Suspension & Brake update advice

[Tinman86]

Our 1986 22' Chieftain is now running with the motor and a rebuilt tranny.

Now on to the suspension and Brakes

there are ari bags and I can't find the numbers for what pressure they should be.

The shocks need to be replaced - they are currently some kind of coil-overs and am wondering if the FSD's are worth the $'s

Brakes work but have the 6 year rust on them - any advice on this?

thanks

[JimElliott]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tinman86 Our 1986 22' Chieftain is now running with the motor and a rebuilt tranny. Now on to the suspension and Brakes there are ari bags and I can't find the numbers for what pressure they should be. The shocks need to be replaced - they are currently some kind of coil-overs and am wondering if the FSD's are worth the $'s Brakes work but have the 6 year rust on them - any advice on this? thanks

According to my air bag sticker 40# min and 100# max on the air bags.
I use the "Gas adjust shocks" on the front and "ruff" riding Bill's on the back which will someday be replaced since the rear also has air bags.
Since the brakes work I would just drive around (slowly) and work the brakes until the surface rust disappears....
Replacing the brake fluid would help out also.

Jim

[Marty too]

Tinman: Back when I was running a P-30 chassis with front air bags (inside the coil springs) air pressure was a big subject at that time. On a forum (now defunct) a test was run on the air bag pressure and the general consensus was 50 lbs PSI should be the correct pressure and that’s what I ran my bags at.

Also, I read somewhere that to determine correct air bag pressure, deflate all air, load the unit for travel, then apply enough air back into the bags to level out the coach. I never like this idea and never submitted to it but someone must have.

Now that I have a Workhorse, I don’t have to worry about air bag pressure any more.

Marty

[Tinman86]

Well I tried to inflate the front one on the drivers side and It came out as fast as I put it in.

Do I really need these if I get Koni FSD's or Bilsteins?

Any idea what to get to replace them and how difficult to do it and How to do it?

[hillboy]

The air bags are pretty easy to replace. It's been a while but I believe mine were Firestone and easy to find RV repair shop or on line. They come with pretty clear directions.

Also not too expensive to have them installed.

There is a hole at the bottom of the "A" frame under the coil spring. The old ones can be cut out with the proper circle saw drill bit or in a pinch with a knife. The new ones when wrapped tightly, purged of air, warmed up to soften in hot water, soaped or lubed and wrapped with twine will slide up into the center of the spring. When inflated all done.

A little more complicated than it sounds but the directions are clear.
I replaced one in the Circus Circus campground on a nice warm summer day in not too long a time.

I wouldn't think shocks could replace the air bag function. Every little bit helps.

[Seon]

I just replaced the front air bags on my P-30 chassis 22' '84 Chieftain with Firestone's #4100 bags.
I also installed rear airbags to lift it when towing my boat. Firestone #2080.
While at it, I replaced the steering damper which made it more manageable when steering down narrow winding roads and the air bags certainly smoothed out the bumps.

[Tinman86]

I assume that you shopped around to find the bags and the damper.

can you share where you ended up gettting the stuff.

thanks

[Seon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tinman86 I assume that you shopped around to find the bags and the damper. can you share where you ended up gettting the stuff. thanks

I'm retired and do my homework when it comes to finding the cheapest
"like item".


I bought the Damper at NAPA auto parts at the cost of $85 out the door. Had I bought the bags on the internet listed at the same price, I would have had to pay about $12 shipping. This damper greatly improved the wandering steering.

The front air bags were from Amazon at $83 delivered. Recommended air pressure 40-70 psi. You need to have strong hand grip to be able to "twist" the bag to install which I don't.
What I did was placed two plywood strips in a vice placing the bag in between the plywood thus making a "sandwich". I tighten the vice, twisted the bag to release the air and then inserted the plug. This allowed me to insert the deflated air bags inside each coil. You'll need to spray a soapy water solution on the bag to get a "slippery" affect which makes it easier to install. It still was a bear .

The rear were from adventurerv.net on sale at $229 plus shipping. Recommended air pressure 40-90 lbs. This was relatively easy to install. No drilling required to mount the bag brackets but you'll need to fabricate a mounting bracket for the air stem for front and back bags. Unless you want to drill into the coach's wheel well or thru the frame.

Hope this helps.