Car hydraulics

Last updated

Car hydraulics are equipment installed in an automobile that allows for a dynamic adjustment in height of the vehicle. These suspension modifications are often placed in a lowrider, i.e., a vehicle modified to lower its ground clearance below that of its original design. With these modifications, the body of the car can be raised by remote control. The amount and kind of hydraulic pumps [1] being used and the different specifications of the subject vehicle will affect the impact of such systems on the height and orientation of the vehicle. With sufficient pumps, an automobile can jump and hop upwards of six feet off the ground. Enthusiasts hold car jumping contests [2] nationwide, which are judged on how high an automobile is able to bounce. [3]

Contents

Origin

Lowrider automobiles originated from the California custom car community. Hydraulics first came on the scene after the 1958 California lowered vehicle law went into effect. The first documented custom car with Hydraulics was in 1958 when Jim Logue of Long Beach California installed them in his custom 1954 Ford the “Fab X”. In 1959 Ron Aguirre of Rialto California installed hydraulics in his custom 1956 corvette the X Sonic and shortly thereafter, Aguirre began installing Hydraulic lifts in many custom cars in the Inland Empire. During the early 1960’s front hydraulic lifts became a very popular upgrade in many semi custom cars in California. War surplus aircraft hydraulic components were used to raise and lower the ride height. In 1962 the first Chevrolet Impala to feature hydraulics debuted, Tats Gotanda’s 1959 Impala the “Buddha Buggy” which featured hydraulics by Bill Hines. Throughout the 1960‘s a large majority of mild custom cars in Southern California were equipped with hydraulic lifts, eventually this style of car became known as the lowrider car by the early 1970’s. Today, lowriders can be found anywhere, worldwide.

International

In 1979, Japan received a shipment of Low rider magazines, which showed on the cover a lowered Chevy in front of Mount Fuji. This magazine, Orlie's Lowriding Magazine, was a profitable magazine that advertised lowriders and hydraulic kits for their consumers. [4] Along with these magazines came mail-order forms to purchase automotive hydraulics kits. By the 1980s, these kits along with cars, made Japan Orlie's top purchaser. [5]

Interior

The original pumps, valves and cylinders used for the modifications to these cars were originally used for operations performed in aircraft. Using these materials required a great deal of engineering ability in order to get these cars back in working condition after being stripped. For many automobile owners, it was too expensive to have an auto shop install the hydraulics in their car for them. In the early 1960s, owners were left to do the mechanics for their own cars because the kits were not sold in stores until the later 1960s. These hydraulic kits were known as "trays" to many consumers. Many times, since these batteries, pumps and valves were made for such large aircraft originally, extra batteries were needed to assist in the hydraulics. This would run the batteries down more often than the original usage for these batteries, so it was necessary for the owners of these automobiles to charge the automobile's batteries more frequently. [6] After using aircraft materials, trucks' liftgate materials were found to be more manageable on the car as well as easing the maintenance of the car.

These cylinders, two or more, are connected to one pipe that is filled with oil, the basic fluid used for a hydraulic system. The cylinders are used to establish compression pressure of the oil, fluid being supplied by the pump, to push the automobile up. [7] The motion of car is defined by the number of cylinder pumps installed in the vehicle. The number and placement of the pumps determines the range of motion the automobile has. A hydraulic dump valve called a "dump" is used to control the downward movement of the car.

Car Hydraulics are many times shown and advertised in the media. In the 1970s, many movies shot in east Hollywood became known for their lowrider automobiles with fancy hydraulics. Movies such as Up in Smoke and Chong's Classic were some of the few films featuring lowriders. [8] Even in more recent films and media, these automobiles are being displayed. Demonstrated in 1998's Wrongfully Accused, Leslie Nielsen's character, Ryan Harrison, steals a car that has installed hydraulics. The movie displays the bounce given by certain hydraulic systems that are equipped in specific cars. [9] In 2004, Snoop Dogg's music video, "Drop It Like It's Hot", featuring Pharrell, a 2004 Rolls-Royce Phantom is showing its installation hydraulics by tilting on the two left wheels, behind Snoop Dogg rapping.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-lock braking system</span> Safety anti-skid braking system used on aerospace and land vehicles

An anti-lock braking system (ABS) is a safety anti-skid braking system used on aircraft and on land vehicles, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. ABS operates by preventing the wheels from locking up during braking, thereby maintaining tractive contact with the road surface and allowing the driver to maintain more control over the vehicle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starter (engine)</span> Device used to start an internal combustion engine

A starter is a device used to rotate (crank) an internal-combustion engine so as to initiate the engine's operation under its own power. Starters can be electric, pneumatic, or hydraulic. The starter can also be another internal-combustion engine in the case, for instance, of very large engines, or diesel engines in agricultural or excavation applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowrider</span> Customized car with a lowered body

A lowrider or low rider is a customized car with a lowered body that emerged among Mexican American youth in the 1940s. Lowrider also refers to the driver of the car and their participation in lowrider car clubs, which remain a part of Chicano culture and have since expanded internationally. These customized vehicles are also artworks, generally being painted with intricate, colorful designs, unique aesthetic features, and rolling on wire-spoke wheels with whitewall tires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydropneumatic suspension</span> Pneumatics

Hydropneumatic suspension is a type of motor vehicle suspension system, designed by Paul Magès, invented by Citroën, and fitted to Citroën cars, as well as being used under licence by other car manufacturers. Similar systems are also widely used on modern tanks and other large military vehicles. The suspension was referred to as suspension oléopneumatique in early literature, pointing to oil and air as its main components.

