Inexpensive off the shelf bag kit?

[Skunksmash]

Hi all. I'm about to get my truck painted here pretty soon, and as such I want to continue on with getting the truck to look how I want. I don't know a whole lot about bagging. I assume you need 4 bags, air lines, an air pump, some wiring, and a switch to turn it on. That's about as much as I know. I don't even know what brands are considered "good" and which ones I should avoid.

Also I want the truck to ride much smoother, so that's a consideration. And if possible, I'd like to get a kit that allows me to return to stock ride height. I can't see where that would be a problem, if one were to simply select a kit that maybe didn't lower the truck quite as much, but the tradeoff was that it could still return to the stock ride height. Can someone help me out here?

[andrewmp6]

Air ride and cheap don't mix to bag your truck right is a little over 3 grand.A company to stay far away from is airbagit aka aim aka chassis tech they sell crap dirt cheap and if you ever call them for help they give you the run around.Save up do it once and do it right the first time you will be a lot happier trust me.

[gGMC DOG]

look and ask
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/f...play.php?f=210

[jitteryguy]

go to some show's and local cruz in's, check out all the air bag'd cars and truck's and talk with the owner's.
99 percent of poeple that say they only wanna lower there's a little end up go'n lower later, you can often buy there used parts pretty cheap and get a lot of good advice.

good luck in your quest.

[Skunksmash]

Hmm. I guess I should have phrased my question differently. Not sure. Is there no "quick and dirty" way to do it that is inexpensive but still effective? I was thinking more along the lines of $500, not $3k. Where is this super high expense coming from? I can't imagine the pump and the lines costing all that much. Is it the bags themselves?

Maybe I could save a bunch of money by just doing a static drop with bags that can't be inflated or deflated? Bags that have a certain amount of air that can't really be changed perhaps? There has to be a cheaper way of doing this.

[andrewmp6]

The air bags them self range from 60 a bag to over 100 a bag plus the front bag brackets would put it at the 500 and still need a lot more stuff.The most bare basic air management system is 575 alone.A normal static drop with springs is the cheapest way to lower a truck.

[jitteryguy]

cheap and air suspencion dont go together.

[king-918]

Originally Posted by Skunksmash

Hmm. I guess I should have phrased my question differently. Not sure. Is there no "quick and dirty" way to do it that is inexpensive but still effective? I was thinking more along the lines of $500, not $3k. Where is this super high expense coming from? I can't imagine the pump and the lines costing all that much. Is it the bags themselves?

Maybe I could save a bunch of money by just doing a static drop with bags that can't be inflated or deflated? Bags that have a certain amount of air that can't really be changed perhaps? There has to be a cheaper way of doing this.

if you have access to metal (and can work it)and nuts and bolts for free. You may see your price around 1G, bit $500 not going to happen. Decent bags cost an average of $90 per
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[N2TRUX]

I suggest you do a static drop first and learn what you need to know about air suspension. If you use drop spindles and cut a coil up front, then shackles and move your hanger up in the rear, there is not much that won't be used if you run bags.

Spend lots of time in our Suspension Forum "researching" the topic. There is more info there than you could read in a week.

[JAMESCHURCH13]

Yea I started bagging my 87 Dually Crew Cab and it is expensive. I however saved some money by using Amazon cause of the super saver shipping option. I got 4 D2600 bags for 105$ with free shipping. I got my manual control valves/gauges (4 Corner set up) for 160$ from a board member here who sells on Ebay. Line was 30$ for 100 feet shipped from suicide doors. A 5 gallon skinny tank to go across the front of my bed was 80 Shipped from Ebay. Fittings were 20 shipped from Amazon. I cross referenced the parts from kits that were awesome with for sale parts on Amazon and Ebay. So without a compressor or bag mounts I spent 395$ I will be saving up for a four link set up for mine before I hook it all up and buy a compressor. I also had a set of 3 inch drop spindles I got from a board member for 250$. 1 Ton parts are expensive you would spend way less on used drop spindles. I am making my own bag brackets and installing my own parts which also saves a ton of money but costs a bit of time. So depending on how much you wanna do you self or can do your self you could be air bagged for 1000ish or less.

[Skunksmash]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

I suggest you do a static drop first and learn what you need to know about air suspension. If you use drop spindles and cut a coil up front, then shackles and move your hanger up in the rear, there is not much that won't be used if you run bags.

Spend lots of time in our Suspension Forum "researching" the topic. There is more info there than you could read in a week.

Ok thank you for the advice. At this point I would ask: Is there a way to do a static drop that won't change the ride quality from stock? Sometimes if you play your cards right, that can be achieved. Maybe not on these trucks, but I've seen it happen on other vehicles.

