Purpose of valves for airbag setups - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

abadsvt · 10-09-2006, 10:53 AM

I have ordered all of my air ride setups. I told suicide doors my situation and they sent me what they felt best for my needs. Anyways i recieved 8 valves. What is the purpose of the valves? I noticed that they are all have some cylinode on top. There is 2 wires coming off each valve. How do i hook them up and what do i hook them up too? Can i tie some of the wires together in a series or do i have to run each wire. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Josh

jimmydean · 10-09-2006, 11:38 AM

One valve controls fill, one valve is for dump. There should be two wires, one is hot and one is ground. You run the hot to a switch and the ground to ground.

The way I did my valves it I used the tee from Suicide doors that has a 1/8 gauge fitting on the side.

The air goes from the tank into the fill valve.
Out the back to the tee and to the gauge.
The bottom of the tee goes to the dump valve.
The other end of the tee goes to the bag.

The valves are closed. So when you hit the switch to fill, air goes from the tank to the bag (and gauge). When you hit the switch to dump, the air goes from the bag out the bottom valve (and from the gauge).

How you mount the valves is up to you. Suicide Doors has some diagrams on the site:

[IMG]http://*****************/how_to/wire-diagrams/8valve.gif[/IMG]

I'm no expert, but it starts to make sense when you look at a few different designs.

abadsvt · 10-09-2006, 11:50 AM

where do you get those 4way t's where the fill and dump valves meet? Thanks for the pic. I saw it before but never really looked at it. It makes sence after stearing at it.

jimmydean · 10-09-2006, 12:07 PM

I used these with 1/2" brass nipples to connect the valves and a push connect to the hose that goes to the bag.

[IMG]http://*****************/images/products/mid_12BrassTeewith1890DegFitting.jpg[/IMG]

*Shane* · 10-09-2006, 12:07 PM

***************** has the 4 ways

http://www.*****************/12ForgedCross.php#

jimmydean · 10-09-2006, 12:19 PM

The problem I had with the 4 ways is they take up a lot of space and you have to use a 1/2" to 1/8" reducer of some sort.

I'll take a picture of my valves tonight and you can see what I did. Mine mount to the inside of the fram rail using a u-bolt to hold the whole setup. If I can get one side mounted up tonight, I will take a pic, otherwise I will just take a pic of the valves connected together.

abadsvt · 10-09-2006, 12:56 PM

With that 4 way fitting how do you hook up your air lines to it? Is there another fitting you have to buy. I am running 3/8 air lines. My old chevelle had an air ride suspension on it when i bought it and i never found any valves anywhere. So how did that work? When i air out it seemed like the air got released at the guage. Does that sound wierd? Thanks.

jimmydean · 10-09-2006, 01:10 PM

You could run Schrader valves and a hand pump for a total ghetto setup.

To connect the air line, you need a fitting. I used push conncets because they are easy. On the tee, you would need a 1/2 to 3/8 for the bag and a 1/2 to 1/8 for the gauge.

abadsvt · 10-09-2006, 03:12 PM

Okay i didn't know that the gauge only uses 1/8" line. Interesting. I am going to be using the dakota digital ride height setup for my gauges. I like the thought of having preset ride heights. Thanks for you help Jimmy!

jimmydean · 10-09-2006, 03:31 PM

No worries. Again, my setup is a ways from being done, but I have learned a lot since I started! I will get some pics of what I can tonight and hope to have the front together either tonight or tomorrow.

My lower ball joint came in today, so I can get my driver side back together. If I were to do it all over again, I would have ordered all my stock replcament crap up front and just planned on replacing everything.

If it wasn't for the people on this board, I would never even thought of bagging my truck.

<edit> Because of the help and direction I got, not because of peer pressure

FnLow69 · 10-09-2006, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abadsvt

When i air out it seemed like the air got released at the guage. Does that sound wierd? Thanks.

no because the gauge probly told you the PSI in the bag and when the air was released the gauge would show that. you gauge fitteing is between the fill valve and the bag.

FnLow69 · 10-09-2006, 05:19 PM

some gauges have 1/4 in line so you might wanna check your gauges before you buy fittings.

abadsvt · 10-09-2006, 09:12 PM

That is a good point FNLOW69. I will call dakota digital before i buy the fittings. Now i have to figure out where to install everything so it looks clean and hidden.

Hey Jimmy are you sure it wasn't because everyone else is doing it

. No i agree witht he help on this board. It is outstanding and i don't think i could get my truck done without this forum. You guys

jimmydean · 10-09-2006, 11:14 PM

I was set to do springs until Shane posted a basic ghetto layout for bags and lines for less than springs. Then I found a bunch of parts on ebay for $400 and thought I could do it for $600 total.

$1400 later, I'm still missing a lower ball joint and 4 brass nipples. Oh well, easy come, easy go I guess

Either way, it will be sweet and I can lay it low for cruising and still haul 18 bails of hay for the wife's horse without draging.

laidout69 · 10-13-2006, 04:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimmydean

I was set to do springs until Shane posted a basic ghetto layout for bags and lines for less than springs. Then I found a bunch of parts on ebay for $400 and thought I could do it for $600 total.

