Adding Air-Ride Suspension On A '39 Buick

(Joe)>> Hey street rodders today we'll show you how to get your rear in the right place. Coming right now on Horsepower TV. (Joe off camera)>> Today on Horsepower TV, we'll tackle some more street rod mods as we bolt on a new rear end, suspension, and brakes to a classic '39 Buick. We'll take you from the pits to the starting line of a red hot pro mod shootout. And a special visit to Las Vegas for a sneak peak at what's coming from the high performance aftermarket. So hang on for Horsepower TV. [ music ]

(Joe)>> Welcome to the Horsepower shop where today we've got everything from a blown alcohol pro mod we'll see in action later to this show stopping street rod. Hey, and speaking of street rods, we're gonna get things going today by hanging an Air Ride suspension on a '39 Buick. But no matter what type of rod you've got, this is a project that carries a lot of merit and uses many of the same procedures. Well, it looks like my partner's already got started here.

(Chuck)>> Yeah, when we mounted our engine and transmission last time, we soon discovered that the drive shaft wouldn't pass through the stock cross member, so we got rid of it and boxed everything in as you can see here. Now i've just about finished with this brake pedal mounting box we got from Total Cost Involved in California. Once I'm done with it, we can tackle that rear suspension.

(Joe)>> Good job. Of course we use this '39 to show you other street rod mods. First, we added a Fatman front end with Mustang two components. Then, we used their engine and cross member kit to position the engine and trans. Now before we can get started, we've got to get rid of some of this old stuff here.

(Chuck)>> While Joe's making a new home for it, I'm gonna start building up our Ford nine-inch Ford rear end. Now it needed to be narrowed just a little bit to fit our Buick, and of course, the axles needed to be shortened and re-splined. Of course we gave those specs to Moser Engineering when we placed our order. Of course, we could go ahead and build this rear end up by rolling it around on the floor, but, I gotta tell ya, this little standup fixture from Bonks sure makes life whole lot easier.

(Joe)>> We also found it's a lot easier to build up the rear end when the ring, pinion and posi are already set. Now we decided on a 3.50 gear with a limited slip differential for the Buick. So we called Precision Gear and they set the critical pinion depth and backlash dimensions, plus added a Truetrac posi.

(Chuck)>> Alright, the housing's secure. I guess we're ready for that center section now.

(Joe)>> Here it is and it is heavy.

(Chuck)>> I need your opinion. Which way's up on this gasket?

(Joe)>> Man, would you get your rearend in gear for a change!

(Chuck)>> Hey, hey, hey, don't make me ring your pinion, now.

(Joe)>> Oh man, hurry up?

(Chuck)>> There, there you satisfied? Here let me give you a hand.

(Joe)>> Gee thanks.

[ torque wrench clicking ]

(Chuck)>> That ought to do it. Now, the nine-inch Ford is pretty bullet-proof on its own, but we added some extra insurance by having our axles machined with 31 splines. Now on the other end we had Moser install these grade eight, half-inch studs here to help handle any heavy-footed launches we might come up with. Now the axle just slides down the tube like this and is held in place with a special caliper bracket and this retaining plate.

(Joe)>> That '39 Buick is a pretty heavy-weight hot rod, a lot of pre-war steel. So we decided to run discs all the way around. Now the kit we got from Wilwood includes the caliper brackets here, these are the calipers, brake pads, rotors, and, since we gotta be street legal with this thing we've even got this parking brake set-up.

(Chuck)>> Man, that's a great looking kit. You know, since we've already got discs on the front of that thing, hauling down that heavyweight should be no problem. Now, to make it all work, I went ahead and ordered this adjustable proportioning valve. Now I'm gonna use it to balance the front to rear brake bias. We'll get around to mounting it later on, but what do you say we go ahead and mount this hardware on the rearend right now.

(Joe)>> Let's breakaway.

(Chuck)>> First we mount the caliper brackets. Then the retaining plate using grade eight hardware. Next the rotor. Then, the caliper with pads. And finally the parking brake caliper.

(Joe)>> Well now that we've got the rearend all assembled, we're about ready to do some fabricating to get it all mounted up.

(Chuck)>> Plus, we'll have some tips on how to plumb your brakes right after this. (Joe off camera)>> See what happens when a band of blown alcohol bandits invade a track in Tennessee. It's a pro mod shootout with heavy firepower. Plus, later it's off to SEMA to see what's gonna be hot in high performance aftermarket.