A replacement automobile engine is an engine or a major part of one that is sold individually without any other parts required to make a functional car. These engines are produced either as aftermarket parts or as reproductions of an engine that has gone out of production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Car tuning</span> Modification of a cars performance

Car tuning is the modification of a car to optimise it for a different set of performance requirements from those it was originally designed to meet. Most commonly this is higher engine performance and dynamic handling characteristics but cars may also be altered to provide better fuel economy, or smoother response. The goal when tuning is the improvement of a vehicle's overall performance in response to the user's needs. Often, tuning is done at the expense of emissions performance, component reliability and occupant comfort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automobile accessory power</span> Power in cars

Automobile accessory power can be transferred by several different means. However, it is always ultimately derived from the automobile's internal combustion engine, battery, or other "prime mover" source of energy. The advent of high-powered batteries in hybrid and all-electrical vehicles is shifting the balance of technologies even further in the direction of electrically powered accessories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydraulic machinery</span> Type of machine that uses liquid fluid power to perform work

Hydraulic machines use liquid fluid power to perform work. Heavy construction vehicles are a common example. In this type of machine, hydraulic fluid is pumped to various hydraulic motors and hydraulic cylinders throughout the machine and becomes pressurized according to the resistance present. The fluid is controlled directly or automatically by control valves and distributed through hoses, tubes, or pipes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chevrolet Turbo-Air 6 engine</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Chevrolet Turbo-Air 6 is a flat-six air-cooled automobile engine developed by General Motors (GM) in the late 1950s for use in the rear-engined Chevrolet Corvair of the 1960s. It was used in the entire Corvair line, as well as a wide variety of other applications.

Power steering is a system for reducing a driver's effort to turn a steering wheel of a motor vehicle, by using a power source to assist steering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Custom car</span> Passenger vehicle that has been substantially altered in its appearance

A custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been altered to either improve its performance, change its aesthetics, or a combination of both. Some automotive enthusiasts in the United States want to push "styling and performance a step beyond the showroom floor - to truly craft an automobile of one's own." A custom car in British according to Collins English Dictionary is built to the buyer's own specifications.

A pimpmobile is a large luxury vehicle, usually a 1960s, 1970s or 1980s-model Lincoln, Cadillac, Buick or Chrysler vehicle, that has been customized in a garish, extravagant and kitsch or campy style. The style is largely an American phenomenon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowrider bicycle</span> Customized bicycle

A lowrider bicycle is a highly customized bicycle with styling inspired by lowrider cars. These bikes often feature a long, curved banana seat with a sissy bar and very tall upward-swept ape hanger handlebars. A lot of chrome, velvet, and overspoked wheels are common accessories to these custom bicycles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydraulic brake</span> Arrangement of braking mechanism

A hydraulic brake is an arrangement of braking mechanism which uses brake fluid, typically containing glycol ethers or diethylene glycol, to transfer pressure from the controlling mechanism to the braking mechanism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oil filter</span> Filter designed to remove contaminants from oil

An oil filter is a filter designed to remove contaminants from engine oil, transmission oil, lubricating oil, or hydraulic oil. Their chief use is in internal-combustion engines for motor vehicles, powered aircraft, railway locomotives, ships and boats, and static engines such as generators and pumps. Other vehicle hydraulic systems, such as those in automatic transmissions and power steering, are often equipped with an oil filter. Gas turbine engines, such as those on jet aircraft, also require the use of oil filters. Oil filters are used in many different types of hydraulic machinery. The oil industry itself employs filters for oil production, oil pumping, and oil recycling. Modern engine oil filters tend to be "full-flow" (inline) or "bypass".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Height adjustable suspension</span> Automobile suspension systems

Height adjustable suspension is a feature of certain automobile suspension systems that allow the motorist to vary the ride height or ground clearance. This can be done for various reasons including giving better ground clearance over rough terrain, a lower ground clearance to improve performance and fuel economy at high speed, or for stylistic reasons. Such a feature requires fairly sophisticated engineering.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to automobiles:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hi-riser</span> Customized automobile with large wheels

Hi-risers are a type of heavily-customized automobile, typically a full-size, body-on-frame, rear-wheel drive American sedan modified by significantly increasing the vehicle's ground clearance and adding large-diameter wheels with low-profile tires. Depending on the model, year and bodystyle, cars customized in this style can be labeled "donk", "box" or "bubble". Many within the community refer to this style of car as simply a "big rim" or "big wheel" car.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Model A engine</span> Automobile engine

The Ford Model A engine – primarily developed for the popular Ford Model A automobile – was one of the most mass-produced automobile engines of the 1920s and 1930s, widely used in automobiles, trucks, tractors, and a wide variety of other vehicles and machinery.

References

  1. ↑ "How do they create the hopping cars you see in the movies?". April 2000.
  2. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : Back Bumper from Franks Hydraulics. YouTube .
  3. ↑ Volti, Rudi (2004). Automobiles and Leisure. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 56.
  4. ↑ "TEN: The Enthusiast Network :: Magazine Store".
  5. ↑ Penland, Paige R. (2003). Lowrider. 380 Jackson Street, St. Paul, MN, USA: MBI Publishing Company. p. 103. ISBN   076031599X.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  6. ↑ Ganahl, Pat (2001). The American Custom Car . 380 Jackson Street, St. Paul MN, USA: MBI Publishing Company. p.  111. ISBN   0760309507. car hydraulics.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  7. ↑ "Evolution of Hydraulics System".
  8. ↑ "Lowrider History".
  9. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : Wrongfully Accused - Hydraulic Car. YouTube .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.