75561 Universal Macpherson Setup

[svcglobal]

So far so good. The car is a Fiat Tipo Turbo 1993.

The only thing negative was the lack of one spacer to remove the play of the thrust bearing.
I made one with a large steel washer and reducing the center width to 1.0 mm and will mount it just below the retaining ring. This will avoid the laceration of the upper plastic thrust by the sharp edges of that ring so besides of play removal, the assembly will live much longer.

- The upper strut seems little off center but it is following the old bracket.

- There is plenty of space around the bellow in the strut well (two parallel fingers can move around the bellow).

- The gaskets of the adjuster knob are ruined by the shipping. Can black silicone be used as sealant?

So, next step would be to calculate how much inflation is necessary to the ride height (Sam?).

[svcglobal]

Can I weld the strut tabs directly in the schock? Of course doing one short weld at time keeping the schock refrigerated?

Don't need any extension so would like to avoid the extra weight of that tube.

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

Based on the weight measurements given in the other thread, my wild-ass guess is that you'll be sitting somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 psi, give-or-take 10 psi in either direction.

IIRC you can weld those tabs directly to the shock if you absolutely have to. Go slow.

I'd contact Air Lift or whoever the vendor was about those torn-up gaskets. At the very least, I'd want to fabricate my own replacements rather than relying upon black goopy sealant. I'm sure you could get the sealant to work fine, but yuck.

Remember that those bags will balloon to 7" in diameter when inflated, so make sure you've actually got enough clearance in the shock tower.

[svcglobal]

Wow!
Definitely will use the pipe....

http://www.stanceworks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51391&highlight=75562E

[svcglobal]

Can't use the pipe because the camber would be affected.
So, welded directly on shock and guess what, punctured only one with very tiny hole so no flame, no explosion.
Leaked oil & pressure, of course.

I'm trying to buy another one from my seller.
If he can't sell only the shock, what would be my other options?

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

Well damn.

If due to how short of struts you need you can't get the Air Lift Universals to work, you might look into adapting the UAS Aero Sport / Aero Power Sport bags to a set of coilover struts specific to your chassis. You'll need fairly stiff struts to control the progressive rate of the bags, but that's generally not an issue.

Out of curiosity, what did you weld those with?

[svcglobal]

Sam, crazy but I installed one side with the working strut and guess what?
Worked like a charm even mixed with spring. Pressure @ 70 psi (you crystal ball is working fine) and damper set at 5.

Well, I asked Billy from FX Custumz and to Richard from MDI Performance but until now got no aswer (how to buy only one shock from Air Lift).
Is it really that difficult?

Welded with MIG torch using stainless steel rod. Did a hook just below the shock in order to get it better structured.
The perforation occurred because the strut slipped from the C clamp and no one was an hero to keep that hot pepper in the hand and the torch pointed few second over the original welding, you know.

[svcglobal]

Just now got a message from Billy. Shock $170 shipped. This seller is really a champion.

[svcglobal]

Probably a dumb question: Can the compressor be mounted horizontally?

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

If you're using a Viair compressor, they can be mounted in any orientation except upside-down. Other compressors I can't speak to.

[svcglobal]

Air Lift 16190. I suppose that is a Viair (325C) compressor.

Nice! I will install it under the car with an aluminum protection, just in case. The Air Lift 10980 (2.5 gallon) tank is already installed under the car.

I managed to keep everything out of sight, keeping the spare tire on place and absolute nothing in the trunk.
The Accuair ECU, fuses, compressor relay and the solenoid valves are mounted under the rear seat, lots of space there, fortunately.

Still waiting for the SS-5 and the Air Lift shock so got time to install the management system.

[svcglobal]

[svcglobal]

Finally got both front struts mounted.
Pressure @ 75 psi and shock adjusted on 5 in that scale up to 9.

I found the car much, much more stable during strong acceleration. Looks like completely another car.
But, rolling under slow speed in irregular bad roads, the front is too bumpy.
Should I decrease the bag's pressure or increase the shock knob or both?

BTW, the rear is still on coils.
I am waiting for a pair of Blistein B6 from Germany to replace the coils by Slam's SS-5.

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

When you say it's bumpy, do you mean it feels too stiff or that it feels bouncy? If it's bouncy, reduce the damping factor on the struts. If it feels too stiff, it's possible it's over-damped.

Personally, I would wait to fine-tune the front suspension until the rear is in place. The two act as a system, and you may find yourself undoing your work once the rear is installed.

[svcglobal]

Thanks Sam. For too bumpy I mean too bouncy, yes.
Will try to reduce the damping.

Another thing, is it normal the bags turning with the steering movement?