[ music ]

(Chuck)>> Alright, welcome back. Now while you were gone, I went ahead and had both these trailing arms sandblasted and I've already modified one by cutting about four inches off the end, then adding this adjustable bushing. Now on the under side I went ahead and boxed it in by adding this steel plate here. That's gonna give us a lot of additional strength. 'course, once all the modifications are done, we're gonna be able to bolt everything up to the rearend using the stock u-bolts.

[ saw buzzing ]

(Joe)>> We're mounting our master cylinder and booster under the floorboard here where they're well-protected. Now you'll notice the proportioning valve's gonna attach to the frame with a knob underneath so we can make adjustments later. Now it's time to start thinking about how we wanna plumb our brake lines. Now when you do this there are several things to consider. First of all keep 'em away from any rotating parts and give 'em plenty of room away from hot exhaust pipes. Also, you wanna attach 'em to the frame with something like these adel clamps we're using. Of course, billet ones are cool, too.

(Chuck)>> Earlier, we determined the centerline on the old axle and we marked that location on the frame. Now, we're gonna use a plumb bob to help us get the new rearend in the same location. That rearend's already up on jack stands and with it at proper ride height, it'll help us determine the forward attaching points for the trailing arms. We're ready to start fabricating our rear cross member and front trailing arm mounts. Now we've already cut our square two by two square tubing to the right length to fit between the frame rails here. All we have to do is raise up our trailing arm, position the cross member, and we can tack it into place. [ welder crackling ]

(Joe)>> We're gonna use this stock track bar to keep our axle centered up under the car. Now, it attaches to this bracket here we got off the old rearend. Since we've got ours pretty much into position, we can go ahead and tack and weld this bracket into place.

(Chuck)>> Well we're gonna bring that old Buick right into the 90's with a trick air suspension system. Now it's fully adjustable so you get the height and ride quality that you want while you're going up and down the road. Then, of course, once you get where you're going, man, you can slam that baby in the weeds. Now the stock coils are replaced with this unique airspring assembly. As you can see it's built a lot like a tire. It's actually got reinforcing cords bolted right in. Now the air to raise and lower your vehicle is provided by a remote compressor.

(Joe)>> Now this whole set up comes from Air Ride Technologies in Jasper, Indiana and it includes the shocks, brackets, well all the hardware you need to make it work. Speaking of that, let's get back to it.

(Chuck)>> After drilling a hole in the frame we just feed the line through like this.

(Joe)>> Okay, well I've got brackets mounted on our spring here.

(Chuck)>> Here's the line.

(Joe)>> Thank you. It just fits right in like so. Let's mount it up. There we go.

(Chuck)>> Let me get this top nut started here.

(Joe)>> Okay now the spring just centers itself up on the mount here. We can weld it up later.

(Chuck)>> One of the final steps is mounting the shocks and once again you want to make sure you let common sense be your guide. Keep away from any rotating or hot objects. Also make sure they don't put your suspension in a bind.

(Joe)>> Good advice. Then all you have to do is run your air lines, install the compressor, and you're done. Meanwhile, I hate to let you down, get it? But we gotta take a break and pay some bills. We'll be right back. (Joe off camera)>> Next, hang on for some four-second eight mile madness. ( )>> It makes for a fun ride. It's a pro mod shootout with the baddest blown alcohol bandits.

[ music ]

(Joe)>> What you're looking at may be the world's fastest supercharged Trans Am door slammer - two thousand plus horsepower pro mod monster built by Joe and Michael Yarini from Tucker, Georgia. Now this thing races with a group called the Southern Supercharged Outlaws. And as you're about to see with these bandits in town, they always steal the show. [ music ] (Joe ff camera)>> These outlaws may not carry six-guns but they're sure loaded with lots of fire power, enough to shatter records at eight-mile tracks around the south and beyond.

(Rick)>> The record setter here's a 4.33 at a 170 miles per hour and today we'll have it broken today.

(Joe)>> Pro mod racers seem to have two things in common. They like to go real fast and they don't like a lot of rules. Now these guys are running blown alcohol engines to make up to 2,500 horses so when they hit this eight-mile track, don't blink or you'll miss the race. [ music ]

(Jason)>> It makes for a fun ride.

