Hello, This is my first post. I have been lurking around for a while and love the site. There is so much very good information here. Hopefully you guys can help me with a question I have. I am trying to find out what the first bagged vehicle ever was. OK, maybe not the first, but the first type of bagged p***enger vehicle. A former buddy of mine thinks minitrucks (s10s, nissans, toyotas ...) are what started the industry and I just can't see that bags have been around since the 30's and the hot rodders didn't use them on their cars and trucks back then. I would love to prove him wrong since he basically kicked me out of the club I started because I told him I didn't think mini trucks are the reason that bags are used today. He thinks that if it weren't for someone first putting a bag on a mini truck then we would never have had them. It may be me that is wrong, I don't know. That is why I seek the answer to this question. So can you help me shut this guy up? If so, that woud be great. Any help you can give would be appreciated. Thanks, Chad
58 chevy had airbags... was it a 57 lincoln that had em too? i owned one and cant remember, LOL... but i KNOW there were cars before those...
He (your "friend") is an idiot. I believe air bags (in some form) have been around since the late 40's to mid 50's and I think Cadillac used them first in some production luxury cars. Not sure on that or when it was but it was not first done on mini trucks.
No, I don't want to be in the club any more at all. Their maturity level went way down in the last few months and that is another reason why I don't fit in anymore. I refuse to act like a kid just because I have a bunch of teenagers that think I am god for some reason. And I refuse to do stuff to my vehicle without thinking about the consequences of my actions for the other motorists on the road. Anyways, I just want to know the answer so that next time he comes at me with this argument I can put him in his place. Prove to him that he should open his mind up to the fact that just because he drives a mini truck doesn't mean that minis started the air bag industry and the custom truck scene. Later Chad
According to the gurus on Car Crazy, a club in the Los Angeles area started the whole hydro thing that spawned the air bag thing. I can't remember the guys names or the club name, but they were heavy into the taildragger sytle cars, big many door 46-48 Chebbies and such. I'm sure someone else can fill in some of the blanks here. BTW, where's your intro? If you've been lurking like you said you have been, then you know you're in for a serious bustin of the chops for not leading off with an intro. Vance
I to believe he is an idiot. This is good stuff. It will go a long way if I need to prove him wrong yet again. Thanks a lot. Chad
I am working on the intro. I posted up once a while back, so this technically isn't my lead off post, but it is my first new thread. I actually havn't been on in a couple of months. Been dealing with all of this club drama stuff. The intro will be there shortly though. Thanks, Chad
didn't the ALA KART have bags? i think they where just helpers to get it low and still drive it. do a search. i know that there is thread somewhere with the history of the Kart to find out when it was built....long before anyone new what a "minitruck" was anyways!!! wanna piss of your "friend" ? every time he says something about a "body drop", tell him its called a channel job
They Were On 58 Gm Cars And Some Edsels And Mercs I Think. But The Air Bag Trend Started With Brents 71 Or 72 Mustang In The Early 90's It Was Orange And White With Barb Wire Airbrush To Break The Colors. Brent Started Airride On His Own And Is Making A Stack Of Money Off Of It He Is A Great Guy. I Just Wish I Had Thought Of It And Had The Ability To Make It Work.
Ford offered air ride suspension in the regular car line as an option in 57-58 but had lots of problems with it and dropped it I think in 59 may have actualy been mid to late 58.thats the first US maker i have seen adds for in old books .the French Citroen had bags even earlier when you parked it would drop about 5 inches and the bags would inflate when you started it again and jack the car back up to normal ride height.
geez, these mini truck guys sound very protective of their "inventions". According to one participant on Monster Garage the first season, he invented air bags, was the first to put them in any vehicle, and owns the only air ride company out there. I know that since he did all that I should remember his name at least, but it escapes me at the moment
I know big trucks (18 wheelers) have been using em for a long time, not the first..but..you get the idea.. PC
This is a quote from >> http://www.100megsfree4.com/cadillac/cad1950/cad57s.htm The Brougham's most intriguing mechanical feature was its unique air suspension, the work of engineers Lester Milliken and Fred Cowin. Based on systems used for commercial vehicles since 1952, it employed an air "spring" at each wheel comprising a domed air chamber, rubber diaphragm, and pistons. Fed by a central air compressor, the domes were continually adjusted for load and road conditions via valves and solenoids for a smooth, level ride. Cadillac's system differed from "air ride" options at other GM divisions in being "open" (taking in air from outside) rather than "closed." Unhappily, cost and complexity were too high relative to benefits. The air domes leaked, and dealer replacements were frequent, leading many owners to junk the system in favor of conventional coil springs. Four years later, Cadillac and GM abandoned air suspension altogether.
