Budget air bag setup

[ivorton74]

I have a 74 longbed that I had static dropped a while back...I'm guessing its probably 4.5/6 drop..I would like bags but I want to get a basic budget setup. can anyone tell me if there is such a thing and how much it would cost?

[Bhelton]

Originally Posted by ivorton74

I have a 74 longbed that I had static dropped a while back...I'm guessing its probably 4.5/6 drop..I would like bags but I want to get a basic budget setup. can anyone tell me if there is such a thing and how much it would cost?

Contact pro performance and tell him your interested in a economy kit

[tinydb84]

Really depends on how low you want to go. AVS has kits you can select out the pieces but there are so many options. Just for the front you can do simple bags with manual valves all the way to dropmember.

You would have to tell us more to get a better idea of cost.

[ivorton74]

id be willing to spend 1k tops...I really don't know much about bagging...im reading threads on here tryin to learn about it...I know some guys notch or Z the frame and some guys just buy dropmember kits and all

[tinydb84]

This is as close as I think you can get: http://www.avsontheweb.com/product.p...cat=812&page=1

Still 50% more than you want to spend and assumes that you do all the work on your own.

[mongoose]

mines around that.. but i did build a lot of it myself. like a c notch and bag mounts etc.

got bags and some brackets from jason, and air management from travis.

[chakah]

Travis at AZ Pro Performance is the way to go. He's very helpful also and knows his stuff.

[BR3W CITY]

For a grand your better of buying pieces here n there. Its more work but you'll save money if you do it right. Fittings are a killer, so if you plan your system 100%, you can save wasted cash being thrown at wrong fittings.

1. find a compressor, new or used. A good used compressor like a Viar 380 will save you $50-150 from new. Some folks don't want to chance this, so if buying new, be honest about how much play time you want. A very basic compressor and 5-10 gallons of tank will get you up and down just fine.

2. Tanks; no reason to buy new in most cases. You can be diy-fabulous and convert something, or just pickup some used gear of of S10forum (not the BEST resource, but more minitruckers there than anywhere else, and a huge used bag parts section).

3. Valves; If you just want up and down, you can run 3/8 (or smaller) line and fittings to save some money. Faster/more radical play time requires the bigger valves. This is also a factor when designing your system. If you JUST want F/B, then you can halve the number of valves needed, because they will be T'd.

4. Electrics; Things like gauges and switchboxes can be picked up cheap used, and don't really "wear" out, assuming that all the switches are in working order.

5. Bags; I would only buy used if they were never installed. Its too critical of a part to chace a rub through or failure from someone else. I like Slam bags for their durability. You can save money going with a smaller bag, but consider how much weight that corner will be holding. I wouldn't trust my heavy truck front end on some cheap sleeve bags.

6. Metal parts; This is a big factor in cost, but doesn't have to be. The "just get it done" types will do air-over-leaf, requiring minimal fab, but offering the worst ride/performance. The more expensive ways involve 3/4 links and up into crazy stuff like cantilever setups. A 3 link will usually be the cheapest link setup that will allow decent lift side to side(not perfect). Yet even others choose to convert to the older style trailing arms , and run bags on those. I like that system, since the engineering was done for me, and installing bags on trailing arms really isn't too hard. (plus being a 66 guy, we already have the trailing arms installed).


I could put a system together for a grand, assuming I could find enough used stuff and didn't factor in the labor cost or needed wear items like ball joints, new brakelines etc.