(Joel)>> It's just something that gets you inside, a thrill, just being head to head, toe to toe, compete with the best, and that's who we run against, is the best. (Joe off camera)>> Joel Moore's been racing pro mod since its beginning back in the 1980's. Now he and his '66 Vette ride together with this band of outlaws who terrorize tracks and spectators everywhere they go. Now a pro mod car, essentially is a door slammer with a funny car motor thrown in it. Sounds simple but making it all work isn't.

(Joel)>> It's a balancing act. Put enough fuel in it not to burn, but leave enough out for it to really run. When you're talking 2,500 horsepower which is what we're making, outlaw, you know, you can break something just like that - axles, drive shaft - and it's all critical. (Joe off camera)>> Cutting a great light is also critical. Particularly on this eighth mile track with a 4-0-tree.

(Joel)>> If you're somewhere in the 420 range on your light, you stand a pretty good chance. Anything better than that's usually just guessing. (Joe off camera)>> As qualifying runs continued I noticed most cars were burning blown big blocks like this 526 Hemi. That is, all except Jason Scruggs' '63 Vette with a small block.

(Jason)>> Whenever we decided to do this deal, all we had was small block parts, that was all we knew how to work on ourselves. That's what we did, we went from there, and just kinda sneaked up on it in the three years. (Joe off camera)>> As the sun went down on the last round of qualifying the stands started filling up with racing fans ready for a rumble. Pro mod has become synonymous with chest-pounding, ear- shattering horsepower at its competitive best and the fans love it.

(Joe)>> That's what actually led me to form this group and bring drag racing to the fans and bring the joy of drag racing to the crowds. The smoky burnouts and the loud motors are what real drag racing is. [ music ] [ engine revving ] [ music ] [ engine revving ] (Joe off camera)>> After two rounds of eliminations the final shootout would be a battle of experience against youth. Veteran Yarini, whose opponent red lights here, against Scruggs, who breaks the track record in the second round 4.14 at 171 miles per hour.

(Jason)>> We had trouble getting down the race track so we detuned the motor a little bit and the quickest we've been with this combination's been a 17, so that was the quickest run with this combination.

(Joe)>> Now all you gotta do is repeat that and win this whole event right?

(Jason)>> Yes sir. If we can do that we'll be alright.

(Joe)>> Well I just hope I can pull a little cat out of the bag. Now we have run some high 4.20's so we'll have to do something with the light. [ music ]

(Joe)>> Well it was the younger outlaw that robbed the race. Scruggs winning with a 4.47 at 157. But what a night for these pro mod bandits and their bad blown alcohol machines. Desperados of drag racing who steal the show at strips throughout the land. [ engine revving ]

(Chuck)>> Man, that's some cool stuff. Now Joe and I'll meet you in Las Vegas for a special edition of hot parts, right after this. (Joe off camera)>> Any bets on what's gonna be hot for high performance? Next, we'll head to a secret show in Vegas that's like a hot rodders candy store, stay tuned.

(Narrator)>> Now Horsepower's Hot Parts brought to you by Summit Racing Equipment. Your source for high performance parts for 30 years.

(Joe)>> Hey welcome back to the show and to America's playground, Las Vegas. Of course this is the home of bright lights, fast fortunes, and beautiful show girls. But we're not here for that, right?

(Chuck)>> We're not? I mean, we're not. We're here for the SEMA show. Now it's america's largest expo of high performance hardware. [ music ] (Joe off camera)>> Imagine the coolest cars and hottest parts of the near future all compressed into a million square feet at the Hilton convention center. This SEMA show's a must place to go for buyers. And once again we're sneaking you in for an eyeful. How we doing so far?

(Joe)>> This show continues to grow every year both in size and scope. Now there are thousands of new products some of which you could be bolting on your car in a few months.

(Chuck)>> that's right and it's amazing how many companies are diversifying their product lines. For instance B&M who built their reputation by building high performance transmissions, now they're shifting some of their attention to high performance ignitions. Now this one is for cars that have the latest o-e computers.

(Joe)>> And some of their more traditional hardware's finding homes in not so traditional places. A scatter shield for a Honda Civic?

(Chuck)>> Speaking of non- traditional, when was the last time you saw a '54 plymouth that looked like this one? Now it's on display at the flowmaster booth and it's got a set of their latest mufflers on it, and they employ this delta flow technology that'll help keep down the resonance inside your car.

