Not exactly hydros on the car, but it is 2" lower now.

 

what are hydros, and why would someone want them?

(yes i didnt pick up that lowrider mag yet, )

 

well,hey guys!Thanx racereno,i was the originator of this thread,and i think it has come along way,if you look at all the other threads in here this one has the most views and replys!almost as much as the administrator!well...almost .anyways,so we are now gonna get back on the topic of adjustable suspension.if ya wanna get an idea on hydros check out:
www.showtimehydraulics.com
showtime makes the best hydraulics around...but im still gonna go with airbags.i dont know a good site for airbags yet but i will put one up.Thanx bigmike for that color!cya boys later!

 

OK,here is a good airbag site...
www.airbagit.com
Cya

 

whoa low! That airbagit demo smacks, I sent it to all my friends.

 

Come to think of it I'm not done yet, had way too much fun with that Airbagit demo. Anyway, FiReBReTHa's got a good quizical on hydros, what are the benefits? Faster response, cost, or what?

 

i don't know about your showtime quote.......but i'm definately for the airbags. i had originally planned on doing the same until the alterations needed really would comprimise returning to stock if wanted.

not to mention the 2500 price tag to never again be able to take quick turns or have a nice street race.

but with that aside it is sweet looking....there are a few roaming around my area that have bags. unfortunately i don't have pics,

you could also check out www.airliftcompany.com they claim to have a kit especially for our cars and it is cheaper than your kit with more features. just an idea.

but, back to the bags......have you ever ridden in a hydraulic car? the ride sucks... air bags are better, but not by much. the geometry on our cars is a pita......... this can be done and will work but you will make quite a ride sacrifice. but, what's a good ride if you don't look cool right?

hope you do decide to go through with it as it does look sweet......make sure to post some pics.

 

well,racereno,im glad you liked that little demo,it amused me!and kandied,first ive got to say that your car is pretty sweet!And yes,hyros require alot of cutting and welding,and they ride like crap.bags ride a little better,but still bad.But...less cutting is needed to install bags.There is a product called an accumulator and it fits between the manifold and the bags.It gives for more ride quality by allowing air to move intoit when you hit a bump!

 

NO STREET RACING???????



this idea is going downhill......................

 

I'm with FiRe, the price of gettin low is way to high. Goes to show ya there's no free lunch.

 

So,you guys are not up for the idea anymore huh...
i went to the airliftcompany website that kandies posted and did see that they had the front and back setup for sale.A year ago they only had the back setup.But now theyve got the front WITH the bracketry.The custom shop im goin to is fabricating the bracketry for me.But now im wondering if i should purchase the bags from airlift.then buy the compressors and manifold from my shop and then just install the damn thing myself?

 

if you have to weld anything, just get a mig welder and learn, have a teacher or a friend help.


i want street performance, WHY cant I RACE!???!

 

Look were the Z's are parked
hahaha
YOU BAD, BAD PEOPLE
That's not a compact! Nor is the teal one!

 

ummmm,sure....what ever that means!

 

Hey I still want to see this thing when you're done and get the first hand story. Yeah it'd be hard to give up the cornering here in the mountains but if a man was on flatland it'd be sweet.

And would someone give that other post a ticket!

 

well,i didn some reasearch and there is nothing that says you cant race with bags!actually the bags will make your car handle like a race car!It will still have good whell tracksion and it will corner better than the suspension in your car now!and also bag kits these days dont require welding or cutting.just a couple of holes drilled so you can put your origional suspension back if you wanted too!

 

so does anyone have anything to say about that?

 

hmm.... tempting again......



racing nice, FAST CORENERS nicer,


ive only taken a few corners under twenty, jk

 

mmmmmm......racing

 

Hey guys,this is a little bit off the topic,but i was wondering where you guys do all your wrenching?Is it in a car port,garage,driveways,or do ya have a custom built shop?And what tools do ya got that are real handy?Im cleaning out my old old shop so i can build up a motor.Its not accesable by my car but i can still put all my tools in there.Im planning on having a engine stand and crane.An air compressor.And maybe a parts cleaner.Is it worth it havin one of those parts cleaners?The chemical type.And should i spend $600 on one of those big stand up air compressors or get a little portable one?cya

 

the big compressor is good if you can get your car in there, but if not get the portable,

parts cleaner... EH. i would say no if your a weekend wrencher.

