Here's the kit we received...
Here's the kit we received from TCI. As you can see, it contains everything we needed, from the hardware to the air pump and holding tank.
The first thing on the agenda...
The first thing on the agenda was to remove the old original buggy-style suspension.
We selected an 8-inch Ford...
We selected an 8-inch Ford rearend obtained from the local wrecking yard because the stock width was perfect.
The rearend spring pads had...
The rearend spring pads had to be removed, then the axle housing was ground smooth. The spring pads will no longer be used.
The stock rear crossmember...
The stock rear crossmember had to be removed. We temporarily tack-welded a piece of tubing across the framerails to hold everything in place while it was being worked on. We made sure the tubing was not in the work area where the new crossmember and air spring brackets had to be installed.
The TCI '40 Ford crossmember...
The TCI '40 Ford crossmember was too wide, so it had to be trimmed. We measured the width between the rails and cut the X-member accordingly.
We placed the rearend in the...
We placed the rearend in the approximate area, then centered the rearend from side to side and set the pinion angle. We set the rearend pinion at 90 degrees to the ground. We used the rearend rubber axle bumpers to locate the wheelbase.
These are the upper air spring...
These are the upper air spring mounting brackets. The one on the left is assembled and trimmed to size, while the other one isn't. We had to make a little piece of boxing plate (3/16-inch) to secure these brackets to the frame. We made the driver side 4 inches longer to the front, so we had an area where we could weld the Panhard bracket.
The upper shock bracket was...
The upper shock bracket was welded to the framerails right above the rearend axle tube. The brackets were welded in parallel to the ground.
We measured the distance between...
We measured the distance between the upper shock brackets and transferred this onto the axle housing. The lower air springs brackets will be mounted on the same plain as the frame brackets (90 degrees to the pinion).
The rearend was removed, and...
The rearend was removed, and the pads were welded to the housing.
We installed the Panhard bar...
We installed the Panhard bar bracket to the rearend pumpkin next.
The rearend was reinstalled,...
The rearend was reinstalled, and the other end of the Panhard bar bracket was welded to the frame.
We used 7/8-inch tubing tapped...
We used 7/8-inch tubing tapped to 5/8x18 to make the front four-bar brackets.
These pieces were welded between...
These pieces were welded between the inner and the outer framerails the same distance apart as the rearend brackets. We wanted to create a parallelogram. We installed the four-bars next. Then the lower tubes were tack-welded in place. We used a transfer punch to find the center of the bushings for a more accurate method of marking the drill points.
We drilled a 7/8-inch hole...
We drilled a 7/8-inch hole in the inner framerail in order to pass the top four-link tube through. It received a 360-degree weld, and the other end will receive the same treatment.
This is how the four-link...
This is how the four-link looked when finished.
Here's what the floor pieces...
Here's what the floor pieces looked like after we modified and reinstalled them. We simply moved them inward until there was enough clearance to miss the upper frame brackets, then added a filler to bridge the void.
We mounted the air tank and...
We mounted the air tank and pump inside of the righthand framerail in the middle of the car.
We added a sway bar to the...
We added a sway bar to the front end because TCI didn&8217t offer one at the time of delivery. We modified a ´55-´57 Chevy car unit. It fit with only a few modifications. The links had to be custom made and a bracket needed to be installed to the lower-control arm.
Here is how it looked when...
Here is how it looked when it was finished and back on the ground.
What's all this hype about air ride suspension? Why is it becoming so popular all of a sudden, when it's been around for decades? Why is it rapidly taking over as the newest, hottest-selling suspension system being used today?
The air spring was originally used in the automotive field in the '30s. Some of the first cars to use an experimental air ride suspension were Buicks and Plymouths. Most of the other major manufacturers followed shortly thereafter. The companies quickly found that air springs weren't cost-effective and were dropped for the cheaper coil-wound spring that we're all accustom to. General Motors and Firestone joined forces in the mid-'40s and started using air springs on buses. They worked great and are still being used today.
During the late-'40s and early '50s, many car manufacturers changed from the buggy style spring and suspension system to an independent-styled coil suspension. In the '80s, street rodders finally caught up and started retrofitting Mustang II coil systems in the front of their cars with coilover shocks in the rear. The ride quality and handling of street rods were greatly improved, but there's always room for improvement. Air ride is the next step forward because of improved ride quality and the ability to raise and lower the car at will. In fact, it's currently being used on some of the newer production cars.
The custom car and sport truck crowds were some of the first to use air ride suspensions. They found that they could raise and lower their vehicles with a flick of a switch with an onboard air supply. The vehicle's ride didn't suffer, and there was an infinite number of ride heights available with in a 5-inch span of up-and-down travel. It only makes sense that the street rod industry would follow.
It seems that an air ride suspension just makes sense in many custom applications. You have complete control of your spring rate. The more air that's used translates to a harder ride and raises the vehicle at the same time. Less air means a lower ride height, and a softer ride.
Although there is no installation kit currently made to install air ride suspension in the rear of a '48 Ford, the crew at Precision Street Rods & Machines will show you how they adapted Total Cost Involved Engineering's (TCI) '40 Ford rear Air Ride kit into this '48 woodie. All of the parts from the kit were used except the front four-bar frame brackets. The rear four-bars had to be shortened, but the rest of the kit went in as planned. We suggest that you call TCI and see if the company offers a kit to fill your needs.