DO NOT OPEN- Air Ride Technologies inside

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To discuss this online article, go here-LINK


I was cruising the forum pages as I usually do every evening, when I ran across something that caught my eye. It was a recent post by Tony from Air Ride Technologies titled Air Ride Tech-Company catalog-Ad contest.

This sounded interesting, so I clicked the link and read "Ever wanted to see your truck in a national ad campaign or in a company catalog?" My normal inability to focus was brought to attention as I read the next few lines.
"We are having a little contest over here. If you are running some of our stuff on your truck and you want to send me an e-mail with some pictures of the truck along with a description of the parts and the build... you might just win."

Well alrighty then, this was my kind of contest. All I had to do was submit a few pictures of my 77 Cheyenne and I just might get in a catalog. It sounds as if the winner might pick up some Air Ride swag to boot. I'm in!

Fast forward a week or three, and the contest come to a close. I get a PM from my old buddy Tony and he tells me the judges have scrutinized all of the outstanding entries and they picked my truck to represent their companies product and want to include some pics in their upcoming catalog.

He wants to know my shipping address so he can ship "some other goodies" as well. Cool! I could use a new T-shirt and a sticker or two. I'm thinking I might even get lucky and pick up a new ART garage sign.

Then he asks if I am up for a little work on my truck. Since He knows the 77 has been sitting in my garage for quite some time I'm waiting for some good natured ribbing. What came next was not a joke at all. It was a total shock instead.

It seems Tony had read an online article I had written, and had an idea. He would supply me with a complete ART package of suspension components, including a pair of upper and lower StrongArms, a MUSCLEbar front sway bar, and a 73-87 AirBar assembly. In return, I would document the installation process with pictures and write an article to accompany them.

As you might expect, it didn't take me long to ponder the offer. I did ask my self, why do I just know this will turn in to a full blown project. I already knew the answer, so I told Tony "sign me up".

StrongArms (Upper and Lower)



MUSCLEbar- with Posi-Links




73-87 -AirBar

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If any of you have ever read my article "77 Cheyenne meets Ramjet 350" you will know two things are prone to happen on a venture like this. I do my best to plan everything well in advance, and try to keep the project on course. You also know I have a couple of buddies that usually have different thoughts all together.

Wanting to share my good news with my old buddy Keith (n2billet) I called him up. I gave him the details of the contest and the generous offer extended by Air Ride. In our conversation I mentioned that the bed really needed to come off of the truck to allow for photo documentation. He agreed, and said I have an idea, let me call you back.

In a few minutes my cell rang, and it was Keith saying "ok, here's the plan. You bring everything here and we will install it". The "we" part of the equation included our mutual friend Roger. He had recently ventured out on his own after several years of running a hot rod shop. This would be an opportunity to promote his new business venture and showcase his skills.

Since Roger and Keith had done the original Air Ride install, which consisted of a CoolRide set up in front, and a simple but effective AIRoverLeaf in the rear. I couldn't think of a better team to complete this project as well. It's to early to know for sure, but I have a suspicious feeling that this won't be your average install.


C10 63-87 CoolRide- Front




AIRoverLeaf- 3000lb underframe/2.5leaf kit

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I recently received several large boxes from ART. Like a kid at Christmas I couldn't wait to rip them open to investigate what was inside. While opening the boxes, I discovered two things. The shipping department at Air Ride uses a lot of glue to seal the shipping containers, and massive amounts of packing materials to safely cradle the items inside.

As heavy as the individual components are, they made the trip with out busting the boxes open. The smooth black finish on my new parts arrived factory fresh due to the quality packing. It took almost an hour to unwrap everything. This is a small sample of the mountain of packing materials used.

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By now you may be wondering why this article is titled "DO NOT OPEN- Air Ride Technologies inside " One of the first things that came to view as I opened the boxes was a bright white envelope. Printed in bold block letters was the phrase DO NOT OPEN. Inside each envelope are detailed instructions regarding the installation of the components I just received.

Knowing that these parts would probably be installed by guys like you and I, Air Ride came up with an ingenious plan to get you to look at the instructions.

We all know that most guys never read the instructions until its too late. What better way to get you to open the envelope right away than to tell you " DO NOT OPEN" . As they planned, it worked. I really tried to resist, but I had to know what was inside.

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After spending a while perusing the pages of the catalog, I felt it was time to take inventory. Three mega sized boxes can hold a lot of stuff. As I unwrapped the pieces, I was impressed with the quality of the workmanship in each part. The design was clean and it was clear that many hours had been clocked in an effort to make each piece functional, yet attractive.

