I have done a search ! not found what I am looking for.. Now, I have had all kinds of stories. some say ok, some great, some take them back out...What gives, good bad, or what..?? how they are installed.?? some say don't waste your money.. I am interested in putting them in my 49 Pontiac fleetline. I only want to slam it, when it is parked.. no jumping..
Asking how do bags ride is like asking how a chop will come out and how much filler is needed. It all depends on they way it is set up... There are more than one way to skin a cat. Not all of them work as great as others....
They ride great...your on air...buy the good high pressured bags and set them up so there running in the middle of there pressure range and travel or a bit under. Yes they bounce a bit when hitting dips and drops on the freeway at speed but if done right there great. The ride is a bit different then leafs and coils though...dont let em scare you...Bag it!
It all depends on the setup. Bag size, pressure, suspension geometry, etc. I had a bagged late model Chevy truck that rode like a Cadillac, and I've ridden in other folks bagged vehicles that rode like crap.
my buddys 62 galaxie had 3 coils cut out of the front. Yes three, it was DUMPED. Bags made it ride alot better. But thats an extreme case, just do it and if you dont like it at least you will look cool.
I always hear that the way they ride is all in the setup. But never heard an explanation on how they should be set up. I'm curious to the details as the project I'm doing now I plan to bag but I don't want to be ripping it all out in a year to get a decent ride back. can anyone offer details on the proper way to set up an air bag car and still have a good ride?
It's too hard to explain the "right" setup...there's too many variables. Some folks build to lay on the frame, some folks build to drive low and comfortable, some build to shock everyone with wild fabrication, some build to have alot of lift, some build to hop, and on and on. Each setup is different. What's works on one car might not be the right setup for another type of car, etc.
I would advise a mustang II set up for your car.I know Ill get ripped by alot of guys here for that,but it the best riding air setup for these cars in my opinion.I am using a 2 link setup out of a 65 chevy truck for the rear end.The reason for this is to keep from cutting out the floor under my rear seat.Jimemez Bros also offer a 2 link set up if you dont want to build one.My car will not lay frame,but will sit nice and low.Check out chevy54s rear setup that is where I got the truck 2 link idea from.Just my .02 worth.
Properly setup by someone who knows what he or she is doing, and always with proper shock absorbers, the ride quality will be unmatched in comfort. I have bagged everything from office chairs, to cars, to motorcycles, to 4x4 trucks, and everything in-beetween. Haven't had a customer complaint yet. DirtyEd is on to something. The NASCAR style 2-link, with a panhard bar, or watts-link is what you want to run in the rear, if you want to keep the rear seat. If not, a triangulated 4-link is the way to go. I can't remember off-hand what the stock front stuff looks like. Sleepy.Zzz
Correct, all about setup. At mininum get a quality bag set, I recommend slam specialties. Then don't cheap out and do a four or six solenoid setup because you will have body roll issues, do two quality solenoids per corner of the car. Make sure you also factor in tube shocks with the correct valving for the weight of your car front AND rear, If I remember correctly I used some from a Saab? I may have part numbers laying around somewhere. (most poor handling bagged vehicles do not have shocks, people either do not install them out of laziness or they want a fast bag setup) The extra mile, and this is where it counts.... I HIGHLY recommend doing a mustang 2, fatman's ultra low specifically as the geometry is correct for driving a car low. And for the rear a triangulated four link. I never found a need to use a sway bar in front but it does help with body roll but only in more extreme cornering. All my cars are setup with this basic setup and they all ride extremely well, a hell of a lot better then these cars ever where and it will give a modern car a run for its money. <iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XeR6LM5sAdM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
X2... I think my installation is good, but who knows. It seemed logical to pick shocks and bags with the most travel possible for the car and install them in such a way that they were only 1/3 to 1/2 extended at ride height. I guessed, getting no guidance in the AirRide manuals other than to be sure to match the weight of the car to the support offered by the right bags. My little truck has nearly 6 inches total travel on the bags! And I still haven't adjusted the shocks for compression or rebound yet, which should also help. But the suspension is very compliant and it takes rr tracks and dips in stride. Installing them this way, I could lower the car for shows (showing off as we must do), raise them to ride height to drive, and push them all the way up for speed bumps and such. All the way down, you have little / no suspension. Can't drive it that way for too far and I just HATE it when the suspenson hits the snubbers (don't forget them, either). Pumped all the way up, it rides like a buckboard / low rider / tuner and has the same (zero) travel as it has when all the way down. You can't drive it that way either - if you install them so your ride height is all the way up, you are guaranteed to have a shitty ride. If you have to do this so it is on the ground for shows, then you chose stuff with too little travel, eh? I'm all for experienced buiders posting a good how-to guide, to the benefit of all. Gary
A well-designed air suspension system rides smoother than anything else available, hands down... But you need to look at as a WHOLE system, not just a quick add-on. It needs to be well thought-out, and designed as a complete PACKAGE. I have over twenty thousand miles of trouble-free motoring on one of my cars, and there is absolutely no comparison to any other suspension...
