mike_mn's Photobucket LevelAir Style Leveling Air Bag Build Instructions album media

24 Hours at 30PSI

mike_mn — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:44:54 MDT

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24 Hours at 30PSI - 31AirBagHoldingWellafter24hours.jpg

An initial loss can occur in the first few hours due to temperature and bag stretching, but after that you should have stable pressure and height indefinitely.

Loaded Height

mike_mn — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:44:26 MDT

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Loaded Height - 30AirBagLoaded55inches30PSI.jpg

Yukon XL Denali approx 1400lbs per wheel. 30PSI - 5 1/2 inches height

Unloaded height at 30PSI

mike_mn — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:43:57 MDT

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Unloaded height at 30PSI - 29AirBagNoLoadHeight825inAt30PSI.jpg

8 1/4 inches unloaded height at 30PSI.

Top View At 30 PSI

mike_mn — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:43:29 MDT

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Top View At 30 PSI - 28AirBagTopView30PSI.jpg

Side View at 30PSI

mike_mn — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:43:01 MDT

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Side View at 30PSI - 27AirBagSideView30PSI.jpg

End View at 30PSI

mike_mn — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:42:29 MDT

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End View at 30PSI - 26AirBagInflated30PSI.jpg

Bottom Side

mike_mn — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:42:01 MDT

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Bottom Side - 25AirBagBackSide.jpg

As you can tell it is the bottom. The wrinkles are caused due to the hose being wound up in a roll. I suggest using this side as the bottom, for no other reason that it is not as nice to look at.

Side Squish 2

mike_mn — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:41:30 MDT

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Side Squish 2 - 24AirBagCompression.jpg

Here is the other side.

Side Squish

mike_mn — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:41:05 MDT

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Side Squish - 23AirBagEdgeCompression.jpg

Here is the final side squish

Burn away the poly strands

mike_mn — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:40:40 MDT

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Burn away the poly strands - 22AirBagBurnEdges.jpg

The poly strands drive me nuts. You can't trim them, they keep coming out. Use a lighter and burn them all along the edge. Another option would be to use a soldering iron. You could stick it down each of the bolt holes to do a quick seal before final bolting and then along the edge for a seam seal. Not necessary, but an option...

Trimming

mike_mn — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:40:17 MDT

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Trimming - 21AirBagRazorBladeTrim.jpg

I use a razor blade to trim the excess material and make it look nice.

Final Assembly of one end

mike_mn — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:39:49 MDT

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Final Assembly of one end - 20aAirBagBarComplete.jpg

Install all 5 bolts and washers, and lockwashers and nuts. Then make sure to tighten from the center to the edge. We want compression to start at the center and squish out the sides. Repeat for the other end and you are on your way!

This is why you label the bars

mike_mn — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:39:17 MDT

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This is why you label the bars - 20aAirBagBarCheck.jpg

I started doing final assembly and realized I was using the wrong bar.

Dryed rubber cement

mike_mn — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:38:50 MDT

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Dryed rubber cement - 19AirBagSmoothedRubberCementDried.jpg

This is what it looks like dry. You can no longer see the scuffing. That is the purpose of scuffing, to give the adhesive somewhere to sit. We want the bag material to compress against itself and have the adhesive fill in the small gaps and scuffs.

A line of Rubber Cement

mike_mn — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:38:18 MDT

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A line of Rubber Cement - 18AirBagRubberCement.jpg

Make sure to clean the inside of all debris before laying the rubber cement down. Maybe run a dry cloth along the inside edge. You don't want to be gluing in any little extra dust and junk.

Scuff up the inside edge

mike_mn — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:37:50 MDT

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Scuff up the inside edge - 17AirBagScuffing.jpg

Your hand should be killing you by the time you do this for both sides. Make sure you get the corner, you want good adhesion when clamping.

Bolts added from center to the edge

mike_mn — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:37:21 MDT

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Bolts added from center to the edge - 9bAirBagClamping.jpg

With the intial installation, drill the hole, then bolt the hole from the center to the edge.

Make them all the same

mike_mn — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:36:52 MDT

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Make them all the same - 3AirBagaMatchCutting.jpg

Line up the first bar at the edges and make a cut line with the saw to help you make straight cuts and make the bars the same length.

Measure 2wice, Cut Once

mike_mn — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:36:23 MDT

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Measure 2wice, Cut Once - 3AirBagaaMeasureBar.jpg

Mark your first bar and cut with the hack saw at 13 1/8 inches.

Completed Bag

mike_mn — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 22:11:54 MDT

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Completed Bag - 20FinishedAirBag.jpg

Here is what the finished bag looks like.

Valve Stem Installed

mike_mn — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 22:11:26 MDT

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Valve Stem Installed - 16AirBagValveStemInstalled.jpg

When applying the rubber cement, use your finger to apply a small coat to the washers and the bag, inside and out. Let all areas dry for a minute or so, you can blow on it to speed up the process. The bonding of rubber cement takes place bonding 2 dried layers of rubber cement to make the bond. Rubber cement never drys hard, it will always remain a rubbery substance, which should be of benefit here.

Rough up the inside

mike_mn — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 22:10:59 MDT

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Rough up the inside - 15AirBagRoughUpInside.jpg

Using a wire brush or rough sandpaper, rough up the area that will be touching the washer on the inside of the bag and the outside of the bag. Make sure to clean the area before applying the rubber cement.

Valve Stem Inserted

mike_mn — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 22:10:34 MDT

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Valve Stem Inserted - 14AirBagTrimAirValve.jpg

With the inner washer installed, press with your fingers and verify there is no excess bag material bulging up the threads. Use a razor blade to remove this excess bag material if necessary.

