air ride delete?

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So, my car is an 84 cadillac deville. It has an air ride system, needless to say after 30 years the system has had it. The rear is starting to sag.I just want to replace with gas shocks. Anything I need to do aside from simply install the shocks? I'm aware I may get a suspension message but I'm not worried about that.

Also when I look for shocks at advance, they all say 'excludes electric suspension'. Are they still good to use, given when I'm done the system will no longer be electronic?

Thanks for your time everyone.
 
About a year ago I was looking at a Lincoln that had a similar air ride system. While the system didn't seem bad, I looked into different options in case it did fail. I found a conversion kit on Amazon to convert it to a conventional coil/strut suspension for a few hundred bucks.
 
If your car has air shocks, you will always need new springs.

What part of your air suspension is failing? Monroe makes replacement air shocks that cost less than OEM air shocks. Is the compressor failing? Those can be rebuilt.
 
We installed springs in our town car years ago, I ordered them online, can't remember the website, ride quality didn't change.
 
Probably there are kits out there to convert your car to regular coil springs. Unfortunately, the price might be higher than what your car might be worth. I guess what I'm saying is that they are pricey. My Mark VIII neede some air suspension parts and I was tempted to convert it over to coil springs, but in the end I just fixed what was broken.
 
Yah, I am intrigued by the panther. I think I read some where that the air ride wasn't rocket surgery to repair by a DIYer. What did you have to do, Kruse, to fix the air ride.
 
Originally Posted By: andyd
What did you have to do to fix the air ride?


The air springs needed replacing. It was annoying to see the car sag down in the morning. I like the fact that the air suspension lowers the car while driving down the highway and adjusts it higher at a stop or lower speeds. The coil springs do not. I do not consider any older car with an air suspension to be a low maintenance car.
Somewhere on YouTube (not going to search for it tonight) there is an old TV advertisement that shows a bar set up across the road and the Mark VIII slowly drives up and touches it. The next scene shows the car driving at highway speeds and drives underneath the same bar as the car moving is at at highway speeds.
 
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I see those Mark VIII's all around town with either the back end sagging or the whole car slammed. Same with Lincoln Town Cars.
 
Originally Posted By: artificialist
If your car has air shocks, you will always need new springs.

What part of your air suspension is failing? Monroe makes replacement air shocks that cost less than OEM air shocks. Is the compressor failing? Those can be rebuilt.


Well, not always. My 94 Roadmaster wagon had rear air shocks which I replaced with Bilsteins (all 4). Springs were not changed or needed. Night and day difference in handling. Got even better when I added a Hotchkis rear anti sway bar. Ride did not suffer. Ultimate sleeper wagon with LT1 and other goodies. I can check, but it's very possible GM spec'd same or very similar springs for air and regular shocks on this car.

This is a well documented mod done in several forums.

BTW - Monroe and Gabriel are about the worst shocks available unless you just don't care about anything but price.
 
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Originally Posted By: andyd
I think I read some where that the air ride wasn't rocket surgery to repair by a DIYer.

That's true. When I had my 1990 Town Car, there was a leak in the tubing. The compressors were usually fairly robust, but the lines could develop a leak. All I did was locate the leak and splice in a piece of copper tubing to seal that section up, and all was back to normal.

In my case, the compressor would kick in, but the leak would exceed the rate the compressor could replace the air, so it would simply shut down after a while, and ride height and quality suffered terribly.
 
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