bags?

[Slammed67]

In case anyone is curious, here's how you can mount the rear bags in the stock coil spring location......

[Reumster]

Slammed67

What is the upper bracket? I've seen people not use one. Are they needed? Does a bolt drop threw the trailing arm?

[Church]

Here are the ECE bags that I sell. Notice how they are like the transfer type bags. These bags dont require alot of air pressure to keep the truck at the deisired ride height.

[SCOTI]

Reumster, that upper bracket is part of the bolt in 'c' notch. That's exactly how mine are ran but I also have a 1.5" block as well.

[knucklebuster]

i'm new to the whole bag thing but it sounds pretty friggin cool can some one explain how they work if you don't mind

[orange72]

yea i have a couple more questions. first of all do you have to have special bags to run nitrogen? like ones that handle a lot more pressure. and how do you mount bags to the trailing arms. im not gonna be mounting mine in the spring location because i covered the hole up and also they ride better more forward. thanks for the answers

[Dropt72Shortbed]

Originally posted by orange72
do you have to have special bags to run nitrogen? like ones that handle a lot more pressure.

just because you're running nitrogen doesnt mean your running high pressure. there isnt any different bags for nitrogen, just different bags for high pressure systems. and pretty much only thing you need a high pressure system for is hopping a truck

a non high pressure 150psi system with a couple viair 450 comps, two 5 gallon tanks, 1/2" valves, 5/8" line will give you some serious speed. this on a lighter truck like an s10 is enough to pull the wheels off the ground a few inches.

personally im not into the lower rider hopping scene, so ill be happy with a simple low pressure system.

[Slammed67]

Reumster,

The bottom of the bag has a threaded hole. You just run a small bolt up through the trailing arm into the bag. The top of the bag has two threaded studs. You simply drill holes for the studs and the air line through the bottom of the frame. However, with the thickness of the c-notch, the studs are barely long enough to get a nut on them.

[SCOTI]

orange72 I've always heard just the opposite... the farther away the spring is from the wheel, the worse it will ride (same rule of thumb applies to shocks as well).

Hhmmmm.......

[orange72]

it seems to me the farther away the less leverage and a softer ride. i might be wrong though. so how would you mount a bag to the trailing arm if its not in the stock location? anyone know?

[Reumster]

I think Air Ride Tech has a kit that bolts a Shockwave behind the axle.

Jason

It seems to me that having barely a nut wouldn't be a good thing! LOL I'm sure there studs on the top of the bag, can't you just put in longer ones? Man I wish I could find cheap bags like your running.

[GloryHound]

What type of setup do they have for leaf spring rear suspension! I want to lower my truck and am looking into 4" drop leaf springs and then 2.5" drop spindles nothing to radical compared to the rest of you guys! What I was wondering is if I put air bags in "properly" can I make the ride on my truck smoother with them or are they just to help with a load on the rear of a leaf spring truck? Since my front end is the same as everyone elses I think they could be used to smooth out the front! But are they going to do anything more then help me haul a load in the rear?

Thanks for any help!

[Reumster]

You want to go with mono leaf, and bags.

[GloryHound]

Would that make a smoother and better handling ride?

[cali_surfer]

I have a question about air bag setups. A previous post on this thread mentioned the idea of not having an on-board air supply. This is kind of intriguing for me. See, I don't drive my truck that much, I'm always paranoid about having the thing get hit or somehow messed up. It's currently lowered with coils all the way around, but I would like to go lower and the idea of airbags has always peaked my interest. Is it absolutely necessary to have on-board air? What kind of leak-down is there with bags and line? Do they hold pressures for a while? I have a big 60 gal compressor here at home and I'm not looking to constantly adjust my stance, could I start an airbag system without the compressor and tanks on the truck or is that a bad idea? Also, if I didnt have a compressor or tank, I'm assuming I could use a schraeder valve connected to the lines going to each bag mounted at the back of the truck under the bed. Would that be bad? I guess I'm just beating around the bush here...... SCOTI, what did you have set up on your ride? See, my truck is almost completely finished and I've dumped 15+ grand into it, but I'm broke rightnow....... typical life of a college student. I don't like cutting corners, and in a perfect world I'd put the bags on at the same time with an air setup, but I can't really afford it all at once.

Another thing, after listening to everyone, it seems pretty easy to mount the bags on back of our trucks, but what about the front? Do the brackets that go with the front bags need to be welded on or are they bolt on? I don't like the idea of permanently welding something on because then I couldn't go back to coils without getting new a-arms.

[Slammed67]

Reumster,

The studs are part of the top bag and don't come out. I could enlarge the holes in the frame (so they are larger than the nut) and leave the holes in the c-notch the same size. The the nut would secure the bag to the c-notch, which is secured to the frame.

As for the bags, they aren't very expensive. They are just Firestone bags with steel ends.

[Slammed67]

If your components are high quality and all the fitting connections are good, there shouldn't be any leak down at all. Right now my rear lines are leaking somewhere because overnight, the ass end of the truck ends up being slammed and the front is still aired up! Leaks are fairly easy to track down..... just spray the connections with soapy water and if it bubbles up, you've found a leak. Also, I've been told never to use Teflon TAPE on air fittings. Instead they suggest "pipe dope" or teflon PASTE pipe sealer. Apparently, teflon tape is used to only "lubricate" pipe fittings, whereas the paste lubricates AND seals the connecitons.

