Continuing on where we left off last month with the Air Ride Technologies Strong Arm/RidePro E installation (the front portion), we bring you the "back half" of the job--the four-link. According to Art and the crew at GO-EZ Customs in Placentia, California, the frontend installation was a breeze. Although the rear portion was not a bolt-in deal, per se, like the front, it did not take rocket science mentality to handle it; but there was a bit of fabrication involved.
Previously, the truck in question had stock-but-flipped leafpack springs out back. The ride was nice, but had definite truck ride/handling characteristics. It was only natural that we upgrade the rear to a four-link setup, to equal both the adjustable travel and the handling of the frontend. With the complete RidePro E kit, Air Ride Technologies supplied a universal-style parallel four-link for our project. Though it is not a model-specific application, this link system was easily adaptable to the Chevy's rearend and frame, with only a minor alteration of the Panhard bar (mainly due to the extra-capacity differential cover in use).
The other "fab" portions of the job entailed incorporating the airbag mounts to the rearend and the frame, which was pretty much a breeze after the rear was centered and the four-link brackets attached at the proper locations and angles to ensure proper travel and function. After that, GO-EZ was left with finding a suitable location for the shock mounts. Everything else, such as the various mounting of the air tank, compressor, Big Red solenoids (4), and sending units, all fell into place. Next month, we'll wrap things up for good with the electronics programming of the system. See you then.
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Four bolts and the rear suspension is a heck of a lot easier to work on! Even though they're equipped with a hydraulic lift, GO-EZ figured it'd be a lot easier to do a four-link install on the ground...with the bed off. |
The Belltech flip kit served the truck well, but the leaf springs were not a sufficient means to allow the rear to drop adequately with airbags. Off they went. |
With the springs, shackle brackets, and shocks gone, Jason measured for the impending four-link. |
As you can see, the '73-87 chassis provides ample room outside the framerails to run a parallel setup. |
We were supplied with Air Ride Technologies' universal-style four-link, which incorporated a gusseted frame bracket and an axle bracket with built-in shock mount. |
To make room for the rear brackets, the old spring perch was buzzed off with a plasma cutter. Also notice that the Belltech frame notch is still in place--since we didn't want to cut the bed floor, this was sufficient. |
Prior to any brackets being welded on, Jason verified that the pinion angle was correct in relation to the transmission tailshaft (at ride height). |
With the brackets tack-welded in place, the travel of the four-link was checked before final welding was done. |
Placement of the upper and lower airbag plate mounts will help determine overall travel and a comfortable ride height level. You'll want to place them so that the 'bags have adequate air pressure at the desired ride height; not too little and not too much air. For the lowers, a notch had to be trimmed for shock mount clearance (right). |
Keep the mounts level and inline with one another. Also, make sure that the placement of the 'bags is such that when inflated, the bladders (rubber portion) of the 'bags never, ever come in contact with any other part--period. |
Here's what you should have for rear 'bag mounts if done correctly. Air Ride supplies kits like this with traditional sleeve-style bags, but you also have the option of using dual-convoluted ones, like the front. |
As it turned out, the integrated shock mounts on the rear four-link bracket would not work in this situation; GO-EZ had to fabricate new mounts to bring the shocks inside of the framerails, as shown. Shock bracket location is just as important as 'bag location--you don't want the shocks completely bottomed out when the 'bags are deflated, and you don't want to mount at extreme angles either. |
The Panhard included with the kit needed a bit of tweaking, as it was a tad too long and the extra-capacity differential cover made it difficult to make a straight shot from the frame to the rearend. Jason shortened the bar and made a nice little kick in it to clear the cover. |
With direction to do their best to avoid having to mount any components inside the bed, GO-EZ was able to locate an area for the compressor on the leftside framerail ahead of the rearend. The compressor is sealed and can withstand certain levels of outer elements. |
With absolutely no room to spare (look closely in the photo), the air reservoir tank was mounted just forward of the compressor. |
Immediately behind the rearend, the sending units (also sealed) were mounted on the exterior of the chassis. All airline plumbing was routed along with the frame as well. |
The final portion of the install involved mounting and hooking up the Big Red solenoid blocks. While the plumbing and electrical may appear complicated, all is connected with press-in fittings, and the wiring pre-determined with locking connectors; all you do is hook it up and go. Stay tuned for next month when we dial in the RidePro E programmable electronics. |
After we worked out our wheel situation, we finally got the 20-inch Coddington Harms mounted up, and man what a difference it makes from the old 15s! Though the rear could probably use a little more "meat," we went with BFGoodrich's g-Force T/A KDWs in the 265/35ZR20 variety, which keep the truck level and looking good when paired up with the 255/35/ZR20 fronts. |