$1400 later, I'm still missing a lower ball joint and 4 brass nipples. Oh well, easy come, easy go I guess

Either way, it will be sweet and I can lay it low for cruising and still haul 18 bails of hay for the wife's horse without draging.

now thats wut im talkin about a cruiser and a worker! mad props!

SlammedDime · 10-13-2006, 06:24 AM

abadsvt, check out www.airridetalk.com if you're still having some trouble understanding different components and such. The site's still not complete, but it does have a lot of information worth looking at. And there is a small section on valve as well in the Beginners Corner.

**N2TRUX** · 10-13-2006, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abadsvt;

..... Now i have to figure out where to install everything so it looks clean and hidden.
You guys

Here's what we did with mine...

jimmydean · 10-13-2006, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Here's what we did with mine...

That's a much cleaner version of mine. My valves are in pairs mounted on the inside of the frame rail. I promise I will get the valves mounted and pics tomorrow. I got my ball joint yesterday and will have the front wheels back on tonight.

So tomorrow should be lines, switches, gauges, and valves. The tank and compressor are ready to mount up, I'm still not 100% on the location of the rear valves.

gringoloco · 10-13-2006, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlammedDime

abadsvt, check out www.airridetalk.com if you're still having some trouble understanding different components and such. The site's still not complete, but it does have a lot of information worth looking at. And there is a small section on valve as well in the Beginners Corner.

Awesome site. I will start diverting people there from now on...

67Fleet · 10-13-2006, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimmydean

That's a much cleaner version of mine. My valves are in pairs mounted on the inside of the frame rail. I promise I will get the valves mounted and pics tomorrow. I got my ball joint yesterday and will have the front wheels back on tonight.

So tomorrow should be lines, switches, gauges, and valves. The tank and compressor are ready to mount up, I'm still not 100% on the location of the rear valves.

I mounted my rear valves on the crossbrace right behind the rear bumper. I can't remember if you have a fuel cell located there or not. I will eventually be going to that and might have to relocate the valves at that time. I've got mine manifolded together using crosses. The front is basically the same, just mounted behind the front bumper on the bottom of the core support.

jimmydean · 10-13-2006, 04:40 PM

I wanted to mount my rear valves the same as my fronts, but the tee union wouldn't allow me to. I have a tee on the tank with a hose down each side of the frame. The hose tees off for the rear valves, then continues to the front. My front valves are mounted on the frame rail just past the firewall. I want to mount my gauges and switch box under the dash, then run the gauge hoses and wiresa long the floorboards, then out the floor to the rail.

What i might end up doing is running the the tee on the rail and the valves in the cross brace. I don't have a blazer tank yet, that will be next. I'm trying to plan for it, but I also have a long bed, so I have a little more room to work with.

It's hard to explain, that's why I want to get it done so I can show it off. Not that it's special, it's just different.

10-09-2006, 10:53 AM	#1
abadsvt Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Atascadero, CA Posts: 1,152	Purpose of valves for airbag setups I have ordered all of my air ride setups. I told suicide doors my situation and they sent me what they felt best for my needs. Anyways i recieved 8 valves. What is the purpose of the valves? I noticed that they are all have some cylinode on top. There is 2 wires coming off each valve. How do i hook them up and what do i hook them up too? Can i tie some of the wires together in a series or do i have to run each wire. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Josh

10-09-2006, 11:38 AM	#2
jimmydean Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Beaverton, OR Posts: 3,728	Re: Purpose of valves for airbag setups One valve controls fill, one valve is for dump. There should be two wires, one is hot and one is ground. You run the hot to a switch and the ground to ground. The way I did my valves it I used the tee from Suicide doors that has a 1/8 gauge fitting on the side. The air goes from the tank into the fill valve. Out the back to the tee and to the gauge. The bottom of the tee goes to the dump valve. The other end of the tee goes to the bag. The valves are closed. So when you hit the switch to fill, air goes from the tank to the bag (and gauge). When you hit the switch to dump, the air goes from the bag out the bottom valve (and from the gauge). How you mount the valves is up to you. Suicide Doors has some diagrams on the site: [IMG]http://*****************/how_to/wire-diagrams/8valve.gif[/IMG] I'm no expert, but it starts to make sense when you look at a few different designs.

10-09-2006, 11:50 AM	#3
abadsvt Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Atascadero, CA Posts: 1,152	Re: Purpose of valves for airbag setups where do you get those 4way t's where the fill and dump valves meet? Thanks for the pic. I saw it before but never really looked at it. It makes sence after stearing at it.