visegrips, def requirement.

dunno, gotta think bout it,
laters

 

All depends how much you want to spend but for the average enthusiast I think a good air compressor is near the top of must haves. By good I mean if you will be doing any paint and body work a decent 2-stage comp is a must. On the other hand (probably most of us) for the general home mechanic a quality comp with a fairly large tank/motor would be the deal and with proper care will last you a long, long time. Vertical or horizontal is up to you although the vertical units aren't very portable. I've had good success with a 5hp/30gal portable unit that will keep up with almost any shop tool. A die grinder for all purpose cutting/grinding (not to mention doin' a little head porting) and an air hammer with pickle fork set for seperating ball joints, tie rod ends, etc. are handy tools. And you KNOW you'll have to have an impact gun and maybe an air rachet. All that and a good set of hand tools should get you through most jobs. If you've got a few hundred left get a little wire welder MIG.

Don't forget the large pry bar, vise grip set, and if worse comes to worse, drag out the Big Blue Wrench. Lots-O-Luck

 

On the parts washer, if you can afford it they don't cost alot and one motor job on an old dirty car will make ya bow down before it BUT if ya do it, buy the eco-cleaner. It's usually a citrus cleaner that you can dump more safely and doesn't give off fumes that will kill your children before you have 'em. And you will be dumpin' this stuff more often than you think, it get grungy faster than you can say grease monkey. BTW eco-cleaner don't mean weak, the last I got took the paint off the inside of my parts cleaner!

 

hmmm,what that does help out.thanx.so where do you pick up the chemical for the cleaners?im guessing it would probably be at the same place the basins are sold at huh!anyways,gotta go and tear apart my new 305!

 

Allright, let me add a Little Sanity To this Post...

First off, My camaro Is lowerd 3-3.5" With springs, rollin on 17x9 SS wheels. It Tucks about 1/2" Tire in the front, and I had to remove the Inner fender well plastic to Keep it from Rubbing, and Roll the Sheetmetal Lip On the fenders in. I also had to Clearance the Back with a Sledgehammer To keep it from Rubbing.



The Ride is pretty Bad, Im going to Notch the front K Member about an inch to clear the A Arms soon as I get a spare one from a Yard. That should help it out, alot.

Back to The Airbags, I have Installed bags On a S10, and have alot of time around these setups.

It would be trivial To Install a Set On a Thirdgen. But You can Forget any sort of Racing. ( at least, with any sorta of power )

Drag Racing May be okay( in your 16 second LG4, anyway.. ), Depending... But AutoX and Road racing< FOR GET IT.

The bags Are SOO soft. Also, Unles youget a Kit W/ Side-to-side, The Bags will transfer air back and forth as you drive. The Ride Will Feel Like a Caddy, Tho.

Aditionally, To get the Car to Layout properly, You need to remove the front and rear Swaybars.

Obviously here is another Thing that is not conducive iwth handling.

So In short, bags on a 3rdgen I think Would be badass, Just rmember Your giving up Just about any performance potential when You Do It.

and 3500 canadian is too Much IMO. I imagine I could bag My car for 800$ or so. US.

And For a Thirdgen, Welding would not be Required.

Oh yea, also, You want bigger than a 4 gal tank, trust me.

 

Here are some picture's of the truck I helped 'bag.



Showin a little Side-to-side

www.speedtoys.com/~bort62/newleafs3.jpg

Sittin Down Low....

www.speedtoys.com/~bort62/newleafs2.jpg


And Finally, The Controller I designed to operate all the valves...

www.speedtoys.com/~bort62/nintendocontroller.jpg

 

