Who remembers the good old days of air shocks?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Mar 17, 2008
Messages
8,153
Location
Michigan
Nothing like big mag wheels and the car rear end jacked up and car facing down hill.... Oh yeah!
 
Last edited:
Friend of mine in high school had an Olds Omega coupe that had them. He'd go to a gas station and "air them up" to lift up the back of his car.
 
I put a pair on my Toyota pick up last year to level the truck when hauling.

Funny thing, they are available from Gabriel, Monro, AC Delco and JC Whitney no name brand but they are all the same except for the paint colour.
 
Some of the old GM cars had rear air shocks hooked up to a small onboard air compressor. When you load up the trunk, the compressor cycles on and pumps up the air shocks. Raises the back end of the car to compensate for heavy loads.
 
My olds silhouette had them, factory stock. They leaked so I cut all the hoses and put ghetto yellow monroe shocks in from a chevy venture.
lol.gif


But the van had that compressor in the back with a little hose for inflating soccer balls etc. Pretty clever, really.
 
Good old days of air shocks? I've been driving non-stop on air shocks since 2001...pretty standard stuff on the 1996-2002 Lincoln Continentals.

I'm sure there are others. The cycling of the air compressor is a little annoying. Knock on wood..my last car lasted to 13 yrs/ 230K miles w/o any air system maintenance. This one is up to 17 yrs / 82K miles. Cushy ride with several user settings....firm, std, cushy.
 
Back in the '80's when CNG and LPG conversions were very popular here, so were gas shocks - with a big tank in the back you needed to get the ride height to normal.
 
One of my Toranas, I had them for towing, and controlling the sagging springs (from towing).

Then started messing with the air line to them, trying to fix the "wedge" that they all had, and realised that I could parallel them up (just for ride height), or run them separately to add spring rate to corners.

My Caprice had automatic ride height from the factory...was just air shocks.
 
Well the wife's Grand Cherokee Overland 4x4 has 4 corner Air suspension as does my new Ram Limited 4x4. Each can raise and lower the vehicle...but all 4 at a time not just the rears like a '71 Chevelle with Monroe air shocks back in the day lol
 
Before lifting any car that might have an air suspension, you have to look for an air suspension switch and shut it off. It is always important to tell the new guy this before the shop is stuck with a huge air suspension repair bill.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top