1949 Chevy Ridetech Air Suspension System - Air Raising

Once the airlines were routed, I moved to wiring the front height sensors. While ideally I would have liked to run the wires under the engine mounts, the steering passes through here on the left side of the chassis, so I elected to route them over the suspension tower, securing them with larger clamps. I'll cover the wires with insulation from Thermo-Tec as they pass close to the headers.

The wiring from the sensors terminates at this plug, which fit neatly behind the towers. This is plugged into a dedicated harness, routed back to the ECU, and attached to the airlines with zip ties.

I mounted the rear height sensors on the gussets in the C-notch framework. Originally, I planned to have the arm facing out toward the chassis 'rails, but with space extremely tight under the rear this proved to be the only route for the exhaust to take, so I switched the arms around, allowing clearance. Make sure to route the exhaust with the suspension in the "full drop" mode, to ensure adequate clearance. I'll wrap the exhausts here as they run close to the sensor and the airline. Note this is just a U-bend to simulate the exhaust.

Though tight, there was sufficient space to allow the link rods to fit between the axle housing and the ShockWave, the nylon "heim" end bolted directly to the CPP lower ShockWave mounting bracket. Jacking the axle up and down to ascertain full travel confirmed no components touched. This was more important than at the front as the link rod and axle aren't moving in the same arc.

With the mechanical side of the install complete, it was time for wiring. RideTech makes this simple in the extreme, as there are separate harnesses for the valve block, display/controller, height sensors, and pressure sensor. Even if you didn't follow the instructions (which RideTech put in a big envelope with "do not open" printed across it!) you'd have a hard time messing this up! I welded a length of 6x1/8-inch steel plate across the rear seat supports, on which I mounted the ECU, first determining that the various harnesses would reach their destinations from here. I was going to mount it behind the lefthand taillight, but the controller wire wouldn't have reached the front seat, though I've since found out RideTech offer a longer one!

Connecting the pressure sensor wiring to the valve block is one of the few situations where you have to use the instructions. Note also I grounded all the valve ground wires to the bracket (arrow), which I drilled and tapped. RideTech supply the wires already terminated and insulated. Probably 90 percent of electrical faults can be traced to bad grounds, so make 'em good!

The air compressor requires a 20-amp fuse, which is supplied, as is the holder. This is wired to a 12-volt feed, the compressor switched on the ground side on the e3 system.

The control panel/display can be mounted using the two threaded holes on the rear, or left unmounted, just make sure you can access it from the driver seat! It uses mini USB connectors to connect to the ECU. For testing purposes I connected it, but left it in the trunk. I'll run the wire to the front of the cabin later.

With the three remaining wires from the ECU connected to ground, a constant 12-volt feed, and the third to the ignition, providing power only when the key is switched on, the system was powered up and the tank charged. There are many options accessible using the menu, but the basics are: top left two buttons control inflation and deflation of the front left ShockWave, the lower two doing the same for the rear, and those on the right similarly controlling the right side. The three buttons across the bottom are for three preset suspension heights, usually deflated, ride height, and inflated. These can be set by following the simple instructions, at which point the "Setup Required" display will go out. I elected to wait until the car is more complete for this, as I'll doubtless have to remove some of the airlines or wiring during the remainder of the build for paint, etc.