"Air suspension, which Lincoln ballyhooed for some models in 1984 was introduced in 1909 by the Cowey Motor Works of Great Britain. It did not work well because it leaked. The first practical air suspension was developed by Firestone in 1933 for an experimental car called the Stout-Scarab. This was a rear-engined vehicle that used four rubberized bellows in place of conventional springs. Air was supplied by small compressors attached to each bellow. As you might imagine, the air bag suspension was an expensive setup -- still is, in fact."
i think what your buddies are tring to say is that "mini truckers"made the air bag popular.which having lived in so cal all my live & having a custom fab shop, i must agree with.brian jengro of chop shop fame basically is the first person not a company to source out bags to fit a truck, sure ford and caddilac,etc expermented with the **** but time and tech. made it popular today.the early lowriders (not the gold dayton type)used to search the old air plane fields to get hydrulics and parts.the also used to have there own type of " drag " racing.***aium blocks bolted to the croos members and would drag there **** and throw sparks.
i used to build minitrucks. ill admit it. i had fun and met a lot of cool people but im now back to building what i love, bad*** and smooth kustoms. i know for damn sure minitruckers had NOTHING to do with being the first to use air bags and what not. HOWEVER, minitrucks have a lot to do with the advancement of the Air Bag parts industry. 80% of the companies that sell airride parts to the average joe are either run by minitruckers or have the majority of their customer base being minitruckers. I buy all my parts from minitrucker owned companies becasue thats where the best parts are for the best prices. Ive installed many setups over the years on both rods and trucks As for history..... The company AirLift was started in 1948. firestone has building them at least as long. The Ala Kart did have airbags, granted they were just helper springs inside the coils, but airbags nonetheless. many late 50s ford were equipped with airbags inthe rear. Helper springs. Many minitruckers flat out just dont know. Plus with the invention of the interwebulator and the common websites, rumors spread fast. The first car to my knowledge with hydraulic suspension would be a 57?? corvette that went by the name Sonic-X As for that guy on Moster Garage...not sure who it was since i dont really watch much TV, but Brian Jendro sound like who you would be talking about. He did not invent them or be the first to use them, but is know for being the first to put them on a mini and make them popular. Before that it was air shocks. Nowadays the majority of minis have airbags or hydrualics hope i helped a little
I have an old R od and Custom that has an article on putting an air suspension in your sled. Its a 1958 small format mag.
Thanks for all of the info. I most definatly agree that the use of airbags on mini trucks is a big reason for the advancement in the technology. I am not trying to argue that at all. My buddy (Carlos of Ground Dwellerz) can be quoted as saying this on another board He and now some of the people that look up to him are convinced that if it wasn't for a mini truck, airbags would never have been used to replace hydraulics in an adjustable suspension. Like I said, I will give credit to mini truckers for doing things to trucks and suspensions that most people would never dream of (or want to dream of), but I refuse to give them the credit of starting the air suspension industry. I to purchase all of my parts from minitrucker owned operations like suicidedoors.com. They have great prices and great customer service. Also, I did at one point tell him that a "traditional" bodydrop is a lazy mans chaneling job. Instead of channeling for the frame rails, ****** and driveshaft they just raise the entire floor of the truck. And as you can imagine he claimed they were totally different. I have been involved with 1 channel job and am about to start the channeling on my truck as well. Well, I guess that is the end of my rant. Thanks, Chad
Sorry, but I would have to go with the fact that mini-trucks probebly did ''Popularize'' the air bag trend. Anyone who has owned or worked on a Lincoln might tell you that it was the bag or air strut system on them that probebly started the ''lowering with bags'' thing after seeing one down on the ground! At a cost of 1000 bucks a pair for air struts back then most just didn`t fix them. One fact remains, whether its aftermarket or dealer parts, these systems do wear out!
Very true just bag it right the first time and it will last for years...trust me I learned the hard way
That friend of yours must be sniffin glue or did his momma drop him on his head?, he's way of base on his idea it all started with S10's.
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