4x4 Front and Rear Airbags

[BryceS]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forum, and id like to thank everyone in advance for their help.

Okay so i pull off and on and drive alot. I live in Texas, so going 75 to 90 is a must, plus I live on and drive on really rough country roads. And alot of washed out lease roads. I'm interested in diesel swapping a crew cab square body 4x4. Now ive only ever driven newer chevys with IFS. I test drove an 88 this weekend and it was like a bucking bronco down the dirt road we went down and at 65 on the highway she didnt road walk and the tires aren't worn uneven but it was just so rough and bouncy. I'm wanting to stay leaf spring, no multi link. So now I'm wondering, ive seen people do the airbags on the rear but can you also put them on the front to help soften the ride? Along with a good shock. Would this make it possible to compare ride quality to a IFS?

[Da67goatman]

Just adding air helper bags is not going to soften the ride.  They are used to level the vehicle when loaded for stability and safety.  While doing so they are inflated which effectively increases the spring rate making the ride harsher.  Without going linked you're only real option is a set of Deaver custom leaves which are tailored to your application.  They can be made with many thin leaves to provide the soft flexible ride while meeting the weight capacity of your truck.  Going linked is probably just as cost effective as having 4 custom leafs made, if doing it yourself, but much more time consuming.

[srozell]

I've got a local spring guy that can do very detailed custom work. Check around your neighborhood. If you can find a good spring guy, explain to him your situation and he can probably guide you.

There is also a local suspension guy that specializes in custom racing suspensions. These types of guys can often look at your rig and tell you in a moment what needs to change.

[BryceS]

I've also seen leafs with coilovers. Would this also not give me the quality ride I'm looking for?

[srozell]

I think over-all you'd be better going with a 4-link if you really think you need coils.

In my experience, high-quality leafs, with all the other steering components working properly give about as good a ride as reasonable quality coils.

There are pro's and cons to each. Consider the following article.

http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/suspension-brakes/154-1204-leaf-springs-vs-multi-link-suspension/

[BryceS]

Thanks for the article. Well for pulling and simplicity I'd have to go with a good set of leafs. They didn't say much about on road. Unless I missed it.  Which one behaves better at 75 on the highway? And im not sure what I think haha. I'm just trying to get the smoothest possible ride and still have the look of a beautiful 3+3.

[BryceS]

Also does anyone know of any bolt on 4x4 ifs kits?

[Jason S]

Also does anyone know of any bolt on 4x4 ifs kits?

Not aware of any bolt on IFS kits. Ford and GM had IFS trucks from the factory, both have the differential on the drivers side versus the passenger side on the 73-87 (91) 4x4 trucks. 

Does the '88 have the factory springs?  Over 30-plus years springs will settle and lose tempering.  Heavy duty shocks, if installed, don't help an unloaded truck either. 

To get the new model smooth ride, power and performance you could just swap the body onto a later model frame... http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php?topic=24512.0

[BryceS]

The shocks were definitely new, and the leafs did look old. Original? Idk but they were for sure worn. So I suppose that could really be throwing my taste for sa. Now I realize I should have come here first but I ask a question like this on another forum and I was told that square body to NBS chassis is a very stupid idea. If I kept I was going to box the frame and add some cross members i did figure newer stronger frame to handle the diesel. But anyways it does look pretty simple swapping. Just measuring frame and wheel base, fabbing new mounts?

[roundhouse]

BDS makes very good springs
And can probably custom make them to suit your build

The truck you drove probably had  cheap 4" lift springs or maybe just add a leaf lift

You can get leafs that ride good. But the cost a lot more than generic lift springs



BDS and DIY4X make some springs and hangers that improve the ride and handling a lot

The DIY B-52 hangers allow you to use 52" or 56" long leafs in the front
Which really helps improve the ride and handling

Also adding a track bar to the front axle helps a lot
It's a bar that goes crossways on your truck to prevent the axle from shifting side to side

What kind of diesel you planning on ? Cummins ?

If you're going with a Cummins I'd probably look for a six wheeler crew cab

Someone chime in if I'm wrong , but I believe the one tons had a much stronger frame than the 1/2 and 3/4 ton squarebody frames

Even getting a 2wd one ton crew cab and converting it to 4wd with the DIY kit would and the axles from a CUCV squarebody would be easier than  trying to beef up a floppy frame

There are several builds on CK5.com and pirate4x4.com and a couple other sites that cover exactly what you want to do

A 4wd Crewcab Cummins daily driver tow rig






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[Captkaos]

comparing a IFS to a lifted leaf setup it is going to seem rough.  Without knowing what you have we would be guessing.

ORD offers a Coilover setup, but a good leaf setup should ride fairly well if you keep the lift reasonable.
http://offroaddesign.com/catalog/FrontCoiloverConversion.htm

[BryceS]

If i kept sfa I was definitely going to do a panhard and a stabilizer and will be going with a one ton, hopefully srw but ill take a dually, the frames are much bigger but I will still be boxing the front at least and be adding a cross member or two. I'm putting a dt360 and an Allison 1000. And yes that's what I'm afraid of even with doing all that front-end work I'm afraid that I still won't get the quality I'm looking for. I'm trying to find somebody that has something like this in my area that I could take a ride in and feel for myself. Would welding up the ifs from a newer Duramax be a good idea? So out of experience is doing these leaf springs or one of those four link kits make the ride that good, or can you not really get away from the fact that it's a straight axle?