ok guys check it out...... first off, listen to Bort62, he knows what he's talking about, he and myself have worked on my suspension so much, that he could probably just earn a living bagging s10's on the side, haha. anyway, ok so mines not a 3rd gen (its the s10 in those pics) but heres some advice on bags, i've been bagged for almost a year now...... the biggest thing with bags, is do NOT do it, unless you're into it 100% i love having bags , i have zero regrets. but let me tel you, its a lifestyle change, you have to be prepared to deal with , burnt out compressors, sticky valves, dead batterys, LEAKS, etc. etc. i'm not trying to turn anyone off, but i've seen too many people who don't know much about them, and have way to much money, then wind up hating it.... but yeah, as long as you're down for it go for it, its awesome, theres nothin better than seein a hot chick at a stoplight and "switchin it up" on her....as far as valves, manual valves are a joke, they're slow, you have to run airlines into your cab, etc etc...go for electric,and get enough to have side to side, having just front and back SUCKS, you get air transfer like crazy, cornering is a pain, and make sure you get the optimum valve/line combo, im running 3/8 valves with 1/2 inch line, my truck almost hops. as for compressors, GET A BIG ONE. because you're gonna want a big tank, i have a 7 gallon, which i plan to upgrade to a second (14 gallons total..... duh) i recommend either a fat 100% duty cycle compressor. or look into belt driven compressors ($$$$, but worth it) for example, my little *** compressor takes about 30 minutes to fill my tank from zero psi to 145 (thats only when the tank as leaked) from 80 to 145 is about 10 min (thats when the pressure switch kicks it on) now a belt driven is equivelent to 15 of the little compressors i have!!.. and makes no noise..... ok, im gonna stop here because this is getting insanely long and i have to eat, but any other questions i could probably help out with, i could give 463738568 more tips, but this is becoming a novel, but good luck guys, and dag safely, hehe

 

well,all of that is about what ive heard before.Ive go two buddies that have got thirdgens,one with juice and one with air.Each have had there little problems,but they are totally in love with there setups.And im going to be exactly the same.

 

Thanks beetlejuice, really good insight. Alright now LowCamaro get that project movin' and keep us posted. I still want to see/hear more on this deal.

 

Well hey boyz,i think its time to ressurect this post and bring it back from the dead!This weekend i put in my air tank(yes i decided to do this whole thing myself!)and this coming weekend im putting in the compressor(spare tire compartment)Ill snap some pics then,i dont have a digital so ill have to develop them and get them scanned.but untill then ill keep you posted!

 

Way to go LowC!!

 

Well i talked to the boyz at brislands custom shop today and they gave me some quotes.A 100% Duty Compressor is going to run me $330.And for the valves,Im getting 8(eight) 1/2" electric valves.For the full F/B/S/S movements.They will run me $90 a valve.So $90 X 8.The 1/2" line i will be running will cost $1.18 per foot.The bags are $300 for the four.And i have not priced the switch box yet.So do those sound like reasonable prices or should i hunt elsewhere?AND THOSE ARE ALL CANADIAN PRICES.
So its probably $24.58 for all of that in american funds!

 

LoL, canadian money isnt real money! ive used monopoly money and they didnt realize.


lol..

dood im so excited, you have to get many pics please!!!!!

 

Well,over the last 48 hours,ive been busy researching places for air line and such.on friday,i left home at 7am and it took me 3 hours to find the right stroe for air line.yes brislands line didnt satisfy me!So,i went to coast industrial and picked up 5/8" AIR BRAKE LINE FOR BIG RIGS WITH A 4000PSI BURST PRESSURE!!!
It looks better and will flow better.Although its $2.63 a foot!
anyways,i also went out and got the valves.I just put in the compressor yesterday,and i hooked up the pressure gauge in the cab,and ran the line to the tank and hooked it up.I also got all the fittings for the tank.Next im hooking up the valves to the tank with the line,ive gotta get a water trap/filter($30)Then after that all i have to get is the bags and braketry.THEN ITS GOING IN!
Well,im all excited because i scored a killer deal on a compressor(saved $300!!!) and i saved a WHOPPING $700 on the valves!!!
ive takin pics but ive got to get them developed.cya

 

Ok I have just read about everything in this post and need to know wehre to get the parts and how much? I need a low ride height and high ride and this is the way to go so far. Soon I will have 18" Iroc's and this will top everything off. WIll these hold with the 500+ engine HP i will be producing? I know maybe a stupid question but I have to ask. Also any one with them in my area will be great to help me with parts. Maybe my local RICE shop could help a little with this. I know a couple of people that work there so I'm not out of place. the guy who owns it has a c5 with over 500 rwhp. thanks for the help

 

Well,i live on the west coast in canada so i have NO idea where there would be a shop in your area.Look up "Auto Customizing" in the yellow pages in the phone book and call around a bit.I recommend you do NOT get a setup with the HP you are pullin down.You want a hard rear end and bags are gonna get ya a caddy like ride(air)Anyways,yesterday i rigged up my valves in the console and hooked them up to the tank.All the lines have been run.Now i need some more line ,and run it from the valves to the front and back of the car.Also i need to run an exhaust line from the valves to the outside of the car.hopefully that will be done in a day or two.AND PICS ARE COMING!!!

