5"/7" drop on a 94 FSC

hi, im planning on going full out show truck with my 94 fullsize chevy. I am considering 2 options for later on(when the money comes in). my choices are: western chassis 5/7 drop with slam air, or air ride tech. easy street kit with spindles(8/8 drop). but more than $2000 on bags, ouch. Really need some help here guys. which do you think would give me a better ride quality? bagging it would allow me to raise the truck when needed and give me a lower drop. but the 5/7 is a good price and will give me an acceptable height. Hmmmm.......should i let my cheapness get the best of me? Anyone have any experience with the easy street kit? Thanks for any advise you can offer.

-MTXMAN

I don't have any real experience except for installing my 2/4 drop on my chevy truck, RC. It was easy.
I am however going to drop it a little more later one, probably a 4/6.

I got my kit from western chassis also, and i like it, the materials are very thick and are very strong, i'm going with wester chassis again when i buy the 5/7 components.

I think the air bags are you only choice if you want to drive on normal roads. that is low, and i'm sure you going to want to pump it up once in a while to get thru the roads. or if you just plan on showing it and racing it, you might just be ok, with the 5/7 drop,

i know, not much help, just giving som opinions,


good luck, i'm sure domes will chime in,


allen

well, i think im gonna bag it, cause i intend on gettin it out on the road. And since im back to the LS1 truck swap, ill need a quality suspension setup. I dont have any expierience with air sus., how intense is the actual lowering and raising going to be? I only ask because there will be extensive fiberglass work on the interior and wondering if i have to worry about something getting fuked up when lower/raise the truck. Thanks for the help so far.

-MTXMAN :smile:

the 2/4 drop was pretty easy, now throw cutting the frame (with templates of course) and i think that's it.

i'd say you could easily get it done in 1.5 days. I know mine took me an afternoon. well worth the work though,

as far as air bags, no idea, i'll ask domes,



allen

Quote:

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Originally posted by MTXMAN@Jun 27 2003, 11:28 PM
well, i think im gonna bag it, cause i intend on gettin it out on the road. And since im back to the LS1 truck swap, ill need a quality suspension setup. I dont have any expierience with air sus., how intense is the actual lowering and raising going to be? I only ask because there will be extensive fiberglass work on the interior and wondering if i have to worry about something getting fuked up when lower/raise the truck. Thanks for the help so far.

-MTXMAN :smile:

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The amount of lift you get all depends on the setup you go with. The front, you're sorta screwed on getting hella lift, b/c your a-arms will max out before you get higher then around 7-8". The rear however, is another story. You can go with an over the axle setup, get the max lift from the bags you choose. Or you can get into a mechanical advantage setup, where you mount the bags on the 4 link bars (please dont go any less then 4 links) and get between 12-17" or you can get a full blown cantilever setup and see the same amount of lift as a mechanical advantage, but with precise adjustability.

Unless you can weld and know how to install an airbag setup, please have a professional do it. You will lose some turning radius, very minimal though, b/c of the shock relocators.

If you plan to do any racing, you might want a 4link with just coilovers. Bags are harder to launch on, you will need to find someone who can precisely tune the 4 link and where the bags go, so you can launch and get good times.

Please do not use a mono-leaf and bag setup. The mono-leaf will eventually break, due to the stress.

Your fiberglass work will be just fine, there are a lot of ppl who have fiberglass inside and never any problems. But it does depend the size of line, bags, fittings, valves, and the PSI you're running.

Here is a real cantilever setup.. a real canti setup uses a rocker and a rod for the bag to push on, making the rod push on the axle to raise the truck.

http://www.silverstarcustoms.com/gallery/images/07.jpg

Here is a mechanical advantage that a friend of mine did, he got 17" of lift from it. All this is is a 4 link with the bags mounted near the pivot point.

http://domeskilla.ls1truck.com/crap/Nov10_11.JPG

Most importantly, stay away from FBI, Alter Images, AIM, Chassis Tech (aka AIM) and Blow Jax (aka AIM)

Jason over at www.suicidedoors.com has GREAT quality and probably the lowest priced cups on the market. Dont let his cheap prices fool you, his cups are thicker then the average cup and the s-10 crowd loves him. I have yet to mess with his stuff, but I wouldn't recommend him without truely knowing him.

