A buddy of mine brought his truck by the other day so I could check out his air bag setup in the back. I'm very new to air bags so I wanted to see what it looked like. I always thought in order to have air bags you needed a 2 link or 4 link but he just used his leaf spring to hold his rearend in place. Is this safe? Does anyone have pics of theirs done this way? I'm very interested in this style and would like to maybe do mine like this someday if it's going to be safe for my family to ride with me. I think it would cut down on the cost and work of the setup also. Please let me here your thoughts. O yeah it would go into a 53 plymouth with a v6 up front if it matters. No bags up front.
That is actually a very common way to install Air bags on a vehicle that you do not want, or need to get very low. Most Leaf spring vehicles will only get so low without a 4link and c-notch. This method is also used alot for helper springs to assist in leveling out a vehicle for carring heavy loads. The key to this type of setup is to maintain a certain number of leafs so you retain the strength of the spring for durability but remove enough to allow it to get as low as you want it to get. I can confidently say if you go this route you can drive it like that for many years without problems as long as it is done right.
Thanks 55. Is it called something so I can search here on the Hamb for more info and pics? Anyone else want to share there experience and pics
I've been doing air ride for over 15 years everyday, He said all you really need to know. The only other thing I can add is select the correct size bag for your application, so that ride quality will not suffer, and you will get the correct lift.
Somebody did the bags on my Galaxie years ago and all the leaves were taken but one and it's scary sometimes. NOT SAFE IMO. I wouldn't put the family in there. Im gonna do a 4 link very soon. At high speeds when i hit a bump it a little scketchy!!
bag over leaf isnt for a lower stance very bad idea not that safe the leafs will break...its better to go with a 3 link or more for real safe applications...bag over leaf is more for towing packages as a helper not for lowering a vehicle to the ground...
I have been doing Air bags for 10 years and of all the Air over leaf installs I have done I had 1 person come back with a broken leaf. His broke because he was stupid and thought his v-6 S-10 was a dragster and like to do clutch drops. If you do the install correctly (that means not just leaving 1 leaf but atleast 2) and make sure the geometry of the bags is correct and the right bags and lastly have the right shocks installed an Air over Leaf system will ride just as good and last just as long as a 4 link system will! thats the facts.
4 link or 3 link is the way to go for the best ride quality and to lay it out. you could also do a canti set up.
well you can do it that way but if you pull up at a show and 9 out of 10 ppl that build trucks or a judge judging your ride will take points off or frown on ur shortcut that is disaster waiting to happen...why go this way when you can get a universal 4-link for 199 plus shipping...then you have a fully adjustable rear suspension that is safier in like any way you look at it if either one was done the right and correct way that is...how old are those leaf springs your using i know not new and how much crap they went through in their life time...compared to tempered metal that was built for strength to do this job and is brand new in a box waiting on the right install... thats my two cents cause when im rollin 6 hours to a show in my truck i dont want to worry about some old leafs compared to that new 4 link under my truck plus i drive my truck everyday since we got it done and it rolled out of the show and hit sunlight for the first time and never had anything break or even come out of adjustment...but i build these setups everyday from 2 3 4 5 6 and canti lever links....air or hydros
thats the craziest thing i ever heard ...get over doing air over leafs its not safe ..and ghetto as hell .
If a 3 or 4 link isn't done right you've got a ton of failure points including binding and twisting. Air-over-leaf isn't the best way to do it but your potential failure typically only includes failing of the leaf. If you put a new main in when you do the bags it's gonna last a long time, it's the stock main that's 50+ yrs old I'd worry about.
air over leafs are mainly for load levers,,, check out big trucks .. leaf springs cant get any lower then axle height or they will bend, and eventually get fatigued and break. There not meant for a slammed vehicle..
not everything needs to be slammed. some people are only looking for a couple inches down. it's called stance. on the ground is not it.
air over leafs are good for trucks hauling havy loads sometimes or cars that haul fat chicks in the back...flame away... and I agree not everything needs to be slammed,, but theres a right way to do it, and these arent the way
the only thing that makes it universal is the fact the one side of the link bars have the bar ends on and the bars come lik 35 inches long or longer and you cut to the length you need and weld the other end of the link bars and bar ends together...nothing worng with it i have around 400 HP and i lay full frame not a problem send them out of my shop like that all the time...same way with a racing setup its unviersal also when it arrives in a box not everything has a application for it...thats what i meant
Maybe to you, but for someone just looking for a couple of inches there is nothing wrong with them at all. Your refusal to grasp this is amazing.
this right here nails what im trying to say air over leaf is the old out of date way of doing it...a link setup is the new tech safer more reliable way of doing it...no shop you take a car to that puts out nice quality work will screw with air over leaf cause its just not safe and they dont want their name on it at all...i have done them way back and so has my dad and uncles but after they seen the work i have put into my truck and the link setup they love the link setup even more and trust it completely and yes not everything needs to be slammed on the ground but it does need safety and trustablity
lmao, uhhh... it really depends on the ride. what the customer is trying to do. what their budget is. I'm sorry all you guys are stuck in the "I have to have a 4 link and lay frame" mindset. It's safe, get over it already. Maybe you can't do it safely.
Having done it both ways, I personally wouldn't run an air over leaf setup on my vehicle for the purpose of raising or lowering it just for stance. If used as a load assist, then fine but otherwise, F*ck no!!! Certian things come to play... Maintaining a proper pinion angle thru the suspension cycle are one of the first things that come to mind. Mono leafed(or even 2 leaf) will wrap the leaves on moderate to heavy acceleration, throwing your pinion angle off. This eventually will lead to premature U-joint failure and certainly lead to a vibration during acceleration/deceleration. A properly set up 4 link will elimate this. No, you don't need to lay it out, scrape frame, drag body or anything like that. There's a saying that has been said on here numerous time... Just because it can be done doesn't mean it should be done...
wow, insults and all... my refusal to grasp this isnt really amazing, and i never said put a 4 link on it. i just said air over leaf is meant for loads, theres better ways to make a lowered car, slammed or not..if you can make this system work safely, all the power to you.. if he wants a cheap alternative, go with airshocks.. save the 300 bux it would cost to put air over leaf system on.
Finally thats what i have been trng to put across...and as something that was said about what the customer wants to do and the budget for them...i understand that i deal with that everyday...i will give him an option that is gonna be less cost on him in the long run and when he goes to resale the car ppl look down on air over leaf setup...i will cut the customer a break on install price and i have a best friend that owns a store that sells everything for air and hydros so i can get better deals for my customers...im not trying to become a millionaire...im out for the love of doing the work and building cars for ppl and putting them on the road safely....
Would you buy brakes that were 99 cents?theres something to be said about shopping around and finding a good deal but when it comes to suspension cheaper is not always better.that 200 dollar kit doesnt look very well built at the bushing ends,and anyone who does not disclose a wall thickness on their auction should be qustioned.not a good idea imho
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