Air bags for the front of a square body 4x4?

[diesel4me]

Was looking online and see some air springs or bags are available for 73-87 GM 4x4 trucks now (not cheap however !)..was wondering if anyone has tried them,to boost up original springs when a plow or heavy winch was added up front..

My truck rides like a buckboard with its original 2 leaf sagged out front springs--I have maybe 1/2" clearance between the rubber bump stops with the plow off,and it often bottoms out on them,I have had to replace the snubbers that are located in the center near the u-bolt pads,it tore the rubbers right off last winter when I left the plow on most of the time...

I've thought about adapting a pair of those 1500 lb. coil type overload springs to bolt up where the rubber bump stops go in the center,rather than replace the oem leafs or add any leafs--too much work for me,the truck isn't really worth it ...thought about getting a pair of those shocks with the overload springs too,but those now cost nearly as much as springs would..

 

[Fordum]

This won't help you directly, but it may give you something to watch out for.
My old Ford, '79 F150, had coil front springs.
I put a big PTO winch and bumper on it when I bought it new, and the front end sagged.

I went through a NAPA catalog, and found some Monroe air shocks that would physically fit on the front even though they were not listed for it.

I added a set of Gabriel rear air shocks, and built a control panel for all of them. Wish I had a pic of it, it was nice.
I had gauges for the front and rear shocks, plus raise and lower buttons hooked to an onboard air compressor.

I could monitor both front and rear shock pressures and adjust them on the fly for changing road conditions.
I really liked the system.

But there was a strange thing that kept going on. Since it was a coil spring front end, it had the heavy cast iron radius arms going from the axle back to mounts on the frame just in front of the doors.
The arms had bushings where they went into the mounts.
After a few months, I started hearing a strange rattle or pounding noise when I was hitting bumps.
Finally traced it to those bushings. They were completely worn through and the arms were hitting the steel mounts.

I took the nuts off the ends of the arms, put rolling floor jacks under the arms, and winched them forward out of the mounts.
Replaced the bushings, and all was quiet for a while.

Couple of months, and the new ones were gone.

One day, I was under the truck looking at things, when I suddenly noticed something. The coil springs that were supposed to hold up the front end weight were located directly over the axles.
But, the shocks that were not supposed to handle continuous weight, were hooked to the the radius arms back about a foot or so from the axles.
With the air shocks, that put a large amount of the front end weight on the radius arm bushings which were not designed to handle it.

I finally had to put regular shocks on and buy stronger coil springs. Worked great, but I really missed being able to dial in the ride.

If you add any kind of overload system, make sure where you are putting the weight.

 

[sweetk30]

guy I use to work with had them on his old 70's 3/4 ton and was real happy with them .

I did 3" tuff country hd and they do real good on ride and control of my old 8ft & 9ft fisher plow blades .

 

[streetrodchev]

I have the Firestone air spring kit for the front (3200 lb.) and rear (5000 lb.) of my '87. I don't currently have them on the truck, as I need to get the air compressor mounted and plumbed again. I mounted the control panel in the dash for adjustments on the fly.

When the air springs were on the front and I aired them up a lot, I would get a lot of axle wrap (I plow snow). The air spring was supporting a lot of weight and the leaf spring didn't have much preload to counteract the axle wrap. If lower air pressure is used, the axle wrap is minimal.

 

[diesel4me]

Thanks for the info guys...the axle wrap problem is something I'd rather avoid..

I guess I'll just live with it for now--might try those overload coil springs,or the load leveler shocks, if I see a pair cheap at a swap meet or flea market..I used them in the rear on several of my old GM trucks years ago,and liked them..
I recall buying them for about 20 bucks years ago,now places like Pep Boys want almost 50 bucks..looking online,Cabellas of all places,had the lowest price,about 25 bucks on sale..the nearest one to me is 60 miles away though,and my truck probably would not make it there and back..
Better off paying more locally maybe..

I thought about air shocks but those too now go for over 100 bucks,and coil overloads are close to that also--I can buy stock springs or a used pair of lift kit ones for that,maybe less..

One concern with air shocks or load levelers,I dont think the frame would like the upper mounts supporting weight,the shock mounts aren't really beefy enough to be supporting loads--I see a lot of bone stock square bodies with cracks in the frame at the upper shock bolt,or they tear right out of the frame..

A kid I worked with had a '73 IHC 4x4 Pickup with a heavy Meyers plow on it,he tried air shocks,and said they worked great--till a few months later when one of the air lines melted after it touched the exhaust pipe ,and the right side did a sudden nosedive,and the plow caught the road and it bent the crap out of it....

 

[kennyw]

There is also the add a leaf kit for $75.

http://www.jcwhitney.com/p2005974/sku-218264.jcwx?filterid=d50300y1985g703j1

 

[sweetk30]

better watch out on add-a-leaf kits .

been covered before . stock fronts are tapered leaf . and should not be mix-n-matched with reg style leafs .

also any add-a-leafs I have installed most people want them back out later for the super stiff ride.

 

[kennyw]

better watch out on add-a-leaf kits .

been covered before . stock fronts are tapered leaf . and should not be mix-n-matched with reg style leafs .

also any add-a-leafs I have installed most people want them back out later for the super stiff ride.

The ride sucks, but it can get you by cheaply.

 

[diesel4me]

I think if I were to go thru the effort to remove the u-bolts,and buy new ones,I may as well just get 2-3" lift springs..truck isn't really worth it any more..

I'm pretty disgusted with the truck right now,and myself as well..

I cant even get a friggin exhaust pipe cobbed onto the right side manifold,I'm so lame and useless trying to do anything, lying under it on the driveway for the past 3 days now,---I'm totally disgusted,and tempted to get rid of all my 4x4's and give up hope of ever having anything decent...

I also managed to saw a slot in the frame rails bottom lip, near the crossmember while I was sawing off the junk pipe,the blade went in a good 1/2" and made a 1/8" wide slot,in a matter of maybe 10 seconds..frame must be getting weak for it to get cut that fast....
I suppose I'll have to get that welded up now,or risk a crack starting there....

And after three 5 hour days lying under it,it still got no pipe bolted up yet..and I can barely walk ,never mind crawl under it and get up again..
No way do I want to be screwing around with u-bolts and leaf springs now..
I just want it to be driveable again,period..