I just purchased a 1991 old body style crew cab dually C30 i'll be using for a tow rig.
I want to lower it and use air bags but retain capacity and some articulation for getting in and out of driveways and such. You know, real world driving with train tracks and all that. This will be a pavement only vehicle for long road trips pulling a 7k trailer.
Comfortable ride and lower than stock are what i am looking for.

I would rather purchase a kit than build it myself.
The only kit i have found for the rear is the Air Ride ABAR11004 but cant find any builds where someone has actually installed it or talked about how they like theirs. They say it lowers "up to 10 inches" but offers no details about if that's adjustable or whatnot.
Anyone have any insight? Is ride height adjustable in cab? Is it set to one height and uses a load sensor to adjust air pressure?

Anyone know where i can get a suitable kit for the front if i get the abar11004?

Thanks
Jeff
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/skark_burmer/crew.jpg

yes the airbar is adjustable. just like any other air suspension system, via an onboard air system. im not so sure about load carrying ability though. why would you need a kit for the front? it should just be a set of bags, and cups. i've heard bad things about shockwaves and im not so sure id use them up front in a one ton.

i personaly dont like air rides stuff unless its on a show car or truck.
i had i think the road grader on my s10 and we daily drove it and used it for hauln junk and it feel apart the heims all worn out and the bags didnt like weight.

if your gona be towing big things id build my own set up or look for a heavy duty setup

this is a great site for

http://www.suicidedoors.com

Thats a good point, i was concerned about the longevity of the bushings in that kit. They look kinda minimal.

I had hoped to take it on a 3400 mile road trip at the end of Jan so a bolt in kit would have been ideal. It will be nearly empty and i am not looking forward to the ride that this thing currently offers.
i dont have enough time to do a motor/trans swap and build a suspension system before then, hence the desire for a complete kit.

It really wont be holding much weight in the bed besides 3 or 4 dirtbikes and such. Its main duty will be to pull a trailer with my trail rig on it. I wont be using the full 1 ton rating often (if ever) but whatever suspension system i choose i dont want it to be a significant loss of carrying capability.

Anyone suggest a robust air system that offers a kit for this truck?
On the other hand i'll start researching what it takes to build my own solution. Any reading suggestions?

Thanks guys.

Thanks for the link, i came across this page (http://www.suicidedoors.com/catalog/rear-airbag-kits/behind-axle-complete-bracket-kits) for kits, can anyone translate some of the air bag jargon?

Off the top of my head I figure i'll need 8" or so of air bag travel travel. Correct?
Whats up with the bags that look like a fat shock, compared to the ones i have seen before that look like two doughnuts stacked on top of each other? Load capacity? I see they have different air volumes making the progression rate different, can someone suggest a good starting point for which style air bag is best for this application?

I saw this kit (http://www.suicidedoors.com/rear-airbag-kits/behind-axle-complete-bracket-kits/behind-axle-complete-bracket-kit-w-firestone-2600) and it seems pretty slick. It is behind the axle and uses firestone bags, but i have no idea what the difference is between the different firestone choices offered.
Shit for $260 this might be the way to go. Get some evo small heims and some 2" dom...


As for the front, what do you think about these? (http://www.ridetech.com/shop/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=5460)
From the look of it the bag will ride in place of the coil spring. It says it will lower the vehicle but does not say how much.
If i use this kit will i still have to get some drop spindles? Belltech makes some that are a 3" drop, or will this turn it into a slammed POS.

Sorry for the beginner questions, im just getting started with air suspensions.

for the front id just buy these its the same thing but way cheaper
http://www.suicidedoors.com/bag-brackets/front-airbag-bracket-fullsize/88-98-fullsize-chevy-single-port-cups THE CUPS
http://www.suicidedoors.com/airbags/firestone/firestone-255c-2500 2 BAGS
http://www.suicidedoors.com/shock-relocating/front-shock-mounting/front-shock-relocating-kit SHOCK MOUNTS

and just buy shocks at napa or some where

http://www.suicidedoors.com/cart

this is what id buy and it will be fine for that 4door truggy your gona be towing.you mite have to cut a small hole for the pumpkin when aired down but everthing else will fit under the bed and under the hood. i stuffed all my tanks a valves under my bed and its hidden and protected.as for bags i only buy firestones the double buble ones. ive ran all kinds and blown ,ripped ,torn all the other brands.

oh these http://www.ridetech.com/shop/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=5460

if you put these in it will be fine, you only need spindes if you wana lay frame.they have alot of travel so it will give you a good look.
I think thats everything lol

thanks for the continued help.
I think from what i am seeing i only want to lower it 3-5" so air bags should fit the bill without the drop spindles. I lay enough frame on my motorcycle to cover ALL my trucks.

The cart link you posted was empty, thanks though.

<s>Yeah, the Ridetech 5460 kit looks like the way i will go for the front. thanks again for the suicidedoors link, lots of good stuff in there.</s>
Whoa screw that! I just added up the cost for the parts you pointed to. While i will need a few small parts besides those three items its roughly half the cost!
I'm all about saving $300, thanks for the heads up man. That buys a lot of gas.
At this point i think i'll take it to texas in its stock form and when i get back do the suspension conversion.

no problem glad to help out.

Check out
www.keldermanairride.com