Air bag spacer cups?

[kev2809]

Anyone see a company selling spacer cups? my upper bag brackets are welded to the top bridge and after fully airing out the rear, ive noticed i still should have about 2-3" of the bag being fully deflated, which is robbing me of 2-3" of needed lift.

or anyone out there can fab me some up? i searched around and found some spacer cups made for lifted trucks...and of course general bag cups. but didnt see anything i could use. was originally going to redo it completely because i dont really like the upper plates i made years ago...but i think they will work. and also i wasnt sure if the pinion will be angled right...but i installed the anti squat brackets for the trailing arms so that should solve that issue (if there is one)

[kev2809]

heres an old pic of it aired out with the dominators. according to their specs...it should be close to 3" (2.8") fully compressed. i was measuring closer to 5.5-6". so im hoping a 2.5" cup can be an easier way to get my lift back without cutting and redoing the top section. thoughts?

[SCOTI]

If you've released the air from the system & it's not compressing to the minimum dimension for the bags, it suggests there is something limiting the compression if the truck seems like it should go down further.

[kev2809]

t/a hit the frame so it's as low as it can go...so the bag isn't fully deflated here. so I would have to either lower the top mounts or add a spacer to make up the difference.....which should give me more lift I'm assuming

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by kev2809

t/a hit the frame so it's as low as it can go...so the bag isn't fully deflated here. so I would have to either lower the top mounts or add a spacer to make up the difference.....which should give me more lift I'm assuming

Bingo. There's the physical limitation. I've made my own but they're available (google 2.5" air bag spacers);

https://www.amazon.com/Hildirix-Air-...80385634&psc=1

https://www.x2industries.com/product...yABEgITB_D_BwE

https://www.sdtrucksprings.com/index...SABEgJqrvD_BwE

[blazer2007]

easy to make or get a friend to fab you some. I get tired of waiting for stuff to arrive.

[SCOTI]

For temp use during mock-up & finalizing the set-up, wood pucks will do the deed.

[kev2809]

yup ill get everything back together and see which spacer to go with. that above one on amazon for $54 is hard to beat compared to having someone try to make them for me

[kev2809]

well, i think something is off here...and im starting to think cutting it all out is going to be the best thing to do. so i set up the truck at the ride height im thinking it will be at. the angle on the axle housing is showing 3 degrees up...i cannot get to underneath the truck to check the trans (i dont have any yokes installed so im trying my best to get these angles). i tried with and without the 2 " spacer and the angles on my bag brackets just seem way off...and even worse the lower the truck goes. even offsetting the spacer to the bottom mount just made it even worse. if i center it, the bag is angle more when lifted....when its offset it collaspes totally uneven and dangerously.

[kev2809]

if i take out the spacer the angles dont look too bad lowered or lifted, the problem is im only getting about 5 inches of lift without the spacer. i had the spacer in and at ride height it looked to be about 70 psi (measured with a tire gauge), gaining my 2" of lift back...but i cant do that collapsed bag look. it obviously wont last long at all like that. the angles show worse with the spacer installed. this is frustraiting as im almost finished with this suspenion stuff...and thinking a redo might be the only fix


i sat the cheapo angle finder on the brackets. the top mount in the center where the bag mounts measures about 2 degrees give or take. the bottom ones are about 8 degrees. thats a big difference. the top mounts even look like they rake back. the front of it is about even (0 degrees), but when i measure the back of the plate...towards the rear..its about 3.5 degrees.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by kev2809

if i take out the spacer the angles dont look too bad lowered or lifted, the problem is im only getting about 5 inches of lift without the spacer. i had the spacer in and at ride height it looked to be about 70 psi (measured with a tire gauge), gaining my 2" of lift back...but i cant do that collapsed bag look. it obviously wont last long at all like that. the angles show worse with the spacer installed. this is frustraiting as im almost finished with this suspenion stuff...and thinking a redo might be the only fix


i sat the cheapo angle finder on the brackets. the top mount in the center where the bag mounts measures about 2 degrees give or take. the bottom ones are about 8 degrees. thats a big difference. the top mounts even look like they rake back. the front of it is about even (0 degrees), but when i measure the back of the plate...towards the rear..its about 3.5 degrees.

The spacer can be 'made' to correct the angle (like a leaf spring pinion angle wedge) but it will take modding an online purchased part or making something from scratch.

How attached are you to the existing set-up? Is it something you look @ and would do the same thing again or would you do things differently knowing now what you didn't then?

