Bagged 05 Suburban

[LooseCannon]

I purchased this burb in Feb due to my expanding family (3rd boy is due in August). A Tahoe or Yukon was my first choice but decided they didn’t offer enough room for our needs: 3 kids, 2 adults, wheelchair (I’m paraplegic), 90lb Rottie, luggage/cargo/misc, so I settled on a Suburban.

The decision to install air ride was out of necessity more than anything, though I do like the looks of just about anything on the ground. I need the vehicle low in order to transfer in and out but also want a nice, comfortable ride so I opted for Air Ride Technologies CoolRide for the rear, ShockWaves for the front, and LevelPro BIG RED MAX for air management.

I work slow and thorough (this is my first air ride install) so my goal is to have the four corners bagged by the end of the 3 day weekend; today I took off work to get started on the install. I didn't make as much progress as I expected but progress non the less.

I managed to get it on jack stands, remove the torsion bars, front shocks, trimmed the corner of the bump stop bracket and completely removed the bump stop cup from the drivers front. Wrapped the day up with installing the drivers front ShockWave.


Here's how it looked when purchased. It's a VERY clean 05 - 29,000 miles, only 1 previous owner, leather, front buckets, bose audio, etc..


How I left things today...






More progress tomorrow!

[67ChevyRedneck]

That's going to look great! Looks like it's brand new still!

[LooseCannon]

Finished installing the passengers side ShockWave today. Like with the drivers side I removed the bump stop cup, trimmed the corner of the bracket, shortened the sway bar end links 2 1/4" and drilled out the end link nut to accommodate a 3/8 bolt. From GM the bolt/nut is 9mm and the ShockWaves came with a replacement (shorter for the shortened end links) but it was the wrong size. I didn't have any 9mm hardware laying around but did have a few 7" 3/8 bolts and nylock nuts that worked perfectly.

Here are a couple pics...

Before removing the bump stop and trimming the corner


After


Shortening the end links and drilling the end link nut/cap




ShockWave installed

[LooseCannon]

I threw a wheel on the burb to get a measurement of the amount of drop and have to say I'm very disappointed. According to the tape measure the ShockWaves only gave me 4" of total drop and I was expecting 6" and 3" at ride height.

The before and after measurement are not exactly apples to apples though because the before was with the truck sitting on the ground. I expect the tire to compress some with the weight of the truck but not 2".






Nothing is interfering or binding up




Tie rod and sway bar are close (about 1/4") but they're not touching


Looks like I might have to run drop spindles to get enough drop. Which is a big bummer because they require a 17" or larger wheel and mine are 16". More $$$$!

[xxcov3rxx]

hey man... i want you to know i registered just to give you some props! lhttp://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/images/smilies/metal.gif looks good so far. i have thought about doing this for a long time and have been looking through forums to see this, but you don't see too many burbs. With 2" McGaughy's drop spindles i think that will put you right where your looking to get.

on another note, are you looking to throw some big rims on and still get in the weeds... or is this more for convenience? if i do bag my burb, i would like to at least bottom out on my inner fenders...

keep it up and ill keep watch! and keep up with pictures!

[LooseCannon]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

That's going to look great! Looks like it's brand new still!

Originally Posted by xxcov3rxx

hey man... i want you to know i registered just to give you some props! lhttp://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/images/smilies/metal.gif looks good so far. i have thought about doing this for a long time and have been looking through forums to see this, but you don't see too many burbs. With 2" McGaughy's drop spindles i think that will put you right where your looking to get.

on another note, are you looking to throw some big rims on and still get in the weeds... or is this more for convenience? if i do bag my burb, i would like to at least bottom out on my inner fenders...

keep it up and ill keep watch! and keep up with pictures!

Thanks guys!!!

I'm still undecided on the wheels. Initially, I was planning to run the 16's but looks like I might be shopping for 17"+ wheels (if drop spindles are needed).

[xxcov3rxx]

so.. whats up with the progress? where is the pics... why isn't there pictures with this thing laying out yet?

[LooseCannon]

Originally Posted by xxcov3rxx

so.. whats up with the progress? where is the pics... why isn't there pictures with this thing laying out yet?

Probably not until next week. The supplied air line fittings for the ShockWaves are the wrong size and none were supplied for the rear bags. The rear springs and shocks are removed but can't install the bags until I get the fittings.

I might start mounting the tanks and compressors while waiting...

[truckdude239]

you might want to load that side up i have feeling once you put weight on that side the sway bar and toe rod will be touching

[LooseCannon]

Originally Posted by truckdude239

you might want to load that side up i have feeling once you put weight on that side the sway bar and toe rod will be touching

I'll be sure to recheck the sway bar to tie rod clearance once the burb is sitting on all fours. Obviously the clearance is plentiful when aired up so as long as nothing is touching when aired out it'll be fine.

[xxcov3rxx]

how much clearance will that give you between the rear axle and the exhaust?

