Air Shocks

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Valleyant

Valleyant

Valleyant
Joined
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I have a 1974 Duster that sags because of weak leaf springs. I just need to raise it a couple inches or 3 to get the stance that I want. Any pros or cons? thanks
 
Not a fan of air shocks. For a few more bucks you can get new or re-arched springs and get the height you're after.
 
If you can find them Hurst Super Air Shocks are a shock inside the air shock. They are a sealed unit with no rubber air bags.
 
You are gonna get alot of negatives when it comes to air shocks on here. I will say this. Do they ride good? NO! Sometimes it depends on how much air you put in them if you max them out to fix weak springs then all the weight of the rear is on the shock studs in the trunk thats not good. They are not intended to be a repair for weak springs. I put them on my car and I don't really care what anyone thinks or says I like them i think they are cool. I like the ability to adjust the ride height in the rear. And its just a 70s and 80s muscle staple. You can run like 20-50 psi in them and they ride and work just like a factory shock. Now if pump them up to 150 yea she is gonna be stiff! In your situation I wouldn't recommend them to fix the springs issue. Buy some leaf springs and fix it right and while your under there throw on some air shocks! :D
BTW in the picture below those are 20yo replacement springs and 30 psi on the air shocks. I think it sets perfectly and there isn't a lot of stress on the studs

20200516_153255.jpg


20201016_122533.jpg
 
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Here are the rear air shocks that will work fine, give you a little lift, and ride real nice yet too.

Rockauto.com
'74 Duster >318>Suspension >Shocks

Screenshot_20201022-223131_Chrome.jpg


Do not buy the gabriel hijackers, ride way way too stiff.
 
my air shocks ride great. I've used them most of my life. people that complain about them and break **** with them obviously don't know how to use them
 
Since you asked for pros AND cons, I'll state the obvious con. If you use on the air shocks to raise the *** end of the car up 3", it'll result in more load on the upper shock mounts than they were designed for. If I was on a budget and needed to raise the *** end up 3", I'd inquire with a local spring shop to have the rear springs re-arched, or maybe even install a junkyard leaf or two before pumping up a set of air shocks for an extra 3 inches of height.
 
Air shocks can be used without the world coming to an end. Are they the best way? Probably not. As long as you don't pump up really high, they will still ride good. If all you want is to raise the rear of the car a few inches, you will be fine. Now, the flip side is, if you ever decide you want to race the car, air shocks do exactly the opposite of what you want there. So just keep that in mind and you'll be fine.

...and I had forgotten about the Hurst Super Shocks. That brought back some memories. If you can find a set of those, those things are really nice.
 
It's a 198/auto.....just a cruiser. Never has weight in the trunk and rarely anyone in the back seat. I'm still considering it but will look into new or rebuilt leafs. Thank you all!
 
a few comments:

dartfreak75 said:
They are intended to be a repair for weak springs.
Click to expand...
actually that's not true (although they are certainly used that way), airshocks are designed to make it possible to to put he rear at the proper ride height when carrying a load - like you fill the car up to go off on vacation for 2 weeks, or in our case putting 3 rear end housings and four rear end pigs in the trunk to go to the swap meet. This allows you to put the car in a position that the whole suspension works properly compared to having the *** end dragging and the front end pointing at the sky. Of course there are those who might overdo it and go in the other direction like was popular in the 70s

The best deal is to have the car sitting right on the springs alone, and then have airshocks for when you load it. I would agree with the suggestion above (ESPO Springs and Things) and I ask for 6 leaf springs (they came stock on 340 cars) and 2 inches over stock (give me the ride height I desire after they settle out for a while).

For the short term fix, I have been driving Darts with air shocks since 1973 and have never had a damaged upper shock mount (even when I was 17 and blew them up to 80 lbs to look cool when I cruised - what an idiot I was).
 
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many, many years ago I bought a 4yo 74 Duster from a repo lot. I had to weld in new patches for the upper shock mounts because PO was running air shocks to get tire clearance. That car was a real mess, from extremely poor decisions on modifications. Good thing I only paid $700 for it.
 
str12-340 said:
a few comments:


actually that's not true (although they are certainly used that way), airshocks are designed to make it possible to to put he rear at the proper ride height when carrying a load - like you fill the car up to go off on vacation for 2 weeks, or in our case putting 3 rear end housings and four rear end pigs in the trunk to go to the swap meet. This allows you to put the car in a position that the whole suspension works properly compared to having the *** end dragging and the front end pointing at the sky. Of course there are those who might overdo it and go in the other direction like was popular in the 70s

The best deal is to have the car sitting right on the springs alone, and then have airshocks for when you load it. I would agree with the suggestion above (ESPO Springs and Things) and I ask for 6 leaf springs (they came stock on 340 cars) and 2 inches over stock (give me the ride height I desire after they settle out for a while).

For the short term fix, I have been driving Darts with air shocks since 1973 and have never had a damaged upper shock mount (even when I was 17 and blew them up to 80 lbs to look cool when I cruised - what an idiot I was).
Click to expand...
Oops that was a typo on my end that was supposed to say ARE NOT!!! Thanks for catching that! I fixed it
 
George Jets said:
Here are the rear air shocks that will work fine, give you a little lift, and ride real nice yet too.

Rockauto.com
'74 Duster >318>Suspension >Shocks

View attachment 1715617799

Do not buy the gabriel hijackers, ride way way too stiff.
Click to expand...

I've go Hijackers on my Dart Sport, and it rides just fine. Only run about 30 lbs. just to level it out.
 
I run mine at 35 lbs. which helps the slightly weak springs. Every once in a while I fill the trunk with stuff and put them up to 50lbs to stop a sag. I'd never go higher for all the reasons stated above. It's a poor mans way to level it and the ride at 35lbs is not compromised. Use them right and they'll be fine. And I agree with others, replacing the springs is the proper way to go.
 
Nothing wrong with air shocks. That's the way we did it back in the 70's.

My 69 coronet 1a (1).jpg
 
It's "SHOCKING" how many of you guys run air shocks!!! I used to run them all the time in the 60s and 70s.
 
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We used them on the back if my Dad's '74 Charger for about 1" of lift to clear some taller tires. It's also helpful to see over the nose of that thing lol
IMG_20180511_152128722_BURST000_COVER.jpg
 
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My experience if jacked up to high they tend to crack a leaf in the spring pack. Coil over shocks are a decent option also. (tow package)
 
I've had air shocks on my 69 - 340 Swinger since new !
At the track, I'd lower them down to justa few pounds to pre-load the rear suspension, a little more on the pass side, 12 - 14 lbs in the drivers side.
Do little burn patches around the lot till tire pressure and shocks were set correctly. (13.29)
On ski weekends, the air pressure went up to tow my Ski boat, including camping gear, 4 adults and a dog, and/or coming back from the Okanogan, loaded with flats of fruit.
Air shocks are still on the car today, shock mounts are like the day I drove it off the new car lot.
For me, - air shocks were never for the look, they were merely practical with tight fender clearances .
No Drama ! !
 
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Number one thing to know when using air shocks is "path of least resistance"

What do I mean by that?

You may be tempted to run a T from the fill valve into both shocks
This is a very bad idea
If you turn to the left, the weight of the car shifts to the left shock (inside wheel) and the pressure comes off the outside wheel a little

If both airshocks are fed by one line, the air will take the path of least resistance and move to the outside shock, collapsing the inside shock


So, if you decide to run them, use 2 separate lines to feed them
 
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