Air Shocks

Has anyone put rear air shocks on their 68 GTCS to lift the rear end. My rear-end is sagging, and rather than replace the springs, I was thinking a quick replacement of the shocks would allow me to lift it to whatever height I want. Thoughts? Casey

Aiiyyee

NO CASEY FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS FORD, DO NOT DO THIS HIDEOUS THING!
But seriously I just pulled the last remnants of an air shock system off my car. Air shocks have always been known for one thing, leaks! So unless you are fully prepared with a line repair kit, extra schrader valves, and extra shocks, and an onboard air system (tank or compressor) just run far away!
Yes, air shocks let you "adjust" your ride height, but they totally blow in the handling department, add lots more stiffness (bounce like a basketball) and loss of contact with the road.
Seriously, I'd avoid them.
Tim

I agree - those air shocks are nothing but trouble. Invest in a new pair of leaf springs - you can get them with 1.5" lift over stock if that is want you want.

Casey, I agree, don't go the air shock route. That would shift the weight of your car onto the shocks, and the rear shock pan was never intended to handle that weight. I've heard stories of air shocks tearing through the sheet metal. Yep, the right thing would be to replace those saggy springs. Good luck!!!

So what do you guys really think? :wink:

OK - I get the message.....bad idea.

That is what I love about this site - I have an awesome car BECAUSE of the collective wisdom and help from the people on the site. Thanks,

Casey

Well, I'll be the oddman-out and confess. My C/S had the typical Mustang Sag, with the original springs in place. I installed new, stock rear springs and still wasn't happy with the low rearend stance. If you have the GT dual exhaust set-up, there's not enough clearance for shackles. Soooo- I installed air shocks from JCWhitney & inflated them to where I have 27" (measured to the rear wheel lip molding from the ground), using 14" SS wheels, P215/70 tires. I am now content with the stance, and I'm not worried about the air shocks leaking or blowing as the car only gets driven 500+/- miles per year. As far as handling characteristics, I've not noticed any detrimental handling because I drive it rather sedately anyway.
As far as the shock pan (accessed thru the trunk), I'm confident that it will more than support any extra stress that's not absorbed thru the airshock pneumatic accumulator.
As far as the 1.5" lift on aftermarket (or modified originals) springs, I don't believe it will give sufficient amount of lift. The reason I say this is when I installed the new stock springs, and was not satisfied, I experimented as to how much additional lift was required to give me the stance (27") I wanted. It required an additional 3" to do so. That could only be accomplished by using shackles which 1.) look ugly sticking down, visible @ the rear valance, 2.) shackles won't fit anyway if you're running the GT dual exhaust.
So, that's my story of how & why I opted for airshocks. Depending on what type and how much (and how hard) you drive your C/S, you'll have to determine. As the cliche' sez: Build it the way you like it.

Neil

I have to agree with Neil. Same as Neil, I couldn't get the lift I wanted to get my car up where I wanted it. To solve the problem of the shocks coming through the sheet metal, I custom made 4 round steel pieces with a hole drilled through each and have them placed both top and bottom where the shock goes through the floor area to help strengthen it. Haven't had a problem yet and that includes some pretty healthy burn outs to boot. I run between 70 to 75 pounds of pressure in each shock and it still rides fine. Bottom line, just depends on what your comfortable with. Either way, I'd still replace the saggy leaf springs.

Don

Great idea on strengthening the sheet metal. I actually thought about air shocks myself at one point and I considered welding a couple of large washers below and above to add strength. Sounds like it worked well with your method Don.

Had a set on my first Mustang (67 Fastback) in the early 70's. Needed them to clear my way stupid (young kid) tires. Worked great....... sorta of..... On my way to Tacoma a line burst..... 4 people in the car..... On the Tacoma Narrows bridge..... No place to stop. Ruined a set of rear tires. Fortunately there was an auto parts store open. Laid in parking lot in rain in nice clothes and installed line on one side….. Not a good memory!!

As long as the car can sit down without rubbing the tires you should be ok. Do need to mount the air filler thingee. Will need to drill some holes for lines and stuff. But if you are not auto crossing they will work ok. Tend to make the car ride a bit harsher in my opinion.

Rob

Casey, I just purchased a CS with air shocks already installed. I took them off last week and put on gas shocks,never did use the air feature anyway. I will gladly give you the shocks if you want to try them. You would have to furnish your own line kit and fill valve. I live just South of Spfld, il so it is not too far to you if you are interested. You may find better shocks but you will never find them cheaper! My cell is 217 971 7183 if you are interested.

