Bolt in Air Bar

[Lon]

I was look through Air Ride Technologies website last night and saw that they have finally come out with a bolt in air bar for 73-87 GM trucks. I have their Strong Arms and universal weld in 4 bar in my truck now. I had never done a weld in 4 bar (or any kind of 4 bar for that matter) before this and there are a lot of things I want to correct on my truck while it is in the shop for a new engine. So my 53 Ford F-100 is for sale and if I sell it I will order the new 4 bar right away. I know a lot of people think Air Ride Techs stuff is expensive but I think the quality of the components is well worth the price. Take a look at thier site and the new 4 bar and let me know what y'all think.

[Captkaos]

I didn't know it was out yet, but I think their stuff is well worth the cost.   I have considered becoming a dealer for them...

[Lon]

Chris,

In Huntsville we have two dealers that I know of. I wanted to be a dealer and advertise more than the other guys. However I have not seen many airbagged trucks in my area. The most noteable is the Escalade that when laid out the front wheels tilt in so much the big chrome wheels make very large mirrors. Before I had a job where I drove 150 miles a day I drove my bagged GMC everyday even during an ice storm. Very few of the bagged trucks near me can make that claim.

The new Air Ride Air Bar looks to be a very well engineered setup. Better at least than the pieced together stuff under my truck. I cant wait to test it out on the Tail of the Dragon. 318 curves in 11 miles. Should be fun.

[Captkaos]

Lon are you going to get it then?  Let us know how it goes...

[Lon]

Chris,

Pending the sale of my F-100, I'm all set to make the phone call to Air Ride. I will know next Tuesday.

[Lon]

For numerous reasons the F-100 is staying in its rightful home. So instead of the new Air Bar, I'm going to cut off all of the brackets of my current 4 bar and reinstall new brackets and a new longer panhard bar. This is my current setup. The panhard bar over the rear end is to short. The first thing anybody noticed about the truck was how "squirmy" the rear end felt going over bumps and around turns. I also want to upgrade to the QA1 adjustable shocks, hopefully one day I will get them.

[Lon]

One more view from the fenderwell. Notice how high the front 4 bar bracket sits on hte frame. That is one of the things I want to correct

[Captkaos]

I wouldn't switch that setup doesn't look much different than what they are offering now, and their panhard is shorter.  How much deflection are you getting now that makes it squirmy?

Is that at Ride Height on the last pic?

[Lon]

No that last pic is the axle on the frame. I dont have a c-notch, only a small flat bumpstop. When aired out the frame rests on those bumpstops. Ride height is close to when I had a static 5.5" front and 5" rear drop.My other reason behind moving the panhard bar behind the axle is so I can run a full exhaust. The soot build up from a year of driving is unbelieveable. I noticed that airride now has a lower bag mount that will bolt the axle mounts to what I have so I want to switch to those and flip the upper bag mount over. If I ever had to change an airline with the current setup I would have to remove the bed. I also want to redo my shock mounts. The bottom is my old shock extenders turned around and the upper is a S-10 leaf spring plate with the shock ears cut off, very weak design with a trailer hooked up.