The first box contained the MUSCLEbar.- The black textured finish was a sharp contrast to the package of zinc washed hardware and the Posi-Link end links.

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Box number two was much heavier and for good reasons. It contained a set of upper and lower StrongArms. There is no deception in the name of these replacement control arms. They are Strong, and heavy. The fit and finish is first class, and the welds appear to be done by a robot. They come ready to bolt on, with new ball joints included.

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Moving on to box number three, I was glad I owned a dolly. Sliding this beast across smooth concrete was not easily done. Once opened and the unpacking process was underway, I could see why there was some much resistance. Inside the box were 12-14 pieces of heavy gauge steel, meticulously formed in to a mechanical work of ART (pun intended).

Each component of the 73-87-AirBar was designed with a purpose. As referenced in the front suspension, once again there was an effort to create form along with function. The AirBar is clearly strong enough to serve it's intended purpose, but its design is attractive to a point that you are disappointed when you realize it will spend it's life hidden from potential admirers view.

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Phase II-

The second phase of this project is finally underway. Due to logistics, it was deemed impractical to do the install of this system in my garage. Don't get the impression that it couldn't be accomplished by average Joe trucker in your own garage. In the interest of writing this article, it necessitates the bed being removed from the truck to properly document the procedure. That would require an amount of space that I didn't have available.

As previously mentioned my buddy Keith, and Roger agreed that they had space to do the job at Rogers new shop. Now that his facility was set up with plenty of lighting and a new whizz-bang state of the art security system, it was time to move forward.

I carefully loaded the Cheyenne's bed to capacity with all of the goodies from A.R.T. Since Rogers shop is a 4 hour drive from my house, it was decided to trailer the truck rather than drive two vehicles. This turned out to be a good decision. While stopped for a round of refreshments, I checked the load on the rental trailer and noticed brake fluid dripping in my rear wheel. It seems that one of the rear wheel cylinders decided to let go.

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Upon arrival at Rogers new shop, I was greeted by Keith and Roger and given the $10.00 tour. It became evident right away that several of Rogers customers were on the upper end of the income scale. Once I reeled my jaw back in place, it was time to unload my project and take inventory.

Here's proof that despite a nice paint job, a truck can still be used as a truck. My Cheyenne actually had a load in the bed. Just look past the fact that it is all cushioned by blankets, and the truck was riding on a trailer.

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To get a visual reference, I took some side views of the truck. Later when viewing the pictures I realized the air tanks weren't full, so this might not be a completely accurate representation of the truck at full lift. It will give us an idea of how much additional travel will be gained in the rear when the A.R.T Airbar installed.

It would be a big bonus if I could take advantage of the additional drop gained by the installation of the A.R.T Strong Arms. Unless I go to a shorter tire, I don't expect to be able to see any changes. The current system is set up with bump stops that allow the truck to roll when aired out. If you choose not to build that feature in, your truck will sit lower in front.


For a point of reference-

Front Size-
BFG KDW 245/40/20
VinTec 20 x 8.5
Back space 5.5”

Rear Size-
BFG KDW 295/40/20
VinTec 20 x 9.5
Back space 5.5”

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With a shop full of projects it would be a few days before Roger of RPL Customs could get the teardown started. Unfortunately that meant I couldn't be there to annoy, I mean assist the professionals at work. I would have to rely on cell phone update pictures sent by my buddy Keith.

It wasn't long before the blurry images started downloading to my email account. I opened each one with eager anticipation just like a kid at his birthday party. This was so much better than hotdogs, icecream and a pony ride.

The front was very straight forward. Remove the stamped steel stock lower A-arms by unbolting the U-bolts that hold them in place.

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With the lower A-arm removed this would normally be the time to fit the upper bag plate. Since the truck had been previously bagged with a Ridetech system there was no need to drill additional holes. The plates from the kit would not be needed.

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By installing the lower Strong Arms first, you can support your work. Once the tubular arms are bolted in place with a floor jack supporting the suspension you can move to the top.

Unbolt the upper ball joint, brake line clamp, and tie rod end. This allows you to lean the spindle and brake assembly out enough to remove the stock upper arm.

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The Ridetech Strong Arms come as a complete assembly. You will need to install the new ball joint that is supplied. The kit includes premium quality components as well as all of the required nuts, bolts, and washers.


Simply unbolt the upper A-arm, and slide the new and improved unit in place. Be sure to re-install the alignment shims in the same location the came from. It's possible that your alignment specs might not be too far off if you follow this procedure.