Modified Valve Stem

mike_mn — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 22:10:07 MDT

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Modified Valve Stem - 13AirBagValveStemMods.jpg

I removed the bushing and washer and replaced them with 2 - 1 inch washers. If there ends up being a leak in your bags, there is a slim and none chance of it being with the valve stem sealing(more likely a bad valve than a leak in your mounting of it.

Valve Stem out of the package

mike_mn — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 22:09:38 MDT

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Valve Stem out of the package - 12AirBagValveStem.jpg

I did not use the large bushing or washer on the valve stem.

!!!!IMPORTANT NOTE!!!!

mike_mn — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 22:09:12 MDT

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!!!!IMPORTANT NOTE!!!! - 11AirBagWoodScrapProtection.jpg

Make absolute certain that you have a peice of scrap wood INSIDE the bag to make certain you don't drill through both side of the bag when drilling the hole for the valve stem.

Valve Stem Measuring

mike_mn — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 22:08:41 MDT

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Valve Stem Measuring - 10AirBagMeasureForValve.jpg

I used 3 inches on the first bag I made. I was not real happy with the location so I moved it to 4 inches and am not real happy with it. I suggest you use 3 1/2 inches from the bar edge and 1 inch from the bag edge.

Side Squish

mike_mn — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 22:08:14 MDT

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Side Squish - 10AirBagClampingBarSideView.jpg

As you can see, the edge has been compressed at least an 1/16 inch beyond the edge of the bars which measure the nominal bag width of 13 1/8 inches long. You should have no leaks if you are sealing them properly.

Bolts in

mike_mn — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 21:38:14 MDT

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Bolts in - 10AirBagClampingBar.jpg

Kind of a usless picture, but here it is...all the bolts are in.

First bolt

mike_mn — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 21:37:46 MDT

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First bolt - 9AirBagBarClampLineUp.jpg

Insert and tighten your center bolt. As you can see the Aluminum is flexing. You want to drill through each hole with your 9/32 bit, insert and tighten each bolt from the inside out one at a time. This is to help the bag stretch outwards for the best and most consistent clamping pressure.

Mark your Center Hole

mike_mn — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 21:37:20 MDT

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Mark your Center Hole - 8AirBagMarkCenterHole.jpg

Using the number 1 top bar, mark the position of the center bolt. Use the 9/32 bit to drill all the way through the bag.

Mark your bars

mike_mn — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 21:36:49 MDT

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Mark your bars - 7AirBagLabelBars.jpg

After you drill the 9/32 holes and chamfer them(this can also be done with a large drill bit) to de-bur them, mark your bars and the position they go in. 1 is the side, T for Top, B for Bottom and the Arrow always points to the bag edge.

Line up your holes

mike_mn — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 21:36:22 MDT

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Line up your holes - 6AirBagHoleConsistancy.jpg

Make sure you line up your holes with each mating bar when drilling the pilot holes. This will make things look nicer and frustration level will be lower when the holes line up perfectly.

Measure, Punch, Pilot, Drill, Chamfer

mike_mn — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 21:35:51 MDT

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Measure, Punch, Pilot, Drill, Chamfer - 5AirBagBarHoles.jpg

Start by measuring the center of the bar. From there, measure out 3 inches for each hole. Measure the center of each line, then use the center punch to mark your spot. Drill pilot holes, they allow you to be more accurate if using a hand drill. Then use the 9/32 bit(slightly oversized for easier assembly). Then counter sink bit to chamfer the hole edges.

Sanding the Edges

mike_mn — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 21:35:21 MDT

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Sanding the Edges - 4AirBagBarSandPaper.jpg

After filing the bevels, use some fine grit sandpaper(I used 220 grit) to smooth out the edges.

Filing the Aluminum Bars

mike_mn — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 21:34:59 MDT

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Filing the Aluminum Bars - 3AirBagBarEdgeBevel.jpg

After cutting 4(or 8 if you are making a set) bars to 13 1/8 inches, file the side smooth then add a bevel on each edge.

Hose Width

mike_mn — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 21:34:29 MDT

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Hose Width - 2AirBagWidth.jpg

Measures 13 1/8 inches. Make your bars this width, they will end up pinching the side and getting better compression than if you let the clamping bars hang over the edge.

Overview

mike_mn — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 21:34:01 MDT

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Overview - 1AirBagOverview.jpg

This is all the items I used to make my very own leveling air bag. I also used a black Sharpie marker and a table vice. Bill Of Materials for a set of 2 Air Bags -- 48 inches of 8 inch heavy duty red discharge hose from Spokane House of Hose - $62 shipped(better off to find it locally if possible) -- 1/4 inch x 1 inch x 12ft bar of aluminum - Local steel/aluminum supply company. Save yourself the cut charge and get the whole bar. It is more than you need, but it is only about $15 -- 2 Bolt in Valve Stems - local auto parts store. $12.75 for mine, but could be found cheaper. -- 10 each - 1/4-20 x 1 1/4 inch bolts, 1/4 washers, 1/4 inch lock washers, 1/4-20 nuts. Also 2 each 3/8 Washer 1 1/2 inch diameter for valve stem. Local Hardware store approximately $10 for zinc coated or $20 for Stainless Steel. -- 4oz tube of Rubber Cement. Enough for both bags. $4.25 at the Local Hardware store. Total all inclusive cost will be close to or over $100 for a set of these bags. Add another $10-30 for a foot pump or 12 volt air compressor. These things were far more expensive than I thought they would be.