Most front air bag setups (for these trucks) consist of a flat plate that covers the upper spring pocket, which the top of the bag attaches to. For the bottom, you can use a piece if steel tubing (about 4" dia.) with a flat round plate welded to the top if it. The tubing sits down in the lower spring pockect and the bottom of the bag sits on the flat plate. This "cup" raises the bag out of the spring pocket so it won't rub against the a-arm. Also, the tubing needs to be cut at a slight angle so at ride height the bag sits in there straight (i.e. the top and bottom bag ends are parellel to each other), similar to the picture below. The bag in that picture is a little lower than ride height, so it's not sitting in there perfectly straight.

[XXL]

Originally posted by cali_surfer
Is it absolutely necessary to have on-board air? What kind of leak-down is there with bags and line? Do they hold pressures for a while?

Another thing, after listening to everyone, it seems pretty easy to mount the bags on back of our trucks, but what about the front? Do the brackets that go with the front bags need to be welded on or are they bolt on?

On-board air isn't required, but after you get the bags installed, you'll be wishing you got the air system as well. I have some press on Schrader valves that I use when I'm servicing a component in the air system. I just pop them onto the fill lines and air them up with my garage compressor... then I can do whatever I need to with the air valves or compressor setup and I can still operate the truck.

The front brackets bolt to the front crossmember over the upper spring pockets. You have to drill a few bolt holes for this, but definitely no welding... if you welded the top bracket on, you couldn't mount the bag.

Kenneth

[GloryHound]

As for a supply for air I've seen some compressors that run off the engine! It might not be as fast as you would like it but it gets the job done without having to mount a whole lot of things in your truck. Cadillac used to have a compressor that came stock on some of their cars! If you found one in a junk yard that still worked it could be a cheap alternative to the high dollar units!

[SCOTI]

cali surfer I didn't have an air-tank/compressor for the first 1.5yrs after I put my rear bags on my beater. I mounted the schrader valves (one for each rear bag) behind the l.plate on my license plate box. Yes, I'm a cheap bastard. I was also concerned w/leakage but experienced no more than a typical tire.

This set-up worked fine because I didn't change my air psi... I always left it @ 30psi. Once I started hauling my 18ft trailer, it still wasn't a big deal, I just aired it up after hooking up the trailer/before I left the house. Only when I started pulling the trailer daily & unhooking it all the time did it grow tiresome, so (remember, I'm a cheap bastard) I took the tank/comp/controls for my 67 & started using them. I keep the controller wrapped in a towel under my seat & when I pull the trailer is basically the only time I mess w/it.

I always carried a 5gal air tank just in case... & now I have to get another comp, tank & I'm going to upgrade to the 'ride-pro' or similar set-up for my 67. It's never ending.

[Dropt72Shortbed]

Originally posted by GloryHound
As for a supply for air I've seen some compressors that run off the engine! It might not be as fast as you would like it but it gets the job done without having to mount a whole lot of things in your truck. Cadillac used to have a compressor that came stock on some of their cars! If you found one in a junk yard that still worked it could be a cheap alternative to the high dollar units!

actually engine driven air compressors are WAY faster than electric.

however the engine driven comp kits are pretty pricey, air lift sells them for quite a few applications at around $800. for half that price you could run two viair 450s which are weatherproof and 100% duty cycle, in other words just as reliable. you can piece together your own kits with junkyard stuff for alot cheaper but that may involve custom making brakets etc. also many compressors are designed for a/c not air, so you gotta figure out a way to lubricate it. bill dermond (previously of airlift, now with aftermarket wholesale) has designed and is selling a kit to convert an AC compressor into an air compressor.

advantages to engine drive compressors, way fast, youll never have to wait for your tank to be filling up if you like to play with your bags alot. theyre not noisy like electric compressors and you wont have as much of a draw on your electrical system obviously.

advantages to electrical.. theyre cheaper, thats it.

[landon4421]

I am thinking on putting air bags on my truck. I was wondering what it would cost for all the parts involved. Thanks for the help in advance, Landon

[GloryHound]

Dropt72Shortbed.....

I seem to remember I think back in the 70's caddy used an air ride system that had an air compressor stock or maybe it was the chrysler New Yorker. But it was set up to pump more air as your load got heavier into something like an air shock. They did it so if you had a couple HBD's (Heavy Baby Doll's) riding in back you wouldn't drag your rear bumper all over town. And if you didn't have a load you still had a soft ride! But is was all done through automation the driver had no real control over it!

[SCOTI]

Several auto manufacturers offered optional 'load leveling' systems. Ford/Mercury even had 4whl air suspension on the Lincoln Town cars/LSC's (I think caddy as well).

[cali_surfer]

Is there a place out there that sells just the brackets for a 67-72 front end, or does a person always have to buy the bags along with the brackets?? My fabrication ability is pretty limited with my availibility of tools.