question for air bag guys

[cstm68]

so i have looked into lowering my 68swb. my plan was to go with 2 1/2 drop spindals with front disks and convert the whole thing to five lug for a set of hopster 550's
for the rear i was planing an 5'' drop coils and 1'' blocks.

now i am having 2nd thoughts, i wil stay with converting it to 5 lug with disk brakes but i am now trying to decide if i want to air bag it all the way around.

my biggest problem is that im only 17 so money is a slight problem.
i would just like to get it lowered for now
so is it possible to do all the 5 lug stuff and brakes first then later put in all the airbag stuff or shoud i just do it all at once?

[shifty]

I would start by getting the spindles and brakes you want first and foremost. When you pull out your old spindles, your springs will be out, and you can safely use a hacksaw or sawzall to remove exactly one coil from the spring, giving you an extra 1-2" of drop, I believe, the suspension will be a little mushier, but .... just don't heat the coils.

I personally won't cut my coils, but a lot of guys here do it, swear that it's safe, etc.

If you do that, you can just buy bags for the rear and install them, inflate them, and then start saving up for a compressor and lines. finally, to top it off, buy your front bags and install them, then get a c-notch for the rear if you're going that far.

[cstm68]

cool thanx i have a bolt in c notch kit already to instal.

are you saying not to use front bags?

[cstm68]

is there a kit for just rear bags without that i dont need a compressor for ??
one that will just bolt up where the old coils are ??

[shifty]

Originally Posted by cstm68

cool thanx i have a bolt in c notch kit already to instal.

are you saying not to use front bags?

is there a kit for just rear bags without that i dont need a compressor for ??

one that will just bolt up where the old coils are ??

I am saying:

You can install your C-notch now. There is no need for bags, and if you have the time now, just get it over with. It won't be of detriment.

Bags are simply an inflatable device that replaces the spring. You take your spring out, you install the bag. Sometimes cups are required.

Someone will probably correct me if I'm wrong here, but you can simply plop in a bag, install the valves to the top, then fill the thing up. It will stay inflated. I plan on doing this in my truck, and just ride around on bags that are inflated to my desired ride height till I can afford the compressor, lines and other crap. Remember - bags just replace the spring.

Search the forum for "Airbags for dummies" or "airride for dummies" at any time to get this threaD:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...irbags+dummies

provides a good chunk of info about what you're up against, install, etc.

It will also tell you what plates and cups are required, and you can get an overview of the install.

I think I'm personally going to go with Classic Performance Products, and use their tubular kit to replace my control arms, etc. in the front - they're pre-setup for bags and with the tubular setup, you can lay lower than the stock setup by at least an inch or two, because they allow for more articularion than stock.

Again - I don't want to buy springs very much if I'm just going to replace them later...and I, probably like you, want to do this in one fell swoop, so I'm buying bag-specific equipment and taking it in steps. Just don't forget you'll need to upgrade your shocks also.

[shifty]

PS - see this thread for pics:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=129463

That is linked in the thread I just linked in my last post. nothing really required to do the rear install except the bags, the mounting bolts, and you drill three holes. You'll need to install valves, etc. but ...

[crzngmychvy]

Where are you buying your air ride parts from? I'm looking for a good price on some from ART. thanks!

[shifty]

Originally Posted by crzngmychvy

Where are you buying your air ride parts from? I'm looking for a good price on some from ART. thanks!

I always see a lot of people saying to order from Suicide Doors' website.

PS - I agree with 'bcubed' - I do not recommend doing manual inflate bags in the front. That's why I said up there that if you're going with 2.5" spindles, you'll need to pull out your front springs anyhow, so chop a single coil off of them, reinstall them, and that will give you ~4.5" drop in the front - bag the rear to balance it out (manual inflate) and you'll have a semi-static drop for now, till you can afford the compressors, line, two front bags, and wire it all up. two-step process to a good drop for now, without buying unnecessary crap.

[cstm68]

im not shure thats another thing im trying to figure out.

[1lowdiesel]

go on this site dropndrag.com and contact 1lownismo for parts he's cheaper than ssd and gets the parts to you faster.

i would say just bag it, believe me don't waste the money static dropping it only later to rip everything off and try to sell it when your ready to bag it.
deff do the spindles and brakes though.
also if your gonna run bags runs re7 slams they compress more and have a better ride. and like the other guy said you can just put them in and inflate em' then plug them. and drive w/ them like that.

also if your gonna run the ssd front kit your gonna wanna cut that bottom cup down to about 1.5" it doesn't need to be that tall.

[bcubed]

You can put bags in the rear and just run airline to them and have a manual inflation valve (schrader valve) ... This would be much like air shocks, but your bag (air spring) would also be supporting the vehicle. You can run the airline to the bumper/tag and fill it with an air hose.

Bags can be gotten for about $75 each, and the airline, fittings and inflation valve would be probably another $50 or so.

