DIY air-ride

My old man is always complaining about the harshness of the suspension bottoming out and his 56 pontiac wagon with slightly lower than stock coils. He wants a cushy ride at a 2-3" drop, max.

Anyone have a good parts resource, and maybe a link to a how-to thread about DIY air-ride? (as opposed to a pricey kit) Info about how to calculate which bag to use and what pressure to run would be great too!

 

I'm not sure what you're shooting for as far as pricing goes, but cost on those cheaper kits is still in the $800 to $1000 or so range (with a really crappy underpowered Hecho en Chine compressor), and that doesn't count fittings, installation parts necessary, etc...

 

not sure what I'm lookin for either! just info and suggestions at this point. A buddy of mine put in an air bag setup in his S-10 and the ride is HORRIBLE so I'm lookin to get educated on it before buyin a single part.

 

I have always liked SuicideDoors.com for parts. They have a few good diagrams too. That's where I got most of my information. Valve are a big part of the price tag. Depending how just how cheap you want to be, you could pick up from manual air valves from Harbor Freight, but it wont look pretty. That's what I'm using on mine as I'm building it.

 

Just curious, but "horrible ride" do you mean it's too stiff, too bouncy, etc? A lot of that can depend on the shocks you have and where they're positioned.

 

Give me a call i can help you out with questions and parts...Been doing airride setups for 8 years...Have some do and donts..

 

I believe that MANY of those valves will be NORGREN valves (could also be HADLEY) and you might be able to buy direct, but for sure can get them from Grainger and also from Sac Truck (Sacramento CA). You need to know how the solenoid works whether always open, always closed, what the activation PSI is set for (80 lbs, 60 lbs, etc..). You CAN patch a system together, but you will need to call experts at this type of tech before trying to do so. Try large truck shops that install these type of systems all day long and pick their brains a bit...

 

Ok I gather that kits are definitely the way to go for air-ride newbies!

The old man had stock springs when he bought it, cut coils later, and recently bought and installed mildly lowered springs with new shocks, still not happy. Potholes feel too harsh I think. All he wants is a nice "cadillac smooth" ride.

Its amazing how much smoother his Trailblazer truck is than his old floaty wagon

 

Just PM Kustombuilder here on the HAMB, and get one of his kits. Best prices out there for a quality kit.