You will need to secure your brake line as well. The Strong Arm does not have a provision for the factory support clamp. The RPL crew devised this high tech method to hold it in place until a suitable alternative was agreed upon.

The shocks provided with the kit are a quality brand gas shock made to Ridetech's specifications. They utilize the stock upper mount to maintain the proper mounting angle. They come in a nice shade blue that did not go well with the truck. Our install technician opted for the silver Krylon upgrade to match the existing components.

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Our subject truck had been previously fitted with a C-20 sway bar, new bushings, and shorter frame stands. This was a nice improvement over the factory sway bar.

To fully compliment the upgrade package, Tony at Ridetech included one of their Muscle Bar kits. This beefy sway bar is computer designed for each specific application.

To optimize it's ability to control weight transfer it includes urethane bushings. To prevent binding it is attached with end links that have ball joints incorporated in their design. As demonstrated in these installation pictures, the end links are capable of a high degree of articulation.

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The front suspension upgrade was completed by thoroughly checking all attachment points to ensure that everything was tightened properly. It is recommended that you leave the Strong Arms bushing bolts loose until the suspension is compressed. This will prevent binding that could occur if they were tightened while the suspension is at it's upper range of travel.

Having the experience of many previous rear suspension installs, Roger and Keith prepared for battle. This shows a sampling of the tools they used for the next phase of the project. You can do the job with fewer tools, but if have them at your disposal why not take advantage.

To discuss this online article, go here-LINK

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Moving to the rear of the truck, the first order of operation was to remove the rear bumper and bed. It is possible that you could do the job with the bed on, but it is not recommended.

The original plan to remove the bed included several friends dropping by to help lift it off. When scheduling conflicts prohibited that option, ingenuity came in to play. The RPL team devised a method to gently lift the bed off and move it to a safe place for storage.

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Removing the bed revealed the current suspension set up. It consisted of a Ridetech Air Over Leaf kit, two Ridetech 3 gallon tanks, and a ViAir 400c compressor. This was a simple but effective system.

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The C-notch was custom made by Roger during the original install. Unfortunately it would need to be removed. The AirBar uses a bolt in notch that incorporates attachment points for the upper crossbrace.

An air chisel was used to remove the rivets that hold the spring hangers on. It is not mandatory to remove the rear hanger, but I requested it for aesthetics. Of course the rivets that were in the rear hangers proved to be the most stubborn.

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With the frame rails free of the factory brackets, assembly of the Airbar could begin. The front 4 link bracket is properly located using the existing holes. They have to be enlarged to the correct size, then the bracket is bolted in place.

Note that the RPL crew cleaned the frame rail and applied a name brand rust inhibitor before installing the Ridetech bracket.

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Step one is complete, so lets move on to the rear 4 link assembly. This multi- function bracket bolts to the rear axle where the factory leaf spring previously resided. The bracket incorporate a cross bar that serves to prevent horizontal play as well as create a lower mounting point for the shocks.

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Now that the front and rear brackets are installed, it's time to tie all of this together. Roger is seen installing the upper and lower 4 link bars. The end links are adjustable, but come from the factory pre-set. In most cases no further adjustment should be needed.

A close up of the rear assembly show the size and quality of the mounting brackets and associated hardware. This is a premium quality kit that includes the best of everything.

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Once the 4 link assembly is in place everything is checked to ensure that it is square. After thoroughly checking to see that both side are equal, it's time to make some noise. Raise the axle up to verify the centerline and mark its location. With that determined you can lay out your lines to cut for the C-notch.

Here we see Roger demonstrating the proper use of shop safety equipment. He is wearing the latest in the light weight "invisible" series. Note that it is virtually impossible to detect the gloves, goggles, and hearing protection.

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The engineers at Ridetech wanted to ensure that your freshly cut frame would not flex. To accomplish this they put mounting holes in every possible location they would fit. While it might seem a bit excessive, keep in mind the upper bag plate is incorporated in the C-notch. You can take comfort in know everything is going to stay where it was intended to be.

If you do not have a set of quality drill bits, you should get them now. It might not hurt to borrow an extra drill from a friend and enlist his help. The bolt in C-notch requires a LOT of drilling.

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Moving to the inside of the frame rails, it's time to attach the upper cross brace. Once again the design of this brace was well thought out. It serves to box a section of frame directly behind the bag mounts. The brace incorporates the upper shock mounts with a calculated degree of angle for the shocks built in. It also serves as an upper mounting point for the panhard bar.