Adjustable suspensions have, without a doubt, risen to new heights in the last few years alone. It goes without saying that airbags may not be everyone's cup of tea, but for those who want low and go (in other words drivability), there's nothing like programmable ride height suspensions--and who else would we turn to other than Air Ride Technologies? We knew they were the folks that had the knowledge--and the parts--to properly drop any classic truck, so we turned to them first.
After discussing our desires, Air Ride Technologies quickly suggested their new Strong Arm tubular control arms for '73-87 GM applications (which somewhat addresses the drooping crossmember issues but not totally). In addition, they also recommended a parallel four-link to replace the old leaf springs, as well as their advanced RidePro E control system. Sounded good to us, but then again all we heard was, "This is what you need to get low."
The issue regarding parts was easily handled, but being that Air Ride is some ways away in Indiana and we're "stuck" out here in California, we needed to round up a local installation specialist. Thinking back to earlier endeavors with airbag suspensions in SoCal, we remembered Art Gomez, who had just coincidentally opened his own shop (GO-EZ Customs) literally just a couple blocks from our offices. Though he was way deep into various projects, including a company party bus, he gladly accepted the task, despite the fact that he specializes in one-off air suspension systems. A week later, the truck was back on the road--actually, substantially closer to the road--with an adjustable ride height system, which was quite impressive to say the least. Some may think that airbagging a daily driver isn't the smartest thing in the world to do. In some situations, I'd agree; in this one, I beg to differ. Not only did I drive my fully airbagged '55 Chevy on a daily basis with nary a problem, this particular application will feature the RidePro E control system. So what does that mean exactly? Well, instead of having to play the guessing game I've become accustomed to (three bumps of the switch for the front, two for the rear), the RidePro will have programmed the exact desired ride height (via air pressure), which the truck will automatically go to when fired up--but better yet, it will stay there. Of course, added weight in the vehicle will have an adverse affect, but that's where manual override comes in. So fear of quickly worn-out tires will not be an issue (though it wasn't with the '55 either, as I had the manual-valve system figured out).
Sure, a "fixed-height" suspension alleviates a lot of headaches and worries. But when you're dealing with a suspension that will only go so low (i.e. the drastically low crossmembers on '73-87 trucks), there's nothing better than an adjustable system such as the RidePro E from Air Ride Technologies. Adding their Strong Arm tubular control arms along with a parallel four-link (which you'll see next month) only made things that much better! And to give the truck a more modern look, we threw on a set of 20-inch Coddington "Harms" with BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDWs (more on that next month, too).
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Air Ride Technologies just added '73-87 GM 1/2-ton pickups to their full line of Strong Arm applications, and we were more than happy to try out a set! As you can see, the tubular control arms are about as beefy as you're gonna get and come complete with bushings, cross-shafts, balljoints--pretty much everything you need to install them on your truck. |
For the adjustable ride height, the ARC4000e kit includes a Viar compressor, convoluted and sleeve-style airbags, 3-gallon tank, Big Red solenoids, press-fit fittings, and airline. |
The "electronics" portion of the kit includes the RidePro control panel with sending units, bulkhead and standard connectors, wiring harness, remotes, and all necessary hardware. Looks complicated, but it's not...at least not for Art and the crew at GO-EZ! |
OK, some of you may recall the Belltech drop we did not too long ago. There was nothing wrong with the suspension at all--everything was all new! The problem was with the truck's crossmember (and stock control arms) hanging as low as they did. Making the fixed suspension sit any lower would have just caused more problems down the road--literally! |
The portions of the freshened suspension that would remain were the steering components, spindles, and brakes, so extra care was taken in the removal process not to damage anything. |
Along with the control arms, coil springs, and shocks, the stock sway bar would have to go as well. The control arm end just won't work with the suspension laid out as much as it will be, which is why Air Ride supplies their Strong Arms with a link-end style mount. We will update the sway bar with a new one from Classic Performance Products. |
We should be able to find a new home for the old parts with no problem. |
Worst case, the ball joints can be shelved for later use! |
With the Air Ride upper 'bag plate clamped to the crossmember with Vise Grips, Jason matched the hole sizes for the hardware. |
Next, the convoluted 'bags were equipped with the airline fittings... |
...and then mated with the upper plates. |
With the holes aligned and the same size, Jason was able to slide the plate and 'bag combo right into place. |
The cross-shafts/bushings were then installed in the Strong Arms on a bench vise. |
Using the same shim orientation as the stock control arms, the Strong Arm uppers were bolted onto the crossmember studs. Regardless of how the truck was aligned stock, though, we will need to get a professional alignment at exact ride height when all is said and done. And keeping the frontend at that designated pressure setting will be optimum. |
Using the same shim orientation as the stock control arms, the Strong Arm uppers were bolted onto the crossmember studs. ReThe lower Strong Arms bolt up exactly where the stock ones once hung with the same hardware and U-bolts. |
While pretty much everything up front was new, that doesn't mean you'll be working with the same conditions... |
...if anything shows signs of wear, replace as necessary. |
Air Ride supplies each kit with new shocks, which like the majority of components, bolt right where the stock ones went--no worries of having to relocate shocks with this kit! |
Jason did have to work a little magic to get a set of bumpstops to function correctly, as the rubber stops kept wanting to lay over when coming in contact with the lower control arm. A new tab with a standoff plate did the trick. Without the stops, the frontend is literally on the ground, and we didn't want any issues if there happen to be an unlikely problem down the road. |
And there she sits. We did say we were throwing on a set of Coddington wheels with BFG g-Force tires, didn't we? We were, but ran into issues with the fronts not fitting over the rotor hub (we didn't specify "large rotor")... |
...so you'll have to wait till next month (like us) to see how those look. For now, the truck still sits nicely over the Cragars it's used to. |
Our sway bar from CPP is very, very important. Many airbag conversions are without sway bars, but we know for a fact that if the vehicle owners simply drove a 'bagged vehicle with a bar, they'd put one on A.S.A.P.! Notice the shorter bushing brackets--those aid greatly in clearance and are also available from CPP. |