[kev2809]

well, not that attached lol

[kev2809]

I'm trying to keep a simple setup, I have zero experience in suspension in general...which is why I figured a bag straight on the axle shouldn't be hard. I think my welds are ok, I'm not a professional but they seem strong enough.

trying to keep the trailing arm setup...bag location is very limited. it's either bag where the old spring goes, or on the axle. bag straight on the axle seems less forgiving

[kev2809]

ordered some mounts for in front of the axle..and some flat top plates. I'll look for some square tubing while these mounts come in and were gonna try this again....

[kev2809]

also, after taking some measurements, this notch was definitely not welded in straight. it's about an inch off (passenger side is welded further back an inch towards the back)

this is going to make things harder to line up..

[kev2809]

i temporarily put my bags in the stock spring location....and im wondering why the hell i even moved them in the first place. i guess i fudged up the passenger side mounting holes when i did this way back when...so it leans ever so slightly...but the stance looks great. im thinking i wont even move my bags back to the axle...what you guys think? those tiny tires are coming off and going something with a little more meat, so ignore them

[kev2809]

the first two pics are the slight bag lean (1st one is about 25 pis, 2nd is 0)...the third is the driver side. i dont like the way these 2600s fluff out so much. when they are flattened out...the middle mount plate "sinks in" so much.

[SCOTI]

I'm not familiar w/the Airlift bags. I've used Firestones & Slam Specialties for mine. I agree the compression being excessive vs the diameter of the rubber bellow.

What diameter are they?

[kev2809]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

I'm not familiar w/the Airlift bags. I've used Firestones & Slam Specialties for mine. I agree the compression being excessive vs the diameter of the rubber bellow.

What diameter are they?

they are 8" but they are known to balloon out. I have some 2500s which would be fine for the rear I'm assuming. I had them on the front...10 year old bags with no miles lol. I'm thinking they will balloon out too so I'm not sure if it's worth swapping. I just put new slams up front to replace the 2500s.. do you have any pics of a fully compressed slam bag?

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by kev2809

they are 8" but they are known to balloon out. I have some 2500s which would be fine for the rear I'm assuming. I had them on the front...10 year old bags with no miles lol. I'm thinking they will balloon out too so I'm not sure if it's worth swapping. I just put new slams up front to replace the 2500s.. do you have any pics of a fully compressed slam bag?

I don't but I have the old fronts (SS-7) that were in my 64 sitting around. I can try & get you a pic if I can find something to compress one properly/evenly.
I feel you'd be better off w/a 2600/7" bag out back. A sleeved bag would be better if they're mounted off the housing & the double convoluted work better for a leverage situation.

[mongocanfly]

Kev, something else you might want to look at is some kind of reinforcement of your top plate, it could be bowed some just from welding , but it's got a visible arch to it..

[kev2809]

yup for sure Greg. when I was figuring out what to do with the bottom mounts I looked at the top and noticed the arc. that was the last straw and cut it off right then and there.

[kev2809]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

I don't but I have the old fronts (SS-7) that were in my 64 sitting around. I can try & get you a pic if I can find something to compress one properly/evenly.
I feel you'd be better off w/a 2600/7" bag out back. A sleeved bag would be better if they're mounted off the housing & the double convoluted work better for a leverage situation.

I've been looking at simple bag on trailing arm setups and 2 things stand out. one being I can't find ANY pictures that show them as compressed as mine. I do have a 2" drop block as well...but the threads I've seen show them hardly compressed. 2nd thing I noticed, my truck looks way lower like this compared to other similar setups I've seen
now most are truck setups and maybe they didn't want to cut through the bed floor? it just seems super low for just a basic bag replacing the coil spring and drop block setup.

I'm going to try and keep looking, trying to see if I can find a Dom 2600 FULLY flattened with this set up, or what a slam would like. I just don't see why nobody else's looks this compressed.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by kev2809

I've been looking at simple bag on trailing arm setups and 2 things stand out. one being I can't find ANY pictures that show them as compressed as mine. I do have a 2" drop block as well...but the threads I've seen show them hardly compressed. 2nd thing I noticed, my truck looks way lower like this compared to other similar setups I've seen
now most are truck setups and maybe they didn't want to cut through the bed floor? it just seems super low for just a basic bag replacing the coil spring and drop block setup.

I'm going to try and keep looking, trying to see if I can find a Dom 2600 FULLY flattened with this set up, or what a slam would like. I just don't see why nobody else's looks this compressed.

As you alluded... It's most likely a weight variance. Your Burb has more 'junk in'da trunk' as well as bed floor limitations.
Most don't don't go as far as needing to cut their floors out.

[kev2809]

yep..that and I think my huge notch allows for it drop it a little more than what folks are getting with a C notch