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1971 Chevy Truck - Project Get ShortyPart 4: Cross The T's And Dot The Lowercase J's From the February, 2009 issue of Custom Classic Trucks By Dakota Wentz
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Why is it that when you think the job is finished, or at least you begin to feel a sense of accomplishment, you realize the job is only half done? It's like a curse; there's just no getting around it. Well, for the past few issues Project Get Shorty has come a long way, but the problem is I've really only got the bulk work finished, and now it's time to go back and, as Wayne Campbell would say, "cross the T's and dot the lowercase J's." In the past few issues, the frame was shortened, the suspension was hung, and the brake system was installed...yet all the finite stuff hadn't been scratched. For instance, the brakes are in, but what about all the brake plumbing? The plumbing for the Air-Ride airbags? Or even the wiring for the ART system...and now that I think of it, what about the actual system itself? As you can see, there is still a lot of work to be done to finish these things up. So this month it's time to retrace our tracks and finish things up so we can move on to the next step. The first thing on the agenda is to plumb the brakes. Because the frame has been shortened and a new master cylinder, booster, and proportioning valve have been installed, the stock brake lines just aren't going to cut it. In order to plumb the truck, Inline Tube sent us a pre-fabbed rear brake line to get things started. From there, I bought some brake line at the local parts store and bent all my own lines just the way I wanted them. In the end, I made all my own lines, even in the rear, because I moved the rear brake line from the truck's passenger side to the driver side due to all the accessories going on Shorty. In the front, I left the stock brake lines from the T on the crossmember to each wheel, and I fabbed a line to run to that T from the master cylinder. By the way, when plumbing a system, be sure to use 1/4-inch line to the rear and 3/16-inch line up front. Next, I installed the Air Ride Technologies RidePro e2 system, mounted the compressors and tank, and ran the air lines and wiring. The RidePro e2 system is an electronic compressor control system. The system features voltage-based air pressure sensors that electronically read bag pressures and air tank pressure. The system also features a ride height on start function, which means when the truck is started the system will automatically raise the truck to the highway ride height preset on the controller. The system also has three user-programmable one-touch ride height presets accessed via the control panel. On top of that, all the wires feature plug-and-play weatherproof OEM-style connectors. This system also features two compressors and a tank. And all it really takes to install those is finding a place to mount them. Enough of that, it's off to the Primedia Tech Center.  I started by finishing off...  I started by finishing off the brake install. Inline Tube manufactures pre-bent brake lines like this one, which is a rear brake line for a '71 Chevy. However, because of all the aftermarket accessories on Shorty, I straightened it out and ran this line on the driver side since I had extra room. On a stock '71, this line runs on the passenger side.  Because of the new Performance...  Because of the new Performance Online master cylinder and proportioning valve, along with everything else, I couldn't use stock replacement lines from Inline Tube, so I headed down to the local parts store and bought some straight 3/16-inch and 1/4-inch brake lines complete with flares and fittings, which cost me about $20, and this small handheld tubing bender. (Inline Tube does sell brake line stock as well for the same purpose.)  One might think fabricating...  One might think fabricating your own brake lines is rather hard, but au contraire, it's rather simple. The first step is to hold up the line to your canvas that the line will flow with and mark where you want your bend.  Next, place the line in the...  Next, place the line in the bender with your mark at 0 degrees, and bend the line to the degree desired-and that's really all there is to it.  Using that little bender,...  Using that little bender, you can bend the brake line to the right, left, up, down, and even all that with an angle in it. Here is a line I made for Project Get Shorty. On the left is what I started with, and on the right is my finished line. As you can see, that bender is very versatile.  Here is another line I bent...  Here is another line I bent to flow with the rearend. Using the same technique of placing my line against my canvas and marking where I want my bends, I used the bender to fabricate the line.  In some instances I had to...  In some instances I had to cut the pre-fabbed line down to the length I needed, which is no problem. Simply reflare the line with a double flaring tool, also available at parts stores or Harbor Freight, and you're good to go.  Sometimes it's near impossible...  Sometimes it's near impossible to bend one long straight line in the desired position. Instead, you can bend two shorter lines and combine them together using a union, as marked by the white arrow.  Here's another problem I ran...  Here's another problem I ran into. My bender couldn't bend an accurate enough angle for a certain application; therefore, I grabbed a socket and slowly and carefully bent the line around the socket until I got my desired shape.  Here's the line I bent around...  Here's the line I bent around the socket. As you can see, improvising is the key to life.  To fasten the brake line to...  To fasten the brake line to the frame, I used these stainless clips from Inline Tube.  The next part of finishing...  The next part of finishing up was to install the Air Ride Technologies RidePro system and air lines.  ART makes the install and...  ART makes the install and system easy with this RidePro solenoid box. All the solenoids are assembled and pre-wired for a plug-and-play setup. All you have to do is install the air fittings and pressure sensors to the box. Also, whenever installing any of the air fittings, be sure to use Teflon for an airtight fit.  My next step was to route...  My next step was to route the air lines. All the air fittings are push-in, so the first thing I did was push the air line into each bag's fitting.  A few issues back I installed...  A few issues back I installed the ART suspension, and in the front I drilled a hole in the spring pocket to route the air line out of. Before I ran any of the front air lines to my destination, I put a rubber grommet in the hole I drilled. The last thing I want is an air line to rub a hole and deflate instantly.  When routing the air line,...  When routing the air line, make sure to keep it away from all moving parts and hot objects, such as headers or the exhaust. On the front passenger side, this brake line, which runs along the front crossmember, made for a perfect line to follow over to the driver side by simply zip-tying it to the line. From there, I ran both the front and driver-side line to the RidePro solenoid box.  I mounted the box to the outside...  I mounted the box to the outside of the framerail just below the cab on the driver side; therefore, that's where all four of my air lines eventually led to. I also mounted one of the compressors just behind the box, and the other compressor on the passenger framerail. At this time, I also plugged in the correct wires to the plugs on the solenoid box.  From there, I ran all the...  From there, I ran all the air lines and wires into the cab, where they will hook into the air tank and ART brain. On a side note, the holes that were left opened when I removed the gas tank from the cab worked perfectly for routing the lines. As for the other two, I simply drilled them and installed grommets.  And BAM, the system is wired!...  And BAM, the system is wired! I know we fast forwarded ahead a bit, but by plugging in the wires, this is what things look like-yes, it's that simple. With the gas tank gone, this area makes for a perfect place to run all the wires, mount the brain (the white arrow), place the air tank, and more.  By the way, these compressor...  By the way, these compressor relays need to be mounted, and when I removed the spare tire kit from the cab, these threaded holes were left open, which made mounting the relays to a firm place incredibly easy. Don't ya love it when things go your way?  The last step was to install...  The last step was to install the correct air fittings in the tank and bolt the tank in position. From there, I wired the brain to a few hot wires, and my system was installed. Now all that's left to do is install the LevelPro system, but that will have to wait.
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1959 Ford F-100
Scott Oshinki rebuilt a 1959 Ford F-100 for his father-in-law Art Carney....
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