dcairns Posted May 14, 2005 Report Share Posted May 14, 2005 I installed the Air Lift "Ride Control" AirBags. These are designed to keep the back en up when you dump a bunch of weight in the truck bed. Not for lowering or bouncing down the street. The intallation jig. Shows you where to drill the frame for the bolt that hold the upper bracket. Notice the front two bolts of the upper bracket are going through the weld on the frame. Those bolts use the self tapping bolts, the other use nut and bolt combinations. Shortened the U bolt to save some wrenching and have it look neater. Here they are installed. I had to trim my Shopman wheel well dress-up thingy to clear the bag and bracket. Now I just need something heavy to dump in the back to test them out... Perhaps a load of topsoil or rocks for the backyard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterp Posted May 14, 2005 Report Share Posted May 14, 2005 Very cool, how long to install?? Mr .P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WEEZARR1&SS Posted May 14, 2005 Report Share Posted May 14, 2005 Nice pics, so how much did it cost ya?? And how long it take ya to do the install?? I am going to have to get a set also. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcairns Posted May 14, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2005 Very cool, how long to install?? Mr .P. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Good question... I spent a lot of time looking around the garage for my floor jack and even longer getting all the junk out of the way so I could get at it Probably a 4-5 hour job. It goes faster once you have it all figured out from the first one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woffski Posted May 15, 2005 Report Share Posted May 15, 2005 Nice!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePDB Posted May 15, 2005 Report Share Posted May 15, 2005 I installed the Air Lift "Ride Control" AirBags. These are designed to keep the back en up when you dump a bunch of weight in the truck bed. Not for lowering or bouncing down the street. The intallation jig. Shows you where to drill the frame for the bolt that hold the upper bracket. Notice the front two bolts of the upper bracket are going through the weld on the frame. Those bolts use the self tapping bolts, the other use nut and bolt combinations. Shortened the U bolt to save some wrenching and have it look neater. Here they are installed. I had to trim my Shopman wheel well dress-up thingy to clear the bag and bracket. Now I just need something heavy to dump in the back to test them out... Perhaps a load of topsoil or rocks for the backyard <{POST_SNAPBACK}> They work really well!!! My brother used to tow our trailer around with his 1/2 ton before we got our 2500 duramax and it's amazing how a tiny little rubber bag can help lift sooo much weight. You'll love them!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detjoe Posted May 15, 2005 Report Share Posted May 15, 2005 Looks great! Have you played w/the pressure to see how it affects the ride quality when empty, could it help handeling??? how much air do you have in them when not in use? looks nice joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r8rs4lf Posted May 15, 2005 Report Share Posted May 15, 2005 I remember you saying something about getting the compressor later, so how/where do you fill up the bags and how does it ride empty/full??? Late- Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xero Posted May 15, 2005 Report Share Posted May 15, 2005 heres my .02 cents on these air bags, i think they are a great idea for people who lower their car! lowered trucks ride like crap in the back so if you take the overload spring out and put a set of these bag in place i beleive it will ride like/better than stock. has anyone tried this? if i had funds i would. gotta buy a new 5/7 drop first....by the way look great man! and please tell about how the ride is full and empty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenKey Posted May 15, 2005 Report Share Posted May 15, 2005 Where did you pick those up again? I'd be interested in how they ride also. As always, nice pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSplaytoy Posted May 15, 2005 Report Share Posted May 15, 2005 Pics with the back all the way down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcairns Posted May 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 detjoe - 10 PSI unloaded, and they go up to 100 PSI r8rs4lf - At first I thought I would pass on the automatic compressor, because of the cost, but in the end, I couldn't resist, and ordered it last week. Right not, the bags are filled from a couple of tubes with tire style filler valves. I just have them zip-tied to the trailer hitch till I put the pump and level sensor stuff in. BenKey - I got these through Summit Racing (Jegs has the same price too) AirLift part number 59501 Air Lift Ride Control kits 59501 SSplaytoy - Even with the bags at 0 PSI, the ride height is right where you started. But you are supposed to keep at least 10 PSI in them, so they hold their shape and won't rub on themselves internally. Well, I got to test the ride quality this morning. For those of you who are SoCal locals, you might be familiar with the "unique" ride on the Southbound 5 just past the El Toro Y, particularly in the fast lane. The spacing of the expansion joints in the freeway make for a bouncy ride. Well, the addition of the air bags seems to have really tamed that bounce! Keep in mind I also have the Velvet-Ride Shackles which helped to soften the bounce on their own. So I am not sure how much is due to the combination of the two mods or just the air bags. But the addition of the air bags has made a dramatic difference. So with these bags on there, I can add 2000 lbs in the bed and still keep it level. An handy feature on the SS, where suspension travel is a bit limited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fox_forma Posted May 16, 2005 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 it will take the bags a few hundred miles to get worn in and the ride will get a lot better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PewterC3 Posted May 16, 2005 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 Looks great, may have to think about one of those myself. Question. I see that the rear snubbers are mounted on an extension bracket. I didn't think the SS came that way. If you remove the extension bracket there is a whole for the snubber to bolt directly to the frame. Or is this a bad idea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcairns Posted May 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 When you say "snubbers", I assume you mean what I call the "bump stops". If so, mine are stock. Not sure if it would be good to remove the bracket or not. Would the bottom of the truck be hitting the ground first? or bending the leaf springs too much? I guess I don't have to worry about it, when the air bags are properly inflated, they will keep me from getting that close to the travel limits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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