The great debate

Airshocks of not

  • Use them

    Votes: 25 18.4%

  • Don't use them

    Votes: 105 77.2%

  • Use them only if you have a small motor

    Votes: 2 1.5%

  • Don't use if you have a large motor

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Use if you have a large of small motor

    Votes: 4 2.9%
  • Total voters
    136
-
1973dusterkid

1973dusterkid

Watch This
Joined
Jul 17, 2011
Messages
2,270
Reaction score
68
Location
Buford Georgia
Airshock of no Airshocks

I have been searching on these forms for a long time and did not see a full discussion on these.

Air Shock I like them because the only about 70 dollars and it help give you a cool stance

I have read that they are bad on handling and the car but I have talked to my mom and dad they both had air shocks on there cars mom said she had air shock on here 69 camaro with a 454 and had no problem with them and my dad had air shocks on his 72 duster with a 340 he had no problems I am not going to be running a big motor in this car It has a /6 225 in it now and I plan to put a 318 in it but no bigger then that.

I have read people saying that it puts unwanted pressure on the car but I have also read people saying they don't have any problem with them other then they have to put air in them every few weeks.


I want to use these

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product__15560002-P_34_R|GRPSHOCAMS____
 
Generally speaking they are a band aid. They will degrade the handling, but by how much is determined by the rest of the chassis. I wouldn't put them on a car that I wantd superior handling from, but a basic street car I have used them. I'd rather build a spring stack to get the ride height I want.
 
Nothing screams Chevy more than a car jacked up with air shocks, please don't do it. lol
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that when you use air shocks, you are supporting the cars weight on the shock mounts instead of the spring mounts that are designed to hold the weight............Furyus2
 
I went through the same debate and for me it didn't make sense to spend money on air shocks when in the long run they don't fix the problem.
 
No air shocks on anything would own. Cheap way out of suspension upgrades that are more than likely needed.
 
Air shocks render a leaf spring suspension useless..especially on a Mopar. The Mopar rear suspension utilizes non centered rear axle locators. Much moreso than the chebbie. The design takes advantage of the pinion gear trying to climb the ring gear and causing the rear housing to rotate.

When that happens with a Mopar, the rear tires are planted on the pavement. If air shocks are back there, traction will be lost because that planting action will be gone. This is amplifed with the Mopar SS rear suspension setup as those springs are even more off centered than the stock springs.

This is why at the track, you will see chebbies squat in the rear and Mopars rise in the rear. The squatting the chebbies do actually lifts the rear end UP, that's why the car body squats DOWN. It's actually trying to lift the rear tires off the ground. What the hell good is that?!?!?! When the Mopar rear rises, that's from the force of the rear end being pushed DOWN and planting the tires. Very simple concept and chebbie just slam missed the boat. lol
 
Gotta admit that back in my younger and stupider days I did have air shocks on my original '69 340 Swinger just to get the "look". Fortunately, I quickly learned the benefits of the Mopar suspension - as described by StrokerScamp - and got rid of the air shocks 'bandaid'. Changed over to Mopar Superstock springs and an adjustable pinion snubber to plant the rear tires. They're simple but they work.
Don't forget to reinforce your floor above the pinion snubber if you decide to go this way.
 
Bottom line it's your car, do what you want. With that said air shocks can do more damage than good. It is a cheap fix to give the car the stance you are after, but could cost you in the long run. Right now the springs are holding the weight of the car, put air shocks on and pump them up now you have essentially bypassed the springs in favor of 2 bolts that pass through thin metal to hold the weight of the car, see where I'm going with this. Once you pump up those shocks you have those said bolts which are 1/2 to 5/8 of an inch supporting the full weight of the car. After time the metal that supports the shock bolts can become stressed and tear. Now you have opened up a whole other can of worms ie; major repair. If you don't have the knowledge or the resources to do it yourself now you have a major repair bill.

There are much better alternatives to look at, like getting new springs. Save your pennies and put a set of springs on, I believe you can get a set for around 200 bucks. You can change them out in your driveway in an afternoon with minimal tools. There are also spring helper kits available http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EXP-13120/?rtype=10.

I know your a young gun and want immediate satisfaction, but I would certainly suggest you weigh your options. Do you want a quick fix? Do you want to do it right? It is true back in the day a lot of folks ran the air shocks, I suppose for gentle driving you could get by. But before long you are going to want things done differently I assure you. The car I have had air shocks on it when I bought it and they were one of the first things to go, right into the trash, yep I threw away a perfectly good set.

If and when you start doing performance upgrades you will completely understand what StrokerScamp explained above. Give it some thought, save your beans and get some springs for it.
 
Never seen any good with air shocks , they are only good if you are overloading the trunk and weant the bumper off the ground . Other than that they put way to much stress on the mounts , screw up drive shaft alignment if jacked to high and other damage .
But put them on , it will LOOK COOL , what do a bunch of guys that have been there done that know ?
 