Casey, Iv Had Air Shocks On My Car For Over 2yrs,no Problem. I Also Put New Springs Still Sagged. So I Use Air Shocks . I Drive My Car Hard At Times No Trouble. Try Them And Judge For Your Self.



Nate- Nates68

Since everyone else is mincing words about this, I'll have to tell you that it's an excellent idea, Casey!!! I had them on mine from about 1975 to 1985, and I loved the ride, especially over parking lot speed bumps! KA-LUNK!!!

They are great for wheel hop, and they make the rear tires chirp in the rain. What is so cool is when the dual exhaust pipes over the rear axle melts the neoprene lines and like magic, they lose all the air and it's "bottomsville" all the way home, and your headlights shine up in everyone's faces, and they flash their brights back at ya......

What's the best part is when you want to make your CS look mean to High Schoolers, you just jack 'em up with a shot of air at the gas station. Ka-POW!! Whoa!! You'll want to bolt on a set of rear "frog-popper" slicks and hit the drags!!

But...I confess, I bought some new rear springs--meant for a '68 Convertible, and life was back to normal since 1985.

Life as it was under pressure is no more. :-(

Paul.

The thought of air shocks brings this question to mind! What is the distance to the pavement from the highest point in the wheel arch of the front fender and on the rear quarter on your car. Are these distances the same when the car is sitting "just right" ? Ideally are both of these measurements equal? When you say your vehicle sits low in the rear, now much difference between the highest point of front and rear wheel fender lip to the ground when measured on a level surface. I will start the ball rolling by saying that the rear arch to ground is 25 1/2 inches, the front is 25 inches. Anyone care to measure theirs and post the results? I am curious as to how much difference in the distances is "too much".

I've had air shocks on cars before and wouldn't do it again. I have personally seen trunk pan mounting holes ripped out by them, but I suspect they were run at max pressure. If you run a standard line kit and go around a corner, even slowly, the air will be pushed out of the "outside" shock and inflate the inside one more, increasing body roll. You can counteract this by spending a little more and running one line and valve for each shock. I would recommend buying rear springs but specify one "size" up. On mine I ordered GT springs which are a little stiffer and I like the stance. If you still feel the back is still too low, lower the front instead. It'll give you the rake you want and improve handling although you might take samples from the tops of speedbumps if you take to much off and you're not careful.

Steve

The distance to the top of the wheel lip molding is also affected by the wheel/tire size you're running. My C/S has the 14" Argent wheels with P215/70 tires inflated to 30PSI. The front wheel lips are 26" high (new, stock coil springs). The rear wheel lips are 28" high (with airshock assist). Prior to the airshocks, the rear wheel lips were 26" high. This was with new, stock leaf springs.
Never cared for the droop snoot approach of lowering the front suspension, although some say it does improve handling. Since I'm not into running road courses or gymkanas, it's not a factor for me. I'm just the old fart driving a 40 year old car!
(Side note for Paul: Who in the world would route neoprene lines near an exhaust pipe?)
Well, to each his/her own; appearance, handling, originality, high performance. Build it the way you like it.

Neil

Ignorance is Bliss in 1975.

franklinair said:

(Side note for Paul: Who in the world would route neoprene lines near an exhaust pipe?)
Neil

Click to expand...

Well, maybe it was nylon? ....some sort of white plastic tubing....and WHO? me!, a snot-nosed 19 yr. old kid in 1975 that didn't know any better and had absolutely NO vision of where I am now...

I thought back then....oh, well, the pipes won't get THAT close... (NOT!!)

...and for what it was worth, both Donna and Mike J. were living parallel lives with me at the same time. If we only knew....!

Paul.

I put new leaf springs inda rear and add front springs with 1 inch drop to lower the front end. I have been driving it around witing for it to "settle". cant wait! :wink:

I will measure mine when I get home and let you guys know. Casey

OK, my measurements show sagging on one side for sure.....hmmm....what should I do about that?

Front passenger 25.5, Rear passenger 26. Front driver 25, Rear driver 25.

Casey

1.) I'd do new springs (or have your's re-arched if you have a shop nearby that can do it) and re-check the heighth of the rear.
2.) Or, try the 1.5" lifted springs that was mentioned earlier. (Don't know where to get those)
3.) The fronts seem low (for my likes). Are the front coils original? or did you install the front lowering kit? New front coil springs & shocks work great.

When all is said & done, you'll have the option to add airshocks or not.

Neil