gettin air ride for my chevelle

[Justin Caseday]

Hi, I'm new here. This is my 65 chevelle wagon daily driver. gonna do air ride and boss 338 18's. Im new to air ride and im not trying to drop this thing on the ground. just give it and better ride an lower ride height but still be able to raise it up as to not drag the bottom over high obstacles. After doing some searching around I found this kit from BCfab http://www.bcfab.com/Complete-FBSS-Airbag-Suspension-Kit--64-72-Chevelle-other-GM-A-Body--Analog-System_p_1007.html . I called them up and the guy I talked to was knowledgeable and nice. the only thing I dont like about the kit is the brackets are universal but I was thinking of getting the model specific brackets elsewhere. Have any one done business with this company and offer insight

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/06/001-1.jpg

[dontlifttoshift]

I don't see any shocks in that kit. So it's not really complete. I will strongly urge you to look into RideTech parts for ease of installation, quality product, and excellent customer service along with intimate knowledge of what it takes to make an a body work well.

http://www.ridetech.com/store/1964-1972-gm-a-body-level-1.html This kit is twice the price of what you are showing but is easily twice the product. It includes shocks and brackets, direct fit bag brackets as well as bags that are properly sized for you vehicle. Also everything is upgradeable. If you decide you want digital controls later, it's plug and play.

Neat car and welcome to forum.

[61ragtop]

Ride tech is nice stuff from what I have seen. I built my own system from a kit from air lift like the one you have posted and it all went well. car rides nice, I had to add a front shock mounting bracket for it though. The only thing I wonder is if I am at the optimum air press for the bags at ride height for my application. Something to think about in a generic kit. For a strictly cruiser not a big deal.

I would strongly recommend looking into Accuair as well for their controller.Read about their concept for the sensors over gauges, I strongly agree with it as at a certain PSI in my car i can drive it alone, add gas,my 6 and 4 year old and I have to compensate for it and guess what is good pressure to get the right height depending on who and what is in my ride.

[mild2wildpaintngraphics]

Ridetech all the way! Top notch product and service!

[MonzaRacer]

Yeah Accuair have some cool ideas on controllers but I have an affinity for Ridetech/Air ride Technologies. Had CoolRide on rear of my 71 Monte, have CoolRide with parallel 4 link in back On my 78 C10. Used separate kits and used an A6 Compressor for air, three gauges and paddle switches with no issues.
Wore out the A6 and now use a York/Tecumseh compressor for air.
Not REAL impressed by copies as Ridetech, in my opinion, WAS the first. I remember John Hotchkis said air ride was only for cruisers, fair grounds and not performance,,,,,heheh, know Bret the way I do, I thought "GAME ON"
'Nuff said on THAT.
Oh and I would guess we NEVER have seen Ridetech cars EVER turn a corner or do anything but cruise fair grounds,,,,

[Justin Caseday]

so here is what I'm thinking. ride tech shockwaves front and their bag kit for the rear. and the air management front the kit from above, this will keep the cost down. Does any one know if the shockwaves will work with the stocks control arms? I cant see why they wouldn't. I know that I'll have to make a custom mount for the control arm to mount the shock to.

[marolf101x]

Shockwaves and OE control arms
You should not use the Shockwave with the stock control arm. You'll encounter two issues:
1-the shock will not be long enough to provide the proper suspension movment (this is why we use a "drop mount" in our lower control arms)
2-the stock control arm does not like to carry the full load of the vehicle on the t-bar (trunnion, tie bar, etc) OE mount and will fail. (this is why we designed our lower control arms with a double shear design)

Control Systems:
You can choose the system that your budget allows, but please be sure to buy quality, DOT approved parts. The last thing you want is to kill someone on the highway cause a cheap Chinese fitting let loose or seriously maim or injure yourself or a family member cause the tank decided it was more of a bomb than a storage vessel.

While we are at it:
Since this is your first experience with pneumatic suspension you want to pay attention to small details. We are now like Kleenex, and I'm constantly disappointed when someone hates Kleenex cause they irritated their nose with a cheap, rough as hell tissue paper.
compressors: the compressors in the kit above will move a bit of air, but are loud and have a relatively high amp draw (we used to sell the same unit). Though it's more money this compressor is quieter and won't use as much power, while filling the same tank in less time:
http://www.ridetech.com/store/amk-compressor.html
tank: aluminum or stainless is the best option as you won't have corrosion issues. Steel tanks can be coated on the inside (a lot of the less expensive kits are not coated at all) but will rust eventually.
manual vs. digital control: if you don't mind adjusting the car each and every time the manual set up is prefect. If you want a more "modern car" experience (or are just plain lazy like me) you want the system to adjust automatically.
This can always be upgraded later if you decide you want more functionality.