There are many bags to choose from, I used to run Firestone's, and they are fine. But I just switched to Slam Specialties and they are allot better made and you get more lift of the vehicle with less air.

Also you have to decide what size port on the bag you want, 1/2" being one of the largest and great if you want a fast system (down the road) .. of you can go with 3/8"s or 1/4" .. the price is not much different.

As for buying them, http://www.***************** has great prices, as well you can buy from http://www.kpcomponents.com

I wouldn't suggest running bags in the front without a compressor/tank/valve setup .. just never seen anyone run a vehicle on all 4 corners with manual fill bags, but I guess it could be done.

Hope this helps some.

[shifty]

Originally Posted by bcubed

But I just switched to Slam Specialties and they are allot better made and you get more lift of the vehicle with less air.

Question: I see three different models of SS bags: the RE 200 PSI Single Port, HE 400 PSI Dual Port, XS 600 PSI Dual Port.

Some questions:

What are the advantages of dual-port bags vs. single port in a 4-bag setup?

What is the difference between the HE 600 and HE 400 that is worth $50 of my money?

Got any recommendations?

Just curious ....

[bcubed]

We've cut many coils with no problems in the past. And it's perfectly ok to do a bag job as you can. I only had bags on my front for a few years, and then did the back later.

[cstm68]

so it sounds like a can just do drop spindals/cut my coils in the front with my disk brakes and for the back just basicaly replace the coils with bags ??

with the manual fill bags in the rear can i just fill them with the air compressor in my garage ??
how can i deflate them ?

[shifty]

Using the Schrader valve.

Schrader valve - same thing you'll find on a bicycle tire or car tire. You know, you push in the center pin, and air comes out?

Just think of the airbag as being like a tire. Fill it up using the schrader valve, air it out using the schrader valve.

[cstm68]

thanx for all the onfo

[randomhero472]

No need to run anything other than the re200, the others are for hopping. Also single port bags are plenty fast, most people claim its to fast to realy control the fill-dump effectivly. also most guys on here are running a 7" re200 (or re7) thats what i'll be running front-back
cstm68, dont waste the money now on springs just to take them out later and have them be worth nothing.. leave the trucks suspesnion alone, save up a little money and slowly build yourself an airide setup, just look for 4 valves, a 5 gallon tank, viar compressor and some slam re7's, if you shop around you can have that for 600 bux +/-, just my .02 cents

[cstm68]

Originally Posted by randomhero472

cstm68, dont waste the money now on springs just to take them out later and have them be worth nothing.. leave the trucks suspesnion alone, save up a little money and slowly build yourself an airide setup, just look for 4 valves, a 5 gallon tank, viar compressor and some slam re7's, if you shop around you can have that for 600 bux +/-, just my .02 cents

well right now the front had the stock front spindals in the front but the coils are cut . i was gunna use the same coils for now with drop spindals and just bag the rear for now then when i get a compressor i will do front bags
does that sound reasonable?

right now the front is lowered and the rear is stock hight i just want to get my 5 lug disk convertion with drop spindals done and level the rear.

then later add a compressor and front bags to adjust the ride hight.
when i do front bags i will just be replacing the coils that are in the front now

[shifty]

sounds like what you're doing is basically what i'm doing, so ... yeah, sounds reasonable to me.

[cstm68]

Originally Posted by shifty

sounds like what you're doing is basically what i'm doing, so ... yeah, sounds reasonable to me.

basicaly the only parts im buying are the ones that will stay
im not gunna buy coils or anything then replace them l8ter with bags. ill just use whats there now (the stock suspention) and slowly replace that !

[bowtieboy93]

when i do my suspension in a couple of months what im going to do is just go with 5 lug disk's at all 4 corners with 2 1/2 inch drop spindles. and im just going to make my own brakets outta 1/8 inch steel plate and a steel tube 4" just like how it comes in a kit and just have non-adjustable 'bags between the trailing arms and frame and in the front squeeze 'em between the a-arms to keep my ride smooth and low. since they are not adjustable i will run a tube off of the 'bag to the inside of the fenders and that way i can just go to a gas station air pump to adjust the height.

[billdo]

could some body tell me how tall the bag is at ride height lets just say in the front i need a rough idea please help

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by billdo

could some body tell me how tall the bag is at ride height lets just say in the front i need a rough idea please help

Different bags require different ride heights. That being said, 'typical' height for a front bag would be about 6-7".

[Kayotic]

About the Duel-Port bags mentioned above:

For the rear, if you go w/duels you can use 1 port for air in. The other port could be tied to the other rear bag with a "T" and one dump valve. Makes for a cleaner install, only needs one valve for rear dump. Both rear bags will dump at the same time.

just another option. Never attempt this for the front. I have 2 re200 7" for the rear myself.

[billdo]

re 7 singal ports sorry i should have mentioned that