 

I'll have to agree with LowC on nixing the high HP, air bag idea.

 

I JUST finished installing the exhaust line to the outside of the car.Picking up more line and another compressor on friday.cya

 

Well,now the second compressor is in,and the speed of the fill has been pretty much cut in half.The lines have been run to the front and rear of the car and all that is needed it the actual bags and some brackets.It might be a bit till i get those but the pics should be up on wed or thurs.

 

Well i have now saved up enough money to buy three(3) of the airbags!i hope to have another $130 by this friday and then do the install on the weekend.IM ALMOST THERE!

 

Hey guys,well,im there!Ive got all the bags,i just spend ALL weekend fabbing up brackets with a couple buddies.And i was ready to finally put all of it in......and then......i realized i didnt have ANY of those little copper sleves that slide inside of the line for the compression fittings!Urgh,totally frustrating!And all of the hardware stores were closed too!anyways,Im picking those up today(theyre only like 10 cents a piece,i need six)I just need some airline to plumb the front,and then voila!And i now have quite the library of progress pics!ALOMST DONE!

 

YEY!!!!!!



i think about it daily.

 

PARTY ON!!! I got the bags in!Everything went well other than some sh*ty weather to work in and about two hours of screw around time!And might i say they work fine and dandy!The rear of the car took about 5 hours to do.That includes running line from my console valves to the rear.we had to drill up,through the coil pocket,then through the body metal,then another sheet of body metal.then finally through the carpet in the back.the holes came out just behind the rear seats.The upper and lower brackets on the rear bags were 4" round steel pipe,2"s tall,with 1/4" flat bar mig welded to one end to hold it to the bag.The rear was the easy part!The front took 7 hours(2 hours were a f*ck up!)The brakets were exactly the same as the rear.A hole was drilled through the fire wall in between the gas and brake pedals.and then the line was run through the entire console length ,to the valves.The BIG screw up on the front was trying to drill through the cross member to run the line.After painfully TRYING to drill a 3/4" hole though that we realized there was not enough room to squeezed the line in between the steering shaft and the frame.So we just mounted the bags upside down!We dropped the car,and it works fine.(Other than the fact that the froont requires alot of air pressure to lift)I just stopped a big leak in the front lines a couple of minutes ago.It rides fine,and i can now drop the car right onto the bumpstops(front and back)and i get like 8 inches of lift!!!!The line is so huge i can almost hop the front of the car!

 

Also i realized the compressors i have are VERY annoying!So the other day i picked up an AC belt driven compressor,ill put an air filter on the intake side and run a line from the out put to my tank.it will fill silently and VERY fast.Not bad for free!The whole project cost me about $850 after tax.Not bad considering the shop wanted $4000 after tax to do it.The whole car needed about 32 feet of air line.And i couldnt of done it without the help of my girlfriend Vicky and The welding skills of my buddy Ted,The tools and lathe work of Brian , Marks good eye and Mikes extra help!Thanks guys!Ill post all the pics ASAP

 

i'll try to get some better side shots tomorrow, but i guess this has to suffice for now. BTW, I could adjust the shocks and struts and go another 1" lower or so, but i only have about 2.5-3" clearance on my Y-pipe as it is :\

 

LowCamaro.....

Where are the pics of your air bag setup....i would like to see them....

 

LowC, you've really had the patience of Job on this deal and I applaud your effort. Looks like it's paid off handsomely. NOW, let's see some real video action! I know, I push 'cause I care... and because I know you can do it! Godspeed goodbud, you've done a hell of a job.

 

Congrats!! Love to see when someone has a really cool plan and carries it out. Much props to you for doing it yourself!! I'm actually supprised to see that people aren't flaming you on this. Usually any new cool idea thats different from anything ever done before gets nothing but insults. But hey I love it and I hope more people think about doing this in the future.

Congrats!

 

IMMMM BAAAACK,hey guyz,im sorry its been so dam long,but ive just been having so much fun with the bagz!OK,i dont have much time right now,but,i DO have pics(yay!)and ive done some upgrading(pneumatic valves,new switch setup,and yes...a driveline compressor!)ill tell you more about these tommorow,heres some pics to calm ya down!

 

Slammed to tha bumpstops baby!