hi Guys,
I'm thinking at the moment to have an air suspension on my 56 F100.
mustang mk2 front,lincoln 8.8 leaf spring rear.what type of kit you would recommend?i never had any experience with them.
any good place to buy a wheels and tyres ?for rat rod.thanks,Tushy

 

Air ride technology, I hear are the best. I'm going to use their strut set up for my 53 when I get around to putting the crown Vic front suspension under it. Hopefully bagged on some 20's

 

Look up wheelindex on eBay. Those wheels would be perfect for a rod.

 

I went with the airbagit kit but had to do a bunch of upgrades to the system. I used hydraulic hoses instead of the plastic lines that come in the kit.

 

IMHO: If you must put bags on a vehicle realize that: 1.) it is going to be very expensive! Yes you can do it cheaply if all you are building is a lawn/mall lot queen just to impress pimply faced teenagers, but if you plan on actually driving it more than a few miles a month, start counting out that stack of hundreds, it's going to get pretty tall! 2.) IFS geometry is designed to change alignment geometry as the suspension changes height, called camber gain, to maintain tire contact when the chassis rolls in a turn. Initial alignment is set at a specific static ride height typically when the lower control arm is horizontal/parallel to the ground. Changing the static ride height changes the geometry and hence the dynamic alignment, affecting the handling and the tire wear.
3.) To maintain the suspension's handling and tire wear on a variable static height (bagged) suspension the height needs to be returned to exactly the same static height each time it is driven after being moved and needs to maintain that height while underway. To accomplish that requires sophisticated sensors, automatic valves/compressors, computerized control units. Manual controls will not do the trick even if combined with height sensors. (Go to a import tuner show with a lot of cheaply bagged cars and trucks in attendance, and watch how many drive away with a heavy lean or one corner up like a dog marking his territory. REALLY attractive!) This type control units are expensive to build/buy/maintain since the parts sensitive enough to work were not originally designed for continuous use on a vehicle exposed to constant movement, weather, road shocks, etc. and require regular adjustment/replacement/recalibration. 4.) the control software currently on the market is mostly a work in progress of the high alpha early beta level. I know there is at least one member on here who installed such a multi thousands of dollars control system from a major supplier who has yet to be able get his working correctly even with months of working closely with the manufacturer's support people, exchanging parts, reflashing software etc. 5.) Did I mention bags are very expensive/near impossible to do correctly for a daily driver???
Personally I can think of many more places I could spend that much money (killer paint job, luxurious interior, hot motor) than on a suspension that makes my truck look like it was dropped off a multi-story building when parked. But that's just me.

 

I know over here, if you suffer a failure on a 'bagged' vehicle, (as you chaps like to call them) almost no breakdown company will touch you. Much as I love the cool factor, springs it is for me!

 

bags/hydros whatever you wanna do for adjustable height suspension, be prepared for maintenance. if you do it right the first time, you wont have so many problems.

AX, do you ever "just let go" and have fun??? lol (just grinding yer gears) informative post but people roll dailys with air/juice all the time. and those "pimply faced teenagers" probably just don't have the initiative to build something custom, or take the extra 10 hours of work to get that 3/4" more of clearance just to lay it out level compared to a bolt-on job. a lot of people that wont take the time to do it right, ruins the rep for those that do, until ya know how to decipher between the two.

 

Thanks Guys,will look around,but I think stay as it is.love this forum,lot of helpful
people.thanks ,Tushi

 

Throwing the '56 back to front burner. Gather bagged suspension is expensive & high maintenance endeavor from what experience has stated here. Is there a positive build on here for bagged F-100's? How about reputable shop that I may sit down with in NH or MA?

Thx.. .

 

a bagged setup can be close to no maintenance other than water in your air tank from the compression of air, and even that can be on an automatic timed solenoid. air is clean, light weight, you can install manual valves before electric for low buck start up, or wait for the compressor later and air it up at home with your shop compressor ( or gas station) till you get what you want. hydraulics is messy and has a world of other issues, i still love both, I prefer bags on daily but hydros on something that has been reinforced to handle it.

 

Thankx BCC
Where & when is AIR101?
Who do we have out here or threads to start the debate research?