10-09-2006, 12:07 PM	#4
jimmydean Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Beaverton, OR Posts: 3,728	Re: Purpose of valves for airbag setups I used these with 1/2" brass nipples to connect the valves and a push connect to the hose that goes to the bag. [IMG]http://*****************/images/products/mid_12BrassTeewith1890DegFitting.jpg[/IMG]

10-09-2006, 12:07 PM	#5
Shane Account Suspended Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: over yonder Posts: 14,270	Re: Purpose of valves for airbag setups *************** has the 4 ways http://www.**************/12ForgedCross.php# Last edited by Shane; 10-09-2006 at 12:09 PM.*

10-09-2006, 12:19 PM	#6
jimmydean Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Beaverton, OR Posts: 3,728	Re: Purpose of valves for airbag setups The problem I had with the 4 ways is they take up a lot of space and you have to use a 1/2" to 1/8" reducer of some sort. I'll take a picture of my valves tonight and you can see what I did. Mine mount to the inside of the fram rail using a u-bolt to hold the whole setup. If I can get one side mounted up tonight, I will take a pic, otherwise I will just take a pic of the valves connected together.

10-09-2006, 12:56 PM	#7
abadsvt Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Atascadero, CA Posts: 1,152	Re: Purpose of valves for airbag setups With that 4 way fitting how do you hook up your air lines to it? Is there another fitting you have to buy. I am running 3/8 air lines. My old chevelle had an air ride suspension on it when i bought it and i never found any valves anywhere. So how did that work? When i air out it seemed like the air got released at the guage. Does that sound wierd? Thanks.

10-09-2006, 01:10 PM	#8
jimmydean Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Beaverton, OR Posts: 3,728	Re: Purpose of valves for airbag setups You could run Schrader valves and a hand pump for a total ghetto setup. To connect the air line, you need a fitting. I used push conncets because they are easy. On the tee, you would need a 1/2 to 3/8 for the bag and a 1/2 to 1/8 for the gauge.

10-09-2006, 03:12 PM	#9
abadsvt Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Atascadero, CA Posts: 1,152	Re: Purpose of valves for airbag setups Okay i didn't know that the gauge only uses 1/8" line. Interesting. I am going to be using the dakota digital ride height setup for my gauges. I like the thought of having preset ride heights. Thanks for you help Jimmy!

10-09-2006, 03:31 PM	#10
jimmydean Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Beaverton, OR Posts: 3,728	Re: Purpose of valves for airbag setups No worries. Again, my setup is a ways from being done, but I have learned a lot since I started! I will get some pics of what I can tonight and hope to have the front together either tonight or tomorrow. My lower ball joint came in today, so I can get my driver side back together. If I were to do it all over again, I would have ordered all my stock replcament crap up front and just planned on replacing everything. If it wasn't for the people on this board, I would never even thought of bagging my truck. <edit> Because of the help and direction I got, not because of peer pressure Last edited by jimmydean; 10-09-2006 at 03:31 PM.

10-09-2006, 05:19 PM	#12
FnLow69 Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Washington Posts: 848	Re: Purpose of valves for airbag setups some gauges have 1/4 in line so you might wanna check your gauges before you buy fittings. __________________ [PROJECT] FnLow69- 69 C-10 Full frame & layin' doors [PROJECT] Laidout53 - 53' Dodge Pickup, Full Kustom Build [PROJECT] "Hot Rod" 1931 Model A Bonneville style "Dream as if you'll live forever, Live as if you'll die today" ~ James Dean

10-09-2006, 09:12 PM	#13
abadsvt Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Atascadero, CA Posts: 1,152	Re: Purpose of valves for airbag setups That is a good point FNLOW69. I will call dakota digital before i buy the fittings. Now i have to figure out where to install everything so it looks clean and hidden. Hey Jimmy are you sure it wasn't because everyone else is doing it . No i agree witht he help on this board. It is outstanding and i don't think i could get my truck done without this forum. You guys

10-09-2006, 11:14 PM	#14
jimmydean Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Beaverton, OR Posts: 3,728	Re: Purpose of valves for airbag setups I was set to do springs until Shane posted a basic ghetto layout for bags and lines for less than springs. Then I found a bunch of parts on ebay for $400 and thought I could do it for $600 total. $1400 later, I'm still missing a lower ball joint and 4 brass nipples. Oh well, easy come, easy go I guess Either way, it will be sweet and I can lay it low for cruising and still haul 18 bails of hay for the wife's horse without draging.

10-13-2006, 06:24 AM	#16
SlammedDime Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Glendale, AZ Posts: 41	Re: Purpose of valves for airbag setups abadsvt, check out www.airridetalk.com if you're still having some trouble understanding different components and such. The site's still not complete, but it does have a lot of information worth looking at. And there is a small section on valve as well in the Beginners Corner. __________________ Matt Admin @ AirRideTalk.com Win FREE Viair compressors!

10-13-2006, 04:40 PM	#21
jimmydean Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Beaverton, OR Posts: 3,728	Re: Purpose of valves for airbag setups I wanted to mount my rear valves the same as my fronts, but the tee union wouldn't allow me to. I have a tee on the tank with a hose down each side of the frame. The hose tees off for the rear valves, then continues to the front. My front valves are mounted on the frame rail just past the firewall. I want to mount my gauges and switch box under the dash, then run the gauge hoses and wiresa long the floorboards, then out the floor to the rail. What i might end up doing is running the the tee on the rail and the valves in the cross brace. I don't have a blazer tank yet, that will be next. I'm trying to plan for it, but I also have a long bed, so I have a little more room to work with. It's hard to explain, that's why I want to get it done so I can show it off. Not that it's special, it's just different.



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