now thats all well and good, par for the course.. I would think youd want to 3 link that w a panhard bar from the frame to rear axle, a sway bar just wont cut it.. Forgive my audacity if youve already got this planned..

 

I was thinking about that pan hard bar. when i asked the follow, where i got the suspension from, he said that they never run the bar on this type.. so I’m not quiet sure, if it is needed or not ?

 

I know every Mack that came out of the factory with that suspension when i interned over the summer had a panhard bar. I think you need it on that suspension. The only thing holding the axle laterally will be the front bushings and the airbags. Hendrickson even shows a panhard bar on their listing of the suspension.
Hendrickson - HAS - Single Axle Series

 

Hhmm, wonder if they use an airbag pocket or something.. 18wheelers use a panhard bar.. An ambulance is a different animal than something that towes and sees forces from a trailer...

 

Yeah, I think if i had it all apart for your retrofit than a link wouldnt be hard to fab at all, cheep insurance...
Good prices and quality parts here:
http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/...dtrackbar.html

 

Been a couple days, so its time for an update.
i cleaned the entire frame and painted it with rust preventative Paint and gave it a topcoat.
The main axle hangers are mounted and i finally installed the new front fuel tank after i ran air line to the air tank location on the frame.
For the rear cross member i decided to utilize c-channel and weld two ears on it to be able to mount it to the spring hangers. So far i have only drilled the rear holes, as i have to install the lower spring support bars and do a final alignment first.
As for the upper bag mount i decided to fabricate a wedge and weld it to the frame, since the factory frame is angled and the bags need to sit straight.
tomorrow i will start plumbing the rest of the airlines and start installing the tank and the compressor..


as usual, here some pictures:






here you can see the ride height valve. it will be connected to the spring hanger





below picture shows the c-channel with the welded on ears. The front ear covers an existing hole in the spring, that i still got to drill through.




this shows the wedge. the weld looks actually better than in the picture

 

Looking pretty good.

2 suggestions..

Ditch the USS washers and use SAE washers on any of that cast pieces

Box the frame where the air bags are sitting

 

Why you suggesting to change the washers? Corrosion issue ?

No sure if I can box the frame there,since I planed on using the rear tank. But I guess a little bit more support won't hurt. I will take a look at it . I actually thought of utilizing the remaining channel I have an run it as frame support from side to side where the springs are.. Any thoughts?

 

What do you guys think of the fwd section of the main frame where the main hangers are.. This should be solid enough or should I design some additional support as well ? If I box the back part, would it be sufficient to box only where the bags are.. Say a 12" long section ? Thanks for all advice.