The MORON who had my Challenger before me used them and they f&#%^ing destroyed the upper shock crossmember and dented the floorpan above it when the shocks pushed into it.

Use them if you want. I wouldn't. I'd replace the springs.
 
Debate?? Maybe in the 80's it was.....absolute junk.....of course that is just my opinion....they rate right up there with lift blocks for a 4x4......
 
Badsport said:
Bottom line it's your car, do what you want. With that said air shocks can do more damage than good. It is a cheap fix to give the car the stance you are after, but could cost you in the long run. Right now the springs are holding the weight of the car, put air shocks on and pump them up now you have essentially bypassed the springs in favor of 2 bolts that pass through thin metal to hold the weight of the car, see where I'm going with this. Once you pump up those shocks you have those said bolts which are 1/2 to 5/8 of an inch supporting the full weight of the car. After time the metal that supports the shock bolts can become stressed and tear. Now you have opened up a whole other can of worms ie; major repair. If you don't have the knowledge or the resources to do it yourself now you have a major repair bill.

There are much better alternatives to look at, like getting new springs. Save your pennies and put a set of springs on, I believe you can get a set for around 200 bucks. You can change them out in your driveway in an afternoon with minimal tools. There are also spring helper kits available http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EXP-13120/?rtype=10.

I know your a young gun and want immediate satisfaction, but I would certainly suggest you weigh your options. Do you want a quick fix? Do you want to do it right? It is true back in the day a lot of folks ran the air shocks, I suppose for gentle driving you could get by. But before long you are going to want things done differently I assure you. The car I have had air shocks on it when I bought it and they were one of the first things to go, right into the trash, yep I threw away a perfectly good set.

If and when you start doing performance upgrades you will completely understand what StrokerScamp explained above. Give it some thought, save your beans and get some springs for it.
Click to expand...


http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EXP-13120/?rtype=10

What do they exactly to I know they rise the car but how and it that all I need I am going to need to rise the car for the look and to fit the new rear wheels and tires
 
1973dusterkid said:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EXP-13120/?rtype=10

What do they exactly to I know they rise the car but how and it that all I need I am going to need to rise the car for the look and to fit the new rear wheels and tires
Click to expand...
Another more or less band aid fix. If your springs are sagging and worn out, replace them. The add-a-leaf will put some arch into the spring, but if your springs are shot the effect will be short lived....count the number of leafs in your spring pack and notice the size of them, how long do you think that small leaf will last??
 
inkjunkie said:
Another more or less band aid fix. If your springs are sagging and worn out, replace them. The add-a-leaf will put some arch into the spring, but if your springs are shot the effect will be short lived....count the number of leafs in your spring pack and notice the size of them, how long do you think that small leaf will last??
Click to expand...


its got 3 leaf spring under it
how much do you think a set of springs will cost
 
I used a set of air shocks on my big block 1964 Dodge Polara back in the 1970s because I wanted to run bigger tires without cutting the fenderwells. They did the job with no problems. The biggest drawback was the stiffer ride in the rear. Air shocks are not really shock "absorbers", they are more like shock "feelers".

Their main value comes in levelling the ride height as weight is added in the rear of the car. For instance: one night I put 5 guys in the trunk and levelled the ride before entering Orange County Raceway for a night or racing. They charged by the head back then and the guys in the trunk chipped in $1 a piece and paid my entry fee. When they got out, I let air out of the shocks to get the car to sit right again.

After a couple of years of the hard ride I replaced the air shocks with Monroe adjustables.
 
I just need to rise the rear without spending hundreds of dollars I don't have much money I have about 80 dollars for this part because I was going to use air shocks but now I am just thinking about it

Could I just put stiffer springs on it and if so how much would that cost
 
inkjunkie said:
Another more or less band aid fix. If your springs are sagging and worn out, replace them. The add-a-leaf will put some arch into the spring, but if your springs are shot the effect will be short lived....count the number of leafs in your spring pack and notice the size of them, how long do you think that small leaf will last??
Click to expand...

I agree, but it's better than air shocks.
 
1973dusterkid said:
I just need to rise the rear without spending hundreds of dollars I don't have much money I have about 80 dollars for this part because I was going to use air shocks but now I am just thinking about it

Could I just put stiffer springs on it and if so how much would that cost
Click to expand...

Like I said in my previous post, you could probably get a set for around 200 bucks. Shop around. With 80 bucks you're a third of the way there. Just deal with the car the way it is for a while until you can replace the springs.
 
"C" Is the Roman Numeral for 100. What are they teachin you kids these days?
 
So if I buy two of the add a leafs (there are sold in pars so I will need 4) that should Rise the car about 2in according to the summit site
 
NO, 1 leaf per side = 1 set. What you DO want to do if you consider these is to measure and see if these will work. I merely posted the link as another option. I'm not sure if these will work on your springs, they may or may not. There are however add a leafs out there that will work.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top