14 Dec Laying The Groundwork
Since we’ve run out of “line” puns at the moment, it’s time to lay down some lines on Dan’s airbagged Accent build.
When we last finished discussing Dan’s Accent, we had sealed off the small vent above the exhaust pipe, as well as installing the air struts and checking the height of the vehicle. While it was being tested for ride height, we noticed a good bit of reverse rake taking place (meaning, the front rested higher than the rear). We looked to see what the issue was, and it was relatively straightfoward — the tie rods were bumping up against the frame in the front. Instead of notching the frame, as we’ve done in the past on other cars, the solution was actually easier this time. We reamed the tie rods so that they were able to be installed from the bottom of the bolt hole rather than the top. This gives the tie rod enough clearance without modifying the frame, and it also positions the tie rods in a much more normal fashion (rather than being at an extreme angle between the rack and the knuckle, an issue seen with many super-low cars). We slotted the sway bar’s endlink bracket as well, to make sure that the tie rod and sway bar were angled correctly and not at risk of touching one another.
After that, we checked out the ride height, and the reverse rake was completely eradicated. Awesome.
We also did a little retrofit to add some extra adjustability to the air shocks. Seeing as how Dan’s old coilovers and his current air struts were both made for his specific car by the same company, Ksport, we assumed the front camber plates from the coilovers would be able to work with the air struts. And boy, were we right. We swapped them over and there you go, a few extra points of adjustment to get the car sitting perfectly.
With that complete, we moved to the fun part of the build — running air lines and ECU wires from the sensors and air struts to the AccuAir parts in the trunk. We’re not giving away the full scope of the trunk build just yet, so for now, we’ll stick with what we’re currently doing. The next step was to mount the two AccuAir controllers to the floor of the trunk and run the lines under the back seat. With a good bit of measuring and a little bit of elbow grease, we bolted everything in and started focusing on the lines.
We have to run two wires of different gauges to each corner of the car. The grey wire will connect to the sensor itself, allowing the ECU to measure ride height based on sensor output. The thicker, black line is for the air. It goes from the air controller to the airbags to alter the pressure up or down, depending on the need. For the front wires, we’ll be running them under the carpet along the doorsill, where existing parts of the wiring harness already run. Those two wires will then exit through a hole behind the fender liner, coming out and attaching where necessary.
The rear lines, being much closer to the AccuAir controllers, are a bit easier to route. There are two holes behind the trunk panels that lead to the rear wheel wells, and we’ve got the wires coming out from there. Pretty simple.
Now obviously, they give you much more wire/tubing than you actually need, so we’ll cut each line to fit, keeping everything nice and clean. That step is coming up, along with plenty more work in the trunk as we continue this build. Check in with us next week for more updates, but until then, have a great weekend! Go home and hug your loved ones extra tight.
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