Deuce Suspension Mods

[therbert]

OK,

I have started the ball rolling..

Hot Rod Deuce 1 and 2.....

I want to add air ride to my Deuce..

 

[hot_rod_deuce_2]

I drove mine home 1200 miles and trust me my mind and my but was thinking the same thing!

I think I would keep it simple. Tom the pic you put on the other thread was nice but to me it seemed a little excessive.

I was thinking of using universal bag and mounting it to the frame over top of the axles leaving the stock springs in place and using the bags to take the pressure off the leaf springs. I would only want to use the on the highway and when off road let them down to restore your articulation

 

[jeli]

Bags will limit your overall travel a bunch but my first low budget idea is to add bags on top of the axles. I'm being overly simplistic and only on my second beer of the night. The spings would be reduced leaving only the longest two. Blocks would take up the rest of the space. I'd leave two in case one breaks. Set the pressure a tad higher on the front axle so the rears are unloaded and will corner better. Add a locking hub on the rear axle to disconnect. I believe this is the reverse of what people are doing today but we can't change the axle loading right now.

 

[therbert]

Agree Hot Rod Deuce 2, I have two things in mind. I got my first truck to play with and I want another to drive. I know there are too many reasons to list why you don't want to drive the highways with a deuce.. I have set my mind to build a smooth highway truck. I really liked the Deuce Hummer look that someone mocked in Photoshop in the gallery. That is why I bought a cheaper one from PA, didn't want to touch a cleaner one. I do care about the history of these trucks and want to respect it.

I just want to be the first guy on my street with the biggest SUV.. Just Kidding. I actually have a large family and would love to travel in style..

 

[therbert]

Watch this video.. It show the suspension for the tractors. Very cool

http://www.hendrickson-intl.com/products/product_detail/htb_video.asp

 

[hot_rod_deuce_2]

That is a nice set up. If you wanted to make a full custom with dual axles you could add the 4th dog bone and take away the leafs and and add air bags that would be cool. For the front you could 4 link it also or take a leaf or 2 out and add the bags over top of the axles.

 

[therbert]

Did you watch the video? I have been thinking alot about the gearing also.. Needs to change. I spoke to s friend of mine about it and he said he could possibly make another set for me. I know I want to get an International DT466E with an Allison MD3060 Transmission. Just waiting for the right price. I would leave the front axle in place so I could still use it off road (not mudding) when I need to. I guess a suspension mod thread isn't going to cover my prject.. May need to re-think that part.

 

[therbert]

jeli,

I see you point. My only question is will thre be an improvement if the springs are still in place. I also thought they would knock at least 200 pounds (not knowing exactly what they weigh)

 

[Jones]

Is cutting back on the number of leaves in the spring pack, then letting the air bags take up the additional load worth exploring?

 

[gringeltaube]

So you want really BIG air bags and adjust pressure according to the type of terrain?
What do you thing 6 soft (132J or 149J) high flotation 14.5s singles can do, for man and machine?
The only thing I would like to add is some kind of simplified CTIS ....!

G.

 

[Recovry4x4]

All this to a deuce? Airbags, engine change, gear change? Why not buy a commercial truck with all that stuff and add the not so roomy deuce body. Remember, it is a deuce. Now of you really can't handle the roughness of the deuce, try airbagging the cab. Prolly much easier.

 

[comdiver]

When I was planning my bobbed Deuce I thought this would be a great way to go. I knew I was starting from nothing. My thought was it would be lighter and handle anything from a light load to a heavy load with comfort. Hendrickson has a unit made for rescue trucks and I was thinking this was the way to go. I talked with the factory and was discouraged from doing it. They felt with no load I would not like the ride and bounce all over. The air spring setup is very load sensitive. I went with M35 front springs and Tembren overloads/bump stops.

 

[therbert]

I will have to all them and see. I was just going to mod the existing suspension. All the components are there except the shocks and air spings. Looked very simular to the newer designs.

 

[m-35tom]

drive a truck with new shocks and 14.5r20's with spring ride seat. mine rides almost as good as my subaru.........

 

[jeli]

jeli,

I see you point. My only question is will thre be an improvement if the springs are still in place. I also thought they would knock at least 200 pounds (not knowing exactly what they weigh)

There's a lot of stresses put on the suspension during a turn. Dropping leaves out of the springs gives you more lateral control without putting all the stress into the torque rods. Looking at it again you wouldn't need blocks but shorter u-bolts.

An alternate is to delete the springs and add a second top link to each axle. The axle part is bolt on and the center section already has the mount. A panhard rod (5th link) is needed too but might be nard to get in with a top loading axle.

I'm just real leary about a 4 link using the existing rods. They might survive a single axle setup but not tandems. Speaking of that. Remove the front axle and springs. Move the top torque rod to the rear axle to make a 4 link then bag it. You'd end up with a more traditional trailering 4 link. If you wanted a bobbed truck slide the suspension forward to relocate the rear axle wherever you want it.

What we need is someone who is scrapping a frame to make into a trailer to try different mods to first before cutting a truck.

Look at REO6X6's website. Good pics of the suspension. http://www.reo6x6.com.br/restauracao.shtml

 

[beaubeau]

I got to agree with 4x4recovery. These vehicles are Offroad trucks built to take a beating. The drive train is not ballanced as well as On raod trucks.If you put Air ride on a Deuce the wheels will Hop all the way down the road. If you want a a faster ,smoother, better looking truck, go Commercial!!Or, CHANGE THE RUNNING GEAR!!, Use Comm. axels with Air bags! You can buy Cut offs from$800 To $2500 ,With Hier gears for SPEED!! When all is done, you can hear all the Wind blowing through the Cracks because these trucks are not made to Go Fast!!

 

[OpieNoTool]

 

[hot rod deuce]

The wind may blow through my cab but I do it in STYLE. Its just like guys taking 32 fords and grafting the body to a new corvette running gear. The frames are the same between a Comercial truck and the deuce so all we are looking at is drive line and suspension.

Over the road trucks have tried the theory of removing some springs and adding bags but the problem is that as you add weight to leaf spring they get tighter to add stability, when you remove some springs and take the weight off you get some sway and shimmy. My theory is unless you want articulation stick with the leaf springs. you could remove one or two if you didnt plan on hauling any thing to help the ride. I think if there was a huge ride quality gain to be had in the front a heavy truck manufacture would be using it.

Look at the tag on the dash of the truck, from loaded to empty the weight on the front axle changes very little. Air bags have a big advantage only when you are planning on different amounts of load( like from 10,000-40,000 on a big rig). A spring will ride just about as good but it will only do it at a narrow weight range(when it is loaded).

If you 4 link the truck all around you will probably be needing sway bars over the highway.

I agree with Tom the most!

 

[therbert]

When I get my next truck, I will be looking at the components more closely. I agree that the existing links need to be stronger, especially around the mounting points. I would need to replace them anyway with larger tires. I did look at the loading charts from firestones air springs. They have a happy pressure at load up to 10,000 pounds per spring. The more weight the more pressure for the same response.

Check out their specs at : http://www.firestoneindustrial.com

I need to model some of this stuff in cad so I can dimonstrate the movements.

Hot Rod Deuce, What do you think about bonding the top links by cross bracing to help with sway?

 

[m16ty]

I am very familiar with air bag sup. I have added air ride to many semi-trailers and road trucks. They work real well for that but not off-road. You don't have much travel in a air-ride and off-road ability will suffer. You won't gain anything by lowering bag pressure either. All that will do is lower ride height because your leveling valve adds air pressure to bring the truck up to desired ride height regardless of load. The more load you have the more pressure that will be in the bags and anything less it will drop.