Technical Question for you suspension guys

I want to use regular old air shocks on the rear of my '47 Ford Coupe and add a compressor and tank , I just can't afford a bag set up. Will there be a problem with doing it this way? Thanks in advance, BigO.

 

you won't get much lift out of air shocks, compared to bags

 

What are you trying to accomplish? Air shocks don't do much for lifting and lowering if that's your goal.

 

Air shocks are meant to be an addition to an existing suspension , not as the only means of supporting your car , if that's what you want to do ??

 

Agreed, more info is needed.

 

What 2OLD2FAST said.
Stick to real suspensions, both you and your car will be better off for it.

Mike

 

so, how is your car lowered now? so, expecting function of shocks to compare to bags? know that bag systems have shocks too?

 

I ran air shocks and used one of the license plate holes to run the valve through, great instant access. How often are you going to be cycling it, if it is every time you park, you'll need a compressor of some type.

 

Only looking to go up or down about 2 inches.

 

Thanks for the comments , looks like bags is how to go, I'm more of a bodyman than a suspension man that's why I asked you guys.

 

I used air shocks on the front of a A-100 Dodge van and they gave me 3" of lift, I was running 7" wide wheels at the time. HRP

 

one thing to keep in mind is that the upper and lower shock mount was never designed to take the weight of the car. if that is what is holding your car up, you are asking for a bent shock mount at the crossmember or a broken bolt at some point.

 

Yep, back in the day there were a lot of damaged trunk floors in tri-5 chevys!

 

Looking to put them on the rear.

 

I was thinking in the early 80s Lincoln’s, Cadillac, tornados, rivieras, all had a type of air shock with an air compressor .
I’ve seen it done with air shocks on really light cars , while a shock wave shock is basically just a nice air shock , the old “hi-jackers” were meant to just assist and as mentioned above you would need a mount like a coil over shock , and make sure you have a bump stop Incase of air failure

 

Pretty sure those were bags ....?

 

Up 2in. will work fine,on car,as long as its not a loaded truck. Ran some for that on a wagon for years.

 

Will run in the down position most of the time (not bottomed out ,taildragger style) and only up to get in and out of parking lots.

 

As long as you have springs , I never encountered any problems with mine.

I also used them on the back of a falcon sprint, to keep the tires from rubbing the outter fenders, remember when you used the widest tire you could find? HRP

 

If all you are using it for is to get in and out of parking lots and driveways it should work fine. Just don't drive a lot with it in the raised position.

 

or borrow some cab air bags from a big truck and mount them to your leaf springs as helpers

 

Yep, I run them on my '65 Fairlane in '76 and had no trouble .

 

I'd think they would work fine for this.

 

It'll be in a low position most of the time and rarely go more than a 5 mile radius from my home.

 

Escalades and suburbans have factory air shocks you might be able to source at a wrecking yard or used online, just check the length to make sure they will work in your application.

 

I’m not sure how much you are going to save by using an air shock if you’re u are still going to have an on board air compressor and a possibly a tank. I thing you could pick up an auxiliary air bag load system for a pickup truck and install it leaving your current suspension setup as it is now. My brother inlaw had one of these on his late model pick up. The bag mounts to the axle and the frame rail..

 

Thanks, this is why I love you guys here on the HAMB.

 

Oh BigO, your car is so kool get out and drive more than 5 miles from your house. Hell drive that sucker to the Black Hills of South Dakota and I'll tour you around!

 

Thanks for the invite.

 

I've got an air shock off a 90's LeSabre in my show and tell stash at school. Car had an on board compressor and a ride height sensor. The rear shocks were used as automatic load levelers. We've got a mid 90's Continental with rear air spring suspension and a ride height sensor.