Quote:

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Originally posted by MTXMAN@Jun 27 2003, 12:02 PM
hi, im planning on going full out show truck with my 94 fullsize chevy. I am considering 2 options for later on(when the money comes in). my choices are: western chassis 5/7 drop with slam air, or air ride tech. easy street kit with spindles(8/8 drop). but more than $2000 on bags, ouch. Really need some help here guys. which do you think would give me a better ride quality? bagging it would allow me to raise the truck when needed and give me a lower drop. but the 5/7 is a good price and will give me an acceptable height. Hmmmm.......should i let my cheapness get the best of me? Anyone have any experience with the easy street kit? Thanks for any advise you can offer.

-MTXMAN

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A static drop rides nice, but you can't adjust how firm/soft you ride. A bagged truck, if setup right, rides like a caddy (after 500 miles so the bags can break in).. ART (Air Ride Tech) is some expensive shit, but dont let it fool you, you will spend a nice chunk of change if you go the right way. Do NOT go cheap on it.. you will be stranded on the highway with a problem and wondering how to get it home when the frame is planted right on the ground. Its not easy to drag 4000 lbs of truck up onto a flat bed.

Getting the lowest drop is really just all in how its done. The front, depending on tire size, you might need to cut the inner fenders out, notch the frame for the control arms to go up further and/or cut the top of the bag cups. The rear, you'll need to cut the bed so the pumpkin wont bump a bubble in it. You'll also HAVE to notch it for the step-notch.. Do not use a c-notch (the bolt in ones) b/c they dont give you crap for travel. Bottoming out on the frame, blows.. and it blows hard.

A lot of the s-10 guys use ART's coolride up front and roadgrator in the rear. But that is only b/c its all bolt on, even the step-notch, but the problem is, the bolts are so short, they fall out all the time, the lift is sloooooooooooooow and it uses sleeved bags in the rear, they have no bump stops, so you can over depress them and ruin them or over extend them and literally pull them apart.

Basically if you want the best for the least cash, dont buy a kit.. if you need a complete list.. holla back and i'll give you the big stuff and some misc stuff.. of course, i'll forget little stuff, but you'll have an idea. Also do you want to lay frame or what?

yeah, basically i want to lay frame with 18 inch wheels, but i still want to be able to bump it up to a reasonable height for like city/highway driving. I would really appreciate a list of parts. I tryed doing it myself, but had a constant fear of getting the wrong parts. I was considering doing the ART coolride up front and the ART easystreet 4-link system. Both lower 8", Does this setup sound like it would be a good choice? Thanks for all the help you guys.

-MTXMAN :smile:

its a good setup, but dont forget, its a kit and isn't the best. you can get great shit if you bought seperately.

front and rear bags
front cups
fittings
hose
8 valves (1 for fill and 1dor dump, per corner)
switches
guages
tank(s)
compressor(s)
rear mounts
4 link
inline oiler
water trap

Why spend 900 for the coolride kit when you can buy cups, bags and the frontend shit for less then that? Firestone bags are only rated at 100psi, i personally would only use the best, Slam Specialities bags. Get their big 7"-8" bag and have some hella front lift.

I'm not sure of what the easy street rear setup costs, but you can get something custom, or at least better setup for the same, or just a little more. I know the Easy Street is their entry level setup.

But most importantly, please go buy new grade 8 bolts, b/c ART supplies you with bolts that are too short, they dont hit the silcon locking shit, and they back out.

would firestone 2600 bags be a good choice? Im still confused as to what components will go together. I think im just gonna but a kit. I know very little about suspension, so i think it would be alot less of a headache. Thanks for the help guys. :hshake:

-MTXMAN

Quote:

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Originally posted by MTXMAN@Jun 29 2003, 01:07 PM
would firestone 2600 bags be a good choice? Im still confused as to what components will go together. I think im just gonna but a kit. I know very little about suspension, so i think it would be alot less of a headache. Thanks for the help guys. :hshake:

-MTXMAN

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Firestone is okay, most commonly used. Altho they are only warrantyed to 100psi (that is hella SLOW), so if you blow em or whatnot, you're screwed. Slam Specialties bags start at around 90 each and are rated between 200-375psi. Most ppl drive using 145-160 psi. Depending on how fast they want.

Okay.. what componants work together.. to lay frame you will need.

Drop Spindles
Front bag cups
Front bags
Shock relocators
Drop shocks

Depending what tire size you run, you can lay frame without anything else.. or you will need to do 1 or all of these.

Cut the top of the bag cup off
Notch the frame for the a-arms to travel
Cut the inner fenders out and relocate everything that was mounted to them.

For the rear, you will need.

Some kind of 4 link. Do not use a reverse 4 link, it only causes problems.
Rear bags
Bag mounts (depending on how you want to mount them, is the mounts you'll need)
Step-notch (10")
Some kind of notch bridge. (adds stability to the rear, b/c you'll cut the crossmember out that is over the rear end.)
Cut the bed out, between the wheel wells and depending on tire size, cut the top of the wheel wells off also.

