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1960 Ford Starliner AirRide Suspension System - Weekend Makeover: Altitude AdjustmentSet the stance to perfection with an AirRide suspension system from RideTech From the June, 2012 issue of Popular Hot Rodding By Christopher Campbell Photography by Randy Lorentzen
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The grille, bumper, and core support are missing in the intro photo because the big FE was yanked for a rebuild while we worked on the makeover, but it was a running, driving car when found. We can't think of a single... We can't think of a single company that has really put thought and effort into creating a full performance suspension solution for full-frame '60s Fords except RideTech—and they didn't cut corners either. We opted for the Level 2 system that includes upgraded aluminum adjustable shocks, as well as the RidePro e3 fully programmable electronic control system. Both upgrades will not only improve ride quality, but also provide more adjustment and quick tunability for more aggressive driving. On day one of our Weekend Makeover, we wrapped up the lettering and exterior on our ’60 Starliner. For day two, the mission was to get it NASCAR low and take care of handling ills. The engine was tired, but not nearly as worn-out as the suspension. The ’Liner was sketchy at all speeds to say the least, and the squashy springs had us feeling like we might drag the door handles if we dared even a mildly aggressive turn. We don’t mind saving the bodywork for later, but we can’t hold our heads up proudly and cruise a Starliner that looks like an old NASCAR racer if it still drives like a derelict. Up on the lift, it was immediately obvious that we needed to replace pretty much every suspension component to get the driveability up to par. Also, to complete our NASCAR look we needed to drop the ride height a few inches. Of course real racers never needed to worry about ground clearance, but since real-world cruising was on our minds we didn’t want to be stuck with a stance that looked terrific but had us dragging the underbody or pipes going in and out of driveways. Lucky for us, RideTech loves the big Fords too and has developed a complete, near bolt-in suspension solution that will give us the all-important low stance without commitment, excellent ride quality, and even handling performance.  This is the rear AirBar conversion...  This is the rear AirBar conversion for '60-64 Galaxies, and the lion's share of the RideTech kit for these cars. Rather than leaf springs, we'll be switching over to a triangulated four-link and RideTech's ShockWave that act as spring and shock combined.  To begin, we need to support...  To begin, we need to support the axle so the leaf springs, shocks, pinion snubber, and in some cases the tailpipes, can be removed. Pretty much all that will be staying is the rearend itself, and the factory front leaf-spring mounting bolts, since they will be reused.  Check out this odd rear mount...  Check out this odd rear mount for the leaf spring. This flex point was one of Ford's tricks to make the Galaxie's ride smoother.  Very few permanent mods are...  Very few permanent mods are involved in getting the AirBar in, but there are two. On the framerails, directly above the axle, are two metal stubs used to locate the original axle bumpstops that will interfere with the AirBar cradle and will need to be ground flat.  You can see the other area...  You can see the other area to be trimmed here; the plate above the original crossmember needs the edge ground to about 45 degrees for clearance. After that the AirBar should slide right in. Trust us, it'll probably look like it's not going to go in at first, but all it takes is just the right wiggle. Ours fit like a glove.  The bolthole just in front...  The bolthole just in front of the ShockWave mount will align with a factory hole in the frame to position the cradle. The rest of the eight holes are drilled with a 5/16-inch bit and then threaded with ⅜x1-inch self-tapping bolts. Be careful not to overtighten these bolts though.  The lower control arm mount...  The lower control arm mount uses the original leaf-spring pad with new heavy-duty U-bolts and centers, using an aluminum sleeve that will slide over the original alignment pin. The lower control arm bolts into the front leaf-spring pocket with original hardware. The billet aluminum mount for the ShockWave has several mounting options, but this is the recommended position to start in.  The upper bars should be set...  The upper bars should be set at the appropriate 12 inches length center-to-center out of the box, but it's always a good idea to double-check before the next step.  Here's why the install isn't...  Here's why the install isn't a complete bolt-in; Galaxies never had upper control arms, so a mount must be welded onto the axle.  Before any welding though,...  Before any welding though, we need to make sure the axle is centered in the car. The easy way to check is to hang a plumb bob from the side of the car and measure to the axle flange.  Once we set the axle where...  Once we set the axle where we want it and weld the upper mounts onto the axle, we're ready for the ShockWaves. Think of these as basically coilovers that use air rather than steel springs. We get all of the benefits, plus instant adjustability.  Here's one of the coolest...  Here's one of the coolest upgrades for any RideTech system: the LevelPro external height sensors. They mount on the chassis of the car and use a linkage with rubber ends to connect the sensor arm and a suspension component | usually the lower control arm in the rear. Using the controller for the RidePro e3, we can set various ride heights that the suspension will adjust to at the touch of a button.  Up front, the installation...  Up front, the installation is a snap once you've removed the original coil spring and shocks. A couple of notches need to be made in the lower control arm spring pocket for clearance and a hole must be drilled just forward of the factory shock hole on the upper control arm for routing the airline.  Also, the upper coil spring...  Also, the upper coil spring retainer needs to be trimmed away to clear the top of the ShockWave, since contact with metal can damage the ShockWave.  The ShockWave's trunion sits...  The ShockWave's trunion sits on top of the arm as opposed to the factory shock (which bolts to the bottom side of the car), so the factory nutserts will need to be removed. After that, we routed the air line and bolted in the ShockWave with the supplied hardware.  Here's our favorite part of...  Here's our favorite part of the whole kit: the AirPod. Ours is the upgraded five-gallon unit with dual compressors, and, of course, the RidePro e3. Not only is this a clean solution that knocks hours off an air suspension install, it's fully wired and plumbed and takes all the fear out of the logistics of component mounting. Everything is on a board, ready to be bolted down.  We've got a whiskey-runnin'...  We've got a whiskey-runnin' sized trunk in the Starliner, so the AirPod has plenty of room. All we have to route is 12 volts and ground, run the airlines, then plug in the controller, and we're done. There's really no downside to this thing; we wouldn't even consider doing an install without it in the future.  Speaking of the air lines,...  Speaking of the air lines, those get routed to the top of the ShockWaves and plumbed into these quick-connect fittings. Note the knob to the left: The Level 2 system includes RideTech's Master Series single-adjustable aluminum shocks, front and rear, with 26 rebound adjustment clicks from soft to firm.  Once the install is finished,...  Once the install is finished, the RidePro e3 is the master interface that makes everything happen. It has a calibration process that must be run before the preset can be established. We have ours set to automatically raise to driving height when the key is turned on.  Here's what we'll be tucking...  Here's what we'll be tucking into the fenderwells, thanks to our awesome new RideTech system: 17x8 and 17x9 steelies from Summit Racing with 245/45R17 and 275/40R17 Ecsta 4x performance rubber from Kumho. You'd think it would be hard to age powdercoat, but Reyes proved us wrong by rubbing them down with an extremely thinned-out black paint that, combined with the powdercoat, mimics aged red paint nicely.  Here's the final reveal of...  Here's the final reveal of our NASCAR Weekend Makeover. Want to see bigger photos and more details of the artwork on the Starliner? Head over to PopularHotRodding.com for high-res images, or check out the videos on the Popular Hot Rodding YouTube channel with Jeff Styles adding his custom touch in the PHR photo studio.
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