I'm trying to figure out how to replace the airbags on this truck. Autozone wants 400$ per replacement airbag. Amazon has the replacement bag for only 50$ but I adopted this truck from my father and I dont know the state of the compressor or solenoids. So im thinking of just swapping the airbags out for coils. When I read through the forums it seems that the Expedition of the same year parts can be used either airbag or coils. So is that simple? because i tried asking car parts places for the conversion kit and they dont show anything. And the online kits look to be expensive vs just buying the right sized coils and new shocks.

So could i just buy something like these:
Autozone

Would that restore the original rear suspension height?

 

I am quite familiar with 4 wheel air suspension.
What you don't know is the load capacity of the metal springs.
How much weight you could put in the box etc.
The spring length and coil diameter vs truck weight determine the ride height.
The diameter of the coils and coil itself and progressive coil wind rate determine the compression vs weight.
Any coil spring is just a Torsion bar in coil form.
Unless the seller has the specs that match your application, it's a gamble how it comes out and performs.
With air springs, each side has a ride height sensor that keeps the height within a limit on an auto adjust basis.
The sensor signals the compressor to turn on and opens a Solenoid on that air spring. When Sensor height is satisfied the Solenoid is closed and compressor turns off. Or works in reverse to let air out of the spring .
Yes the compressor health needs assessment as that can add a lot of cost to the total repairs.
It's a call that depends on the overall condition of the truck, how much you want to keep it and the fact you got it for very low cost.
This vs the hassle of trying a conversion that may be half the cost but not turnout to liking.
There is a saying that 'even if for free', it's still not free.
Good luck.

 

Thanks for the response. Right it would be an unknown as the final ride height etc. I ended up ordering the airbags from amazon and hope they work okay. When i enable the compressor it pumps the passenger side up 3 inches but the driver side stays bottomed out. I guess ill swap them both and see what happens.