Originally Posted by JAMESCHURCH13

Yea I started bagging my 87 Dually Crew Cab and it is expensive. I however saved some money by using Amazon cause of the super saver shipping option. I got 4 D2600 bags for 105$ with free shipping. I got my manual control valves/gauges (4 Corner set up) for 160$ from a board member here who sells on Ebay. Line was 30$ for 100 feet shipped from suicide doors. A 5 gallon skinny tank to go across the front of my bed was 80 Shipped from Ebay. Fittings were 20 shipped from Amazon. I cross referenced the parts from kits that were awesome with for sale parts on Amazon and Ebay. So without a compressor or bag mounts I spent 395$ I will be saving up for a four link set up for mine before I hook it all up and buy a compressor. I also had a set of 3 inch drop spindles I got from a board member for 250$. 1 Ton parts are expensive you would spend way less on used drop spindles. I am making my own bag brackets and installing my own parts which also saves a ton of money but costs a bit of time. So depending on how much you wanna do you self or can do your self you could be air bagged for 1000ish or less.

That is a good idea. Instead of just buying the kit all at once perhaps I could just buy a part here, buy a part there. I did not know they were sold that way. For some reason I was under the assumption that they were all sold as kits by each company and if you wanted to order parts they'd be replacement parts for stuff in the kit and they'd be expensive. I wasn't aware that you could just piece one together over time.

Also, watch it with Amazon prime lol. Often times you'll see "free shipping on this item" and that's how they reel you in. But if you look a little more, on that very same site you'll find the same item being sold for less and the one that is "free shipping" is just making up the difference by raising the price up some. Happens a LOT with amazon prime. You still gotta check the other prices on everything else. Its easy to get into the habit of just looking for prime eligible stuff and going with it automatically. That's how they get ya! lol

[JAMESCHURCH13]

Thanks man. Good looking out.
Posted via Mobile Device

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Skunksmash

Ok thank you for the advice. At this point I would ask: Is there a way to do a static drop that won't change the ride quality from stock?

That depends on what you like about stock. Personally I don't feel these trucks ride that great stock. They are soft in the front and firm in the rear. That equates to a driving experience that becomes scary at best if you like to drive fast in the turns.

If you use drop spindles up front and cut .5 to 1 coil off the stock spring you will get a firmer, but not too stiff ride. If you use a lowering shackle and raise the spring hanger, along with removing the bottom spring in your pack, it will soften the ride a bit. The end result is a more balanced suspension.

Originally Posted by Skunksmash

... Instead of just buying the kit all at once perhaps I could just buy a part here, buy a part there. I did not know they were sold that way.

There is a difference in "spring" rate on various bags, but most are built with similar dimensions. Yes, you can piece it together yourself, or buy from one of the Forum Vendors and they will assist you with your budget.

My personal opinion is DO NOT do air suspension until it fits your budget. The biggest reason for air suspension failure is improper installation. That usually equates to a low budget install.

[JAMESCHURCH13]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

That depends on what you like about stock. Personally I don't feel these trucks ride that great stock. They are soft in the front and firm in the rear. That equates to a driving experience that becomes scary at best if you like to drive fast in the turns.

If you use drop spindles up front and cut .5 to 1 coil off the stock spring you will get a firmer, but not too stiff ride. If you use a lowering shackle and raise the spring hanger, along with removing the bottom spring in your pack, it will soften the ride a bit. The end result is a more balanced suspension.
There is a difference in "spring" rate on various bags, but most are built with similar dimensions. Yes, you can piece it together yourself, or buy from one of the Forum Vendors and they will assist you with your budget.

My personal opinion is DO NOT do air suspension until it fits your budget. The biggest reason for air suspension failure is improper installation. That usually equates to a low budget install.

Excellent point. Buy your bags from the same place at one time to assure length/width/model are the same. I got 4 D2600's from the same seller at the same time.

[Skunksmash]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

If you use drop spindles up front and cut .5 to 1 coil off the stock spring you will get a firmer, but not too stiff ride. If you use a lowering shackle and raise the spring hanger, along with removing the bottom spring in your pack, it will soften the ride a bit. The end result is a more balanced suspension.
There is a difference in "spring" rate on various bags, but most are built with similar dimensions. Yes, you can piece it together yourself, or buy from one of the Forum Vendors and they will assist you with your budget.

Yes thank you. I want to make the ride as soft as I possibly can. I am not in the habit of driving these old trucks fast through turns I have a sports car if I want to do something like that and these old trucks were never made for it. "Scary" I can imagine lol. So making the ride as soft as I can is my only concern. Is this how you would achieve that goal with a static drop? Any other things that you might do to soften it? Or is that it.

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

My personal opinion is DO NOT do air suspension until it fits your budget. The biggest reason for air suspension failure is improper installation. That usually equates to a low budget install.

Looks like I'll be waiting a bit on it then. Gotta graduate school first to be able to afford to do it right.