[LooseCannon]

Originally Posted by xxcov3rxx

how much clearance will that give you between the rear axle and the exhaust?

Good question; I haven't looked yet. I can always dumb it before the rear end

[LooseCannon]

Looks like I might be OK with fittings after all. The LevelPro kit came with 12 1/2" line x 1/2" NPTF fittings: 6 for the air valve block, 4 for the tanks, and 2 for the compressors. Over lunch today I cracked open one of the compressor boxes and it already has a line with fittings to connect to the tank so this will free up 4 fittings to use for the bags (if the thread size is correct).

[xxcov3rxx]

sounds great! looking forward to some pictures...

[LooseCannon]

Installed the bags in the rear and finally sat the burb on the ground! It looks awesome... the pics don't do it justice.

Total drop in front is 4 1/2" and 6" in the rear. I was able to transfer in/out OK but getting the chair in/out was tough so I'll order drop spindles to lower the front another 2". Removing the bump stop brackets (bump stops are already in the trash) will get me another 2" approximately in the rear. I might also remove the running boards to get the chair a couple of inches closer to the seat...

Bags assembled and ready for install.


After installing the passenger bag I noticed the top of the mounting stud was hitting the floor so I pulled it and removed 2" from the stud


Off the jack stands











Still have a lot of work to complete : mount the tanks, compressors, valves, run the lines, shorten the rear sway bar end links, install, drop spindles, etc...

[xxcov3rxx]

that looks killer! nice... cant wait to see the install with the compressors... keep the pics comin! with drop spindles and those rear bumpstops removed it should help out a lot.

[little nick D]

hey man the work is coming along for sure but something to think about is those front mounts mite need some exrta support. those upper mounts have been known to bend over time, an being a burb its allot more weight so ya i am just trying to help man....again keep up the good work.

[jb1016]

Big props, LooseCannon...it's awesome to see that your "disability" doesn't stop you from doing what you want to do. It's already looking tough, and it sounds like it's probably still brand new inside. Are you gonna put hand controls on it?

And my $.02 as far as wheels: I think the 20" LTZ rims look great on these trucks, especially with that color paint.

[72BlckButy]

with JB, I think those "stock" wheels would look killer on the Burb.

What a great build!

[tvblazer78]

OO slap!! That is looking sweet! Please let us know how it rides..

[LooseCannon]

Originally Posted by xxcov3rxx

that looks killer! nice... cant wait to see the install with the compressors... keep the pics comin! with drop spindles and those rear bumpstops removed it should help out a lot.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by little nick D

hey man the work is coming along for sure but something to think about is those front mounts mite need some exrta support. those upper mounts have been known to bend over time, an being a burb its allot more weight so ya i am just trying to help man....again keep up the good work.

Thanks for the heads up on the Shockwave mounts. I'll be sure to keep an eye on them.

Originally Posted by jb1016

Big props, LooseCannon...it's awesome to see that your "disability" doesn't stop you from doing what you want to do. It's already looking tough, and it sounds like it's probably still brand new inside. Are you gonna put hand controls on it?

And my $.02 as far as wheels: I think the 20" LTZ rims look great on these trucks, especially with that color paint.

Thanks! The entire truck is unbelievably clean. Well worth the 600 mile round trip for the purchase. Currently, it has portable hand controls that will be replaced with permanent ones at some point.
I agree those wheels would look killer! My only concern about 20's are rubbing. I like a sidewall on my wheels and think anything shorter than a 45 profile won't look right and I don't know if a 45 will fit? I will run either a 18 or 20... just not sure which.

Originally Posted by 72BlckButy

with JB, I think those "stock" wheels would look killer on the Burb.

What a great build!

Thanks! And I love your truck!

Originally Posted by tvblazer78

OO slap!! That is looking sweet! Please let us know how it rides..

Thanks! You have a sweet Blazer!

[LooseCannon]

Finally got the drop spindles on and new rubber on the wheels (2009 Suburban take-offs)

Off with the old


and on with the new



Now the whale sits at a 6.5/7.5 drop when fully deflated with 265/60/18. The fender to floor measures 29" in the front and 30" in the rear. Ride height should be approximately 2" higher.








I don't know if you can tell from the last pic but now the rearend is pushed over to the passenger side by 1/2". Does anyone know who sells an adjustable panhard bar for an 99 - 06 fullsize? I could go with a Watts link but don't want to spend the coin...

[LooseCannon]

I forgot to mention that the bags for the rear were too big (8" diameter) and rubbed the spring pocket.




I contacted Tony @ ART and after some discussion he sent me the 2500's (6.5" diameter) and they fit perfectly!

I gotta give props to ART and especially Tony. Not only do they make awesome products but their customer service is top notch!

[1LoC10]

looks good

[72BlckButy]

Glad to see you are getting things buttoned up; can't wait to see some road shots.