Air shocks

My 2 Cents,
I just installed air shocks on the rear as well. It turns out that you can adjust them by pumping air. Yeah they make the car look good but they totally suck! I installed them, added air and took the car for a ride and found out that they bounce way too much. I've since ordered a new pair of Edelbrock hipro shocks and I am waiting to install them. My reccomendation si to either buy edelbrocks or KYB. If you have any questions just ask me, I have so much more to say about this. Just trying to keep it short.

Cesar

Ok , thanks for the info Cesar. I`ll keep you in mind if I have any more questions. It`ll still be a month or so before I can replace them. Rhonda

Rhonda, add my vote to those who suggest checking the valve for the leak. The reason being that we just resolved an air conditioning problem at my house (after a year of trying) by replacing the valve stem. The system held a charge and refused to leak when the testing equipment was on it so everyone kept telling me everything was fine. Finally a tech purposly overloaded the system with Freon, took off the equipment and heard the valve leaking. Seems there is a little tiny O'ring in there that can twist and leak. It's almost always he simplest thing that fails.

If you haven't replaced the valve yet try that first. You may want to also consider adding hose clamps to all your lines if they don't already have them. If those 2 things don't fix the problem, and you don't have any hose damage, you probably have a bad shock.

Are your rear springs ok or do they sag without the support from the air shocks?

OK, let me get this streight - Air Shocks suck and seems everybody is trashing them. I've had Gabriel High Jackers on both my cars and have had no problems. I run seperate lines to each shock so I can level the car out and I haven't lost any air yet. I check pressures weekly just to be safe. As for running the line, the biggest problem I've found that most people do is run the plastic line right next to the exhaust exposed on the frame rail and use the little plastic holddown clips and expect it to work - NOT. I've also seen folks put the valves right next to the exhaust - bad idea. You've got to protect the lines and the valves from heat. I ran my lines through my rear frame rail (it takes a little fishing to get the line through but, the lines are protected from outside elements (rocks, heat and anything else that can be thrown up and cut the line). As for my valves, I brought the line up inside the trunk and put the valves in the rear section of the trunk latch (one line on each side) and that keeps folks from playing with the valves.
That's just my 2 cents.

Don

Yeah Arlie, if theres no air in the shocks then she sags pretty bad. I am gonna see about getting the valve stem checked or replaced first. It has only one and the shocks both lose air at the same time. (Stupid question coming up) What would the hose clamps do?
I wonder, they just opened a Super Walmart store in Marshall, Mn. a few weeks ago. It has a tire center. Maybe they could check it for me. Rhonda

The hose clamps are just to make sure the hoses are securely attached to the fittings. After all these years I don't remember how air shock fittings work but I think they were a little iffy. Maybe they are better now.

Don, it looks like you and I are the only supporters of air shocks. New springs and good shocks are the best solution for most situations but if that option isn't feasible air shocks are a great alternative. Plus you get that cool Hi-Jacker decal for the window! Isn't it a rabbit on steroids or something similar?

Doesn't any company make a T-valve with backflow resistors? All it would take is a little rubber diaphram inside each side of the "T".

You can count me on the list of air shock users. My car has had air shocks on it since the early 80's. No problems what so ever short of long cold winters it will lose air but were talking subzero weather and the car patiently waiting for spring under a car cover in the garage. Fill the shocks in the spring and I never have to worry all summer.

Hook

OK, I'm probably going to get laughed off the site now, but let me throw one in here.

I have a set of Spring shocks in the back of mine. When I first saw them on there I thought, humph? I took them off expecting to see the back end droop, but no. So, why would anyone install spring shocks if the rear springs were still in good shape? I figure some previous owner must have been trying to fit a set of H60-15's or something back in the day. I put the shocks back on fully expecting to replace them with a set of KYB's or something cool like that. Funny thing, I really kinda like them. They give me the perfect ride height, weight transfer to the back end is great. I can put a Bubba or Bubbette or two (Bubbette being the proper term for one of Hooks girlfriends oh no he didn't!! I'm sure to pay for that one later) in the back if need be. I don't know... I never see them around and they just aren't popular, I guess. When they wear out I will get something sexy, but in the meantime, spring me!

One other thing, I don't think they put as much pressure on the body where it mounts. Not as stiff.

Speaking of air shocks and additional springs. I recently came across this one. A dealer installed auxiliary air spring assembley reportedly installed on 65-70 Mustangs. Anybody ever seen one of these?

Also back to an old item, I would think that as long as you didn't overdo your pressure and try to get the ass end of your car above 15" wide tires or something, you wouldn't overstress the rear upper mounting points.

I wonder if that was a towing package?

[quote author=meadowsdk28 link=board=1;threadid=1665;start=15#msg10767 date=1116867306]
I wonder if that was a towing package?
[/quote]

Bingo! While in high school, the parents of a young lady I knew traveled to MI in the summer of 68 and bought a brand new Mustang and that was one of the items they had installed so they could pull a small travel trailer back with them to California. They also had the old style trailer hitch setup that bolted right to your bumper. At the time I never realized exactly what all that stuff was for.

Don 8)