firestone air load level kit ?

[blazer2007]

I finished the fr. of my 78 blazer with bags and what to do the back.Is the firestone load leveler kit good to use,as it has all the brackets etc. and is a good price,the back is notched already,so can I remove some leafs,say keep 2 main ones to lower it and use this kit to bring it up to ride height,

[BigTruckDriver]

I bought one of those kits about 1 year ago. Load leveling for a lowered vehicle and this was for a 89 chevy. The kit claims to be a bolt in but there is not bolting in ,it just wont work. It will work but I would have to make and weld in all new mounting brackets.

[1lowdiesel]

belltech makes a load leveler kit for lowered vehicles. i've used them before nad they work fine.

[7T2]

Are you trying to "bag" your truck (as in adjust the ride height front and rear with air bags), or are you really just looking for load leveling?

"Load leveling" systems are not a good idea to use if you want to be able to raise and lower your ride height with bags. The air bags that come with them are designed to be used in conjunction with your factory leaf springs/coil springs to raise the rear of the truck back up when you have a heavy payload. They are not necessarily designed to handle the weight of your truck if you start removing leaf springs. Air bags may all look the same, but they have different load handling specifications based on whether they are intended to "help" your existing suspension or if they are intended to be the sole means of support for your vehicle.

You may luck out and be all right if you take some leafs out and add a "helper" bag, but what you DON'T want to do is take out leafs, add helper bags, then carry a heavy payload. If you're only ever going to drive the truck around empty you might get away with it, provided the bag can handle the repeated compression/travel of the suspension.

All that being said, you're really only looking at a couple hundred dollars difference between using a helper system and doing it the right way with bags and brackets that are designed to raise and lower the vehicle.

[blazer2007]

ok thanks what bag do you suggest to use on back,I,m not using to load heavy items but it is a blazer,abit heavyier.Any forum to lookat to make my own brackets would help. I have my own welder but just a smal 110 guy so I could make brackets and bolt on to frame etc.

[7T2]

http://www.ridetech.com/productinfo/airoverleaf.asp

Part#ARK3002 is what you are looking for. Complete kit with brackets and bags for $299. That shouldn't be much more than those helper kits.

[JameslovesJammie]

Could you use that kit if you flipped your leafs under the axles? My application would be a 72 2wd and I'd like to have it sit a little lower but not have to z the frame. Would a c notch suffice?

[7T2]

I don't see why not. It goes between the leafs and the frame, so nothing would change as far as mounting if you put the axle on top of the leafs (thinking about doing this myself). You may run out of clearance between the axle and the frame though.

[blazer2007]

does anyone have good pics of those brackets,esp. bottom one,how it mounts to leaf

[7T2]

http://www.ridetech.com/productinfo/brackets_4.asp

It basically gets trapped between the top of the spring and your axle U-bolts.

Frame brackets:

http://www.ridetech.com/productinfo/brackets_5.asp

[.030over]

Same basic thing I did on my 94 with an axle flip and bags but I used the springs as is so I still have enough capacity to pull my boat.

[blazer2007]

what kinda bag should I use,not hauling stuf but is a 78 full size blazer