Air Lift 1000 Install (3 Viewers)

[scottm]

Excellent thread. I used my 80 for construction, towing a fairly big trailer every day. Airlift bags made towing much more stable. Surprisingly, the brake balance stayed perfect, I had to get into ABS many times in traffic, and could hear and feel the rears locking up properly with the fronts. The bags stabilized things when I went up north with a heavily loaded roof box and eight occupants, rock solid and no sag.

I kept the fillers separate, seemed like allowing air to transfer to the unloaded side would take away some of the stability.

I'm sure I lost some flex in the rear even with no pressure (ambient) in the bags, as they couldn't expel air when compressed. I thought I would take out the valve cores and maybe cover with some sort of filter if I wheeled so the bags could compress.

 

[bluejack]

Got mine in the mail today and might do it this afternoon. What are the sizes of the lower shock bolt and the sway bar bolt? I have a incomplete metric set of sockets and was planning on swinging by the store to get a few things. Any other tools (besides the 3/4" step bit) that I might need?

I'm not too mechanically inclined but I think I can tackle this one.

Thanks

 

[re_guderian]

Got mine in the mail today and might do it this afternoon. What are the sizes of the lower shock bolt and the sway bar bolt? I have a incomplete metric set of sockets and was planning on swinging by the store to get a few things. Any other tools (besides the 3/4" step bit) that I might need?

I'm not too mechanically inclined but I think I can tackle this one.

Thanks

I forget the details, but 10,12, 14 and 17mm ought to cover you. Big, honkin' jack, and some big jack stands to support the rig as high as you can get it. Some small jack stands for the axle ends.

I never bought a step bit, as they're crazy expensive. Not sure if the Harbor Freight ones are any good? They're quite a bit cheaper. Should work I would think, as the spring perch metal is soft. I ended up using a dremel to smooth out the edges. Depending on your air line routing, NAPA carries some heat-resistant/asphalt type wire loom that has an ID about the same as the OD of the air line. I used some on my passenger side air line because at compression, if you leave some slack, it can get close to the muffler and melt. More zip ties than you think you'll need. And double jointed fingers, depending on where you put the valves...

 

[wngrog]

The step bit is so worth it!

 

[bluejack]

Definitely think the step made it easier on me. But dang 30 bucks for a bit? Jeez!

Got it done in about 3 hours and I'm a complete rookie. Wish I had some better jacks and jack stands. Mine were a little short (and didn't have any wood laying aroung to chock them up.) so I had to move a couple of jacks around and move the axle to get tires off the ground, shocks on and off, etc. Other than the shocks being a bitch to get on and off it was all pretty easy.

If I can do it, anyone can.

Haven't tested it out, but will this weekend with a huge boat trailer.

 

[bamabrock]

For something that barely gets used, HF can be a good deal.
Steel Step Drill Set - 3 Piece, Titanium Nitride Step Drill Bits

 

[BMWSTOY]

Mine are on order and I am changing out the shocks while I am at it.
I installed these on my 95 4Runner and Even with the pic, not sure the reason behind the "step bit" though.
I did smooth out the hole with a dremmel on my first install.
-
Thanks for the post, I am sure it will help.

 

[bluejack]

I think the step drill just transitions a little smoother? No chance the step is gonna seize and bind like a regular bit might when placed in a different sized hole. I liked it cause there was no way I was gonna drill anything else accidentally below the spring seat. Wish I had a HF around. This was one of those things where it's getting done today or not at all...Go to Lowe's get what I need and get on with it instead of planning properly. Real smart guy I am.

Did pull A LOT better with a heavy tongued trailer. Sat straight and level. Very happy with it.

 

[BMWSTOY]

Thanks for the sticky thread, good instructions.
My experience:
-the pass rear shock was not that bad, 22mm wrench, then ginormus pliers to turn the shock. No need to drill the floor
-2 person job IMHO
-watch that you don't twist the lines when attaching the t junction, easy to kink them
-on the rear drivers side, take off the one bolt to the hard brake line as well as the sway bar and there is plenty of slack to remove the spring.
-I placed my single Schrader valve in the already made hole, lower drivers side bumper, next to the bolt, hardly noticeable












Get yourself a wratcheting 22 mm for the shocks - saves at least 30 minutes of very slow 1/4 turns.

 

[bigdaddy]

I used the stepped drill bit to expand the hole. But the passenger side still didn't line up and it popped the air line and pushed the brass nozzle sticking out of the bag in half way. I jacked up the car, drilled the hole out a lot more ( more towards the back of the car) and made sure the line passed through without interference. I was able to pull the brass nozzle out 3/4 of the way and get the line back on. All is well now, except a couple broken wheel studs from pulling the wheels off.

 

[Loyota]

Any tips to install on AHC?

I've pulled my rear springs on my 4runner before but when I tried it today on my AHC Lexus, the shocks extend all the way right after you pull them off. The AHC shocks are basically springs also. This makes it a real pain to get them back on the shock stud. Any tips? Does these bags work well on AHC anyway?

Thinking about giving in and having a shop do this.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Loyota]

Got the bags installed today. I needed some much larger 24" jackstands to get the truck high enough to work with. The AHC shocks are a bit more a pain to work with compared to std shocks but if the truck is high enough its fine. Ready to tow our RV now and try it out.