Please goto www.suicidedoors.com and look at what i'm saying to get, and look at the pics, just so you know what i'm talking about.

Buying the parts seperately not only allows you to get the best of what you want, but also allows you to learn. No reason to have bags and goto a show and they ask you what you have and you are clueless. That counts as far as points, if you are clueless, you wont score high. If you buy kits, they'll mark it down some b/c akit is just that.. already put together. A custom truck is just that, a custom. And some shows, they get anal about how its built.

Where do you live?

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!, i have found everything i need, except for the dropspindles and drop shocks. Know a good place that sells them? Again, thank you.
:smile: :smile: :smile: :smile:

-MTXMAN :jump:

P.s. i live outside of Nashville , TN

Dotech or belltech nitro drops are all that is recommended. Others just dont ride as well. I'm sure some autozone type do, but i dont know the names.

Drop spindles... belltech and djm are 2 of the best.

Just let me add... in TN, its hot as hell, plastic fittings, will just bust in the heat. Use Brass DOT, you can get "push to connect" brass DOT fittings at a local home depot or lowes.

For 1/4 to 3/8 inch air line, you can use push to connect (ptc) fittings, but anything bigger, doesn't bend enough to use those and you'll need pressure crimped fittings. Those you can buy and have someone who does hydro lines, crimp them.

There are acouple of badass shops in TN, when i remember the names (they change so frickin often), i'll post them. You can have them install it, if you were closer to TX, i'd do it for you and have you watch to learn, but you're a little ways away.

there are tons of installers here. but, i question there quality and work ethic. 2 that i know of here might actually be qualified for such a job(Special F/X and Kustom Kreations). I have a couple more questions for you. what is the purpose of the drop spindles? also, all the nitro shocks i have found from belltech are for trucks with no more than an 6/8" drop. what should i do?Thanks for the help.

-MTXMAN :smile:

The purpose of them is to get an extra 2" of drop. You can bag without spindles, but you wont lay flat, you need the extra drop they provide.

yea, that is the static drop amount for those shocks. You will need a shock relocator kit anyways, so that will enable the installer to stick it where you can lay flat and all the way up and still be fine as far as travel.

Kustom Kreations is 1 shop i DO recommend. Thy do some really really nice work. Some of their work is on s10forums.com.

also, I really dont want all those different positions you can do. I just want it to be able to go up and be able to bring it down. Is that possible, anything special i would need?

-thanks
MTXMAN

yea, its possible.. what moves do you want? front up and front down, rear up and rear down.. or all up and all down?

Either way, you'll never everything i listed. the only thing that determines your moves is how many valves you have.

front up, front down = 2 valves for the front
rear up, rear down = 2 valves for the rear

4 valves total

all up = 1 valve
all down = 1 vales

2 valves total

front, back, side to side, or individual wheel requires 8 valves, 2 per wheel.

wow,i just totaled up the price!!!! If i had gone with the all easystreet like i had planned it would have costed me well over 2000 bucks. All the parts combined that i have found totals up to just under 1400 bucks.Damn that saved me 1000 bucks. you were right about it being cheaper, thank you very much. I want it all up/ all down, so i only need 2 valves. 4 bags on 1 valve? seems like a heavy load. I appreciate all the info and help you have provided me, thanks again. :thumb:

-thanks
MTXMAN :smile:

:smile: now add the price of labor and you might be around the 2000 for the ART stuff.

no, you need 2 valves for all up and all down... 1 to fill and 1 to dump the bags.

Go with SMC valves, Jason over at suicidedoors.com has em for 35 each, that is hella cheap!

thanks domes, ill let you guys know how it comes out. Ill have it done and on DUBS in 2 months tops. I'll post pics when i do!!


-Thanks
MTXMAN :smile:

no prob, have fun with it.. The most expensive part, since you said dubs, instead of 18's, is, you might be forced to relocate shit on the inner fenders.. and the ecu wires need to be lengthened and the s10 has 98 wires, i'm sure the fullsize is around the same.. so that will cost a little bit extra.

But good luck and just ALWAYS carry extra air line and fittings in your truck, never know when you might spring a leak. Being in hot climate, leaks will happen. Mike Finnegin from MiniTruckin, blew his line apart in Texas, b/c of the heat.

yeah, i will it gets really hot here. i'm hoping to make some money off my new A/C system design im working on, so, it should be bagged and on 18s within a couple of months. Thanks for all the help.

-MTXMAN