ride quality?

[c ortiz]

i need ride quality, not looking to hop the truck. my 78 step side is a coo truck, but the suspension is too stiff. i had back surgery not to long ago and am looking for my truck to ride like a caddy so that i can keep it, but don't have $1300 to $2000 laying around, just yet. i need a temporary fix for the rear that i can still use when i get the whole system up and running. any advice is appreciated.

[Shane]

gonna be hard to get a truck to ride like a caddy ... regardless of the mods

[c ortiz]

ok, what can i expect for ride quality? to my understanding, i thought that bags would take most of, if not all of the impact from the road and make my truck feel like i was riding on pillows? i can handle it riding stiffer than a caddy, i just need to get rid of the truck, rattling, stiffness of leafs. i was thinking of using a bolt in 4-link and bags for the back and leaving the front alone. maybe just getting a pair of drop spindles for stance and progresive rate springs for ride quality. anyone have experiance with airbagit.com and their products?

[Shane]

air bags will definitely smooth out the ride, but if you are going to run springs in the front and bags in the rear then you aren't going to see the full benefit from the bags.

as far as airbagit.com ... STAY AWAY AT ALL COSTS!!!

try www.*****************, better product, better prices, better people

[bedsled71]

yes stay away from AIM or airbag it or any other names they use... suicide doors is the way to go..

[c ortiz]

suicidedoors is a great web site. for the same price i was going to spend else where, i'm going to get great components. thanks! i'm just going to have to wait till i have the money. maybe even start selling stuff that i have lying around the house to see how much i can come up with, but i'll get it done

[msgross]

I suggest buying a new truck, they ride like cars.... May not be the cheapest solution but it works..

[edflores]

mine rides a little better after i bagged it but i dont have shocks. maybe if i add shocks, it'll be even smoother. my main problem is that i have slam's in front and i cant ride super low. if i hit a bump too hard, my truck will slam down and the tires hit the inner fenders. but then again, it maybe cause i have no shocks.

[IvelDesigns]

bagging a truck doesn't have to be that expensive.

go get 4 RE7's from SD - $300
get the needed fittings and air line to get from each bag to a single, convenient location, say, under the hood. - $100
Get 4 schrader vavles from NAPA - $15
Get 2 dual needle air gauges from SD - $50
Get 2 cups and plates for your front bags from SD - $80?


that's it. go mount your bags in each corner, run the line and put schrader valves on each line. then off you go for under $600.


***********

just realized you're in a leaf truck. so you'll want to convert to trailing arms to do this setup. all you need is a set of arms and a T-arm cross memeber to bolt them to. I bet you could find those for $100 at a junk yard.

[c ortiz]

i would like to keep the truck. My father gave it to me as a gift, so if i where to turn around and sell it he would never let it down, plus i really like the 78 style. a new silverado does sound good but i don't want to have payments again. as for shocks, i'd like to get some adjustable coil over shocks so that i can set the ride where i would like it, but till then i'll use regular shocks. it's probably a stupid question, but, which shocks would give me a smoother ride, air or gas? one more thing, what vehicle could i get the set up for the back from? i'm not a chassis fabricator, nor do i know much about chassis mods so a little explaination will go a long way. P.S. i'd still like a suspension in the rear that i wouldn't worry me when i burn out or take off quick.