 

[BMWSTOY]

I need to go back and drill out the holes much larger as the prior posts indicated.
The winter snow piles and some minor wheeling and both sides popped off.
I can't even get the DS to line up, apparently the spring settled differently than the summer articulation?
Wonder how large of a hole before the perch gets weak and how worth the risk?

 

[trackmur]

Use an inexpensive pair of MacPherson strut spring compressors to remove and replace the rear springs on AHC rigs. You will be in and out in minutes without the chance of stretching the brake flex lines. The AHC bump stop is not exactly the same as the regular LC item, and they need to be shortened for the Firestone Ride Rite kit I went with. After a few months, one bag failed and they mailed me a replacement in less than a week. The Ride-Rite bags take the air line up and out the top, which I think makes a bit more sense, but if running the line out the bottom means you'll add a unibit to your tool collection, it's a good thing.

 

[wngrog]

I need to go back and drill out the holes much larger as the prior posts indicated.
The winter snow piles and some minor wheeling and both sides popped off.
I can't even get the DS to line up, apparently the spring settled differently than the summer articulation?
Wonder how large of a hole before the perch gets weak and how worth the risk?

I went 1/2" with step bit. You could go 1" or more. Not much would hurt integrity of that plate

 

[spressomon]

I used an air die grinder and hogged the hole out to about 1" diameter when I installed my Airlifts a few years ago. Along with running the air hose through a length of 3/8" (at least I think it was 3/8" ID...maybe 5/16"...whatever) rubber fuel hose I've never had an issue.

 

[EdsCruisin]

I used a simple bi-metal hole bit that was like and inch or more in diameter. When you drop the axle and remove the spring there is lots of room to access the site with a conventional drill and bit. The metal is soft so it only took a few seconds to make each hole. Knowing how soft the metal is now, I would bet that an air grinder would work just as fast and easy. Then I cleaned them up with a dremel. It has been years now and I have had no issues (just jinxed myself).

 

[BMWSTOY]

I am sure there are no jinxes in helping others!
I will just expand my hole to at least 1" for articulation movement of the spring and airbag.
I appears the bag and spring likes to migrate to the rear of the vehicle per my experience and Bigdaddy's so I will expand in that direction.

I know I really want them functioning again as they were superb in pulling my Pop up.

 

[BMWSTOY]

Bigger Hole!!!

Ok, grabbed the $5 HF 3/4 step bit and it did not seem large enough, so 3X the 3/4, plenty of room for articulation now... after I took the photo, I reemed out the edges and coated them with bare metal primer. Bag check to 15lbs - sure like the firmness they give even without the load.

Tool List: 12 MM for the brake lines and diff breather tube, too lossen the tension of the lines for pre-caution more than anything else.
14 MM Sway bar link, again to allow slack to get the spring out.
17 MM for the lower shock bolt
Agree with prior post, get that rear as high as possible to lower the axel - the pass side is easier than the drivers side, but still it needs to hang low, then the spring just slides out.
3/4 or 1" step bit / pilot hole drill bit / grinding stones to debur the edges of your new hole / Floor jack, jack stands, torque wrench, pliers, bare metal primer, cutting oil for drilling /

 

[re_guderian]

^^ This. I am running 2" longer bags with OEM springs, 30mm spacers, and no rubber bumper. Even still, at low pressures, the bag can/will move up and down with the spring as it flexes. The biggest problem is on droop, where the bag can potentially stay at the top of the spring. Hose gets "pulled" up inside the coil to compensate. But when the spring compressess again, the hose needs to easily pass through the hole. I've found the passenger's side to be easy, but the DS is a little more troublesome because the air hose can't exit out the bottom of the spring perch quite vertically, as it can on the PS due to all the track bar mounting crap in the way. So it has to enter the spring perch kinda sideways on the DS. Good reason to make that hole big, long, and smooth on that side. I had some ashphalt wire loom (1/4" ID) that I tried on the DS, but it kept hanging up on the hole in the spring perch and moving back down the line, so I took it off.

BTW, I ordered a Firestone kit, and it showed up with the red Air Lift bags. I first followed the Firestone instructions to run the air lines through the top. That sucked. The holes are not nearly big enough to allow free movement of the air line during any articulation. Also, the 100's exhaust proximity makes you route away from the exhaust as much as possible to avoid melting the air lines. I just put the above-mentioned loom around the air lines on the PS from spring perch to the diff, and actually run my PS line all the way across the axle now and back down the DS frame rail, then across to the PS bumper cross member to where it exits. But no more melted air lines. Maybe I'm the only one?



more reading... https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/369256-air-bag-suspension-ome-lifted-100-a.html

So I've got one bag that leaks due to crushing the barb when I had it mounted with the airline going up v. down. I'm ordering a new bag and found this link helpful. Since I orginally orderd Firestone bags, but Airlifts showed up in the box, I wasn't really sure what model I got. I had intended to go 2" over stock. I'm going to go with the 60750 kit which has bags 1" taller than the stock recommended 60728. I'm back to stock OEM springs with 30mm spacers in back, so figure this will compensate for the extra spacer height.

Air Lift Dealer - Downloads - Manuals & Technical Documents

<- middle of the page has an excel file with bag dimensions