(Joe)>> But if you want to reduce the strut flex in your hot rod Honda, well Moroso's got you covered with their front strut tower braces. Or, if you want to increase its horsepower, what about this aluminum racing pan?

(Chuck)>> Racing Hondas? Do you see some kind of trend here?

(Vic)>> It's not a coming thing, it's here, it's here now. And we're stepping right into it and the first thing that we've done here is with our exhaust system. And it's going right across the u-S. It's not just in southern California anymore.

(Chuck)>> Now that doesn't mean that Edelbrock's forgotten about good ole fashioned american horsepower. Check out this air gap rpm intake for small block Chevys. Now it's a dual plane design for good bottom end and the air gap eliminates that heat crossover for a cooler, denser charge, and more horsepower.

(Joe)>> Here's something new and hot for you Mopar guys. It's an aluminum head for small block Chryslers. It's got high-flow ports and 202-160 valves and since it's less weight, it'll be like putting your Dodge on a diet.

(Chuck)>> Diet? Man I don't wanna go on a diet. I wanna have my cake and eat it too and so can you owners of late model small block Chevys. This roller rocker from Erson Cams replaces the stock rail- type rockers perfectly and the best part is it fits under the original valve cover. Plus, I found this trick fuel log that'll fit any duel feed Holley. It's got a built-in pressure regulator up here and a place for a pressure gauge back here.

(Joe)>> And the guys at Lakewood haven't forgotten about you Ford guys. If you've got a '96-'98 Mustang with a modular motor, well here's a new bellhousing that allows you to adapt a toploader, tremec, or Jericho transmission to it.

(Chuck)>> Here's a new spin on clutch technology. Centerforce has developed a new clutch package for Plymouth Neon. It includes a flywheel, clutch disc, and pressure plate, all in one. I gotta tell you, it gives a whole new meaning to the term "get a grip."

(Joe)>> When most people see this name, they think cams and other valve train components. But how's this for a jolt? It's Crane's new Hi-6 DSR ignition with a built-in two stage rev limiter. Now it uses state of the art surface mount electronics. And again, they're not just for american applications. Got 'em for these imports, too.

(Chuck)>> Man, they've even got something for us hog heads, and I ain't talking about my hat size, either. Check out this voltage regulator for Harleys. It'll keep your battery fully charged, even while you're just putting around town. Plus, it's got it's own charger to keep your battery hot while your putt is parked.

(Joe)>> Well you keep it parked right there. We'll be back after we pay some bills, stay with us.

[ music ]

(Chuck)>> Welcome back to Horsepower TV and the SEMA show in Las Vegas. Well if you want to stay ahead of the pack well you'll want to check this out. It's the latest twisted wedge head from Trick Flow. Now it's got new combustion chambers and revised valve stem angles for even more power. Plus this fully machined valve cover rail means no more oil leaks. [ music ] (Joe off camera)>> There aren't many secrets to leak from this show about what's coming from the aftermarket, just more stuff, more options, and more choices for foreign and domestic hot rodding. Picking the right parts may still be a gamble, but here's a sure bet, the future of high performance is bigger and brighter than it's been in years.

(Joe)>> Of course hot parts are the stars here, but they all come together in cool cars like this one.

(Chuck)>> Yeah, it's a red-hot chevelle convertible parked in the trim parts booth, and it's only one example of the many tricks and trends that comprise our high performance lifestyle.

(Joe)>> Hey we've got to get our high performance tails back to the airport but first a look at next week's Horsepower TV. More Project Blue Thunder with a new rear end for our '71 Chevelle along with suspension pieces and a new fuel system. We'll go to the track and show you how to run with the top guns on a paltry budget, and we'll help you get ahead of the exhaust game with some header tech.

(Chuck)>> Hey we'll see you next week back at the shop.

(Joe)>> And remember high performance fun is what this show's all about. Hey do you have the keys for this thing?

(Chuck)>> Oh I guess that would help.

(Joe)>> Here they are. You know we might should have asked permission from the driver and the owner of this car.

(Chuck)>> We'll just leave it at valet parking.

(Joe)>> Okay, hey it won't start.

(Chuck)>> The battery's dead.

(Joe)>> Oh no, call a cab.

(Chuck)>> Did you leave the lights on?

(Narrator)>> Horsepoewr TV is an RTM Production.