Well said!! Your exactly right about to many variables! Than man..glad it worked well for you!! I totally agree Ed....see you this weekend!
well thanks, Chevy 54, Dirty Ed, and Rivit.... that was the answers I was looking for.. I am running Must ll, should have said that...I do have a Chevy truck frame with trailing arms, too... thanks again.. any more info is appreciated....
Jus depends on the setup like everyone else says.. It ride like shit super stiff or like a cloud jus depends on air pressure and suspension set up.
All of the above comments about the ride being a result of how well the system is designed is 100% correct. Too often, I see air-ride systems installed in vehicles that were set up with only one outcome in mind: to "lay frame" or "sit on the pinch-welds" or whatever other term they come up with. Honestly, anyone can design a system where the only purpose is to slam the vehicle to the ground. Making one ride nice is where you have to do your homework. Getting the geometry correct is critical. The objective is to have a system where the air pressure in the bag is at a reasonable pressure at ride height. In most cases, set-ups where the bag is placed directly over the rear axle can exhibit a condition where in order to get the vehicle at a driveable height, the bag has to be at nearly max. pressure, causing the ride to be terrible. A simple 3 or 4-link set-up that uses leverage can make a car ride well and give much more lift than a standard bag-over-the-axle set-up. Remember, the more height (or range) you can get, the more area you have for the "sweet spot" that you need for ride comfort. I have also found success in using oil shocks instead of gas shocks for stability control. Gas shocks have a tendency to be too firm and want to rebound quicker than the bag can react. Oil shocks are a little slower to react, and just work better with a bag. I've seen set-ups that do not use shocks, but to me, it makes the ride bouncy and floaty, and I don't like it. I also like to retain the sway bar in the front, but instead of using the regular bolt/bushings on the ends, I like to use heim joints and attach tabs on the lower control arms. This way, the sway bar can articulate with the suspension. I'm not a fan of side-to-side systems because it's more for show than function. I like to use small lines and slow valves because I don't need to hop and I hate the sound of a fast valve. Don't skimp on your pump(s) or fittings. Have provisions to drain the air tank on a regular basis because the system will generate moisture and water. And lastly, make sure that the bag has a minimum of 1/2" of clearance between it and anything around it during full up/ full down articulation. Make sure that the bags do not contact anything such as wire harnesses, brake lines, fuel lines, e-brake cables, etc. Even a little contact can cause a big deal later on when the bag gets rubbed through and leaves you stranded. If a system is done correctly, you can have a great ride, trouble-free operation, and the ability to adjust to varying road conditions.
http://www.airide.com.au/tech-faq.php http://www.airide.com.au/tech-build.php You may like to read this
One thing I will add is during the design phase of building an air bag system. Some people design and build the system to lay frame and dont care about anything else, bad decision unless you have money to burn. If you build a bag car to lay frame if you have a problem then you are stuck. If a bag blows there is no way to even load it onto a rollback, so I always say leave 1/2 inch of clearance at the lowest point for possible failures. Next during the design phase you need to figure out your ride height first. If building a car to lay out low when parked your ride height will only be 4-5 inches above that depending on the brand of bag you use. Make sure that you have the clearance at ride height to drive it. Lastly when designing a system you should have the bags top and bottom plate parallel to each other at ride height. This will allow for the smoothest ride with the least chance of pinching a bag. Designing a system for these old cars is not as easy as a 58-64 Impala where its basically a bolt in deal (a few things can be done). It takes patience and a lot of measuring. On those cars like yours check with the folks at Gambino. They have a lot of experience with them.
thanks again.. you guys have been very helpfull...it is good to get a lot of different answers.. pick all the good info and assemble a good car....
WOW... some very detailed information here! thanks for sharing. I am supprised the bag police have not showed up with all the blah blah blah... can't wait to bag mine. this info really helps. viva la hamb! john
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