Firestone air bag leveling kit

[410 John]

Anyone use one? I think I want to install a Firestone or similar kit on my lowered C10. I want to be able to tow with no issues. Just curious on the clearance I would have for my dual exhaust. I can move my tail pipes inboard some. Especially if I order offset mufflers. Right now I have glass packs. Any pics? Thanks

 

[Bennyt]

Have you considered the Timbren set-up? No hoses, lines, pumps, electrical. Simple and reliable. I plan on installing in my C30/R3500 when I lower it.

 

[410 John]

I don’t think the Timbren kit would work well on a lowered truck.

 

[TotalyHucked]

Nobody makes a kit specifically for these trucks that I've found. I used an AirLift kit for NBS ('99-07 classic) trucks equipped with a flip kit. If you don't have a flip kit, you need the one for no-flip kit. It only needed minor modification to work, I've got over 6k miles on it and it's been great.

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It mounts on the front side of the axle, this is just mock up.

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You can see here how the bag doesn't sit straight up and down. The upper bag mount hole needs to be elongated to allow the top of the bag to come out toward the tire

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You can kinda see the sharpie mark, the top of the bag needed to move outward about 3/4"

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[TotalyHucked]

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Here you can see I used 2 of the bolts from the flip kit, the bottom left was a new hole I had to drill and use their included hardware. The lower right tab on the bottom of the bracket was just trimmed off because it hung down into the notch

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The passenger side is a little more critical with the adjustments thanks to the shock being forward of the axle. You DO NOT want the shock to be rubbing on the bag, it will rub through in no time flat. But it's the same story, elongate the upper hole (I think I went an entire inch on this side to be safe) to get the bag as far outward as possible while still having the upper air valve encapsulated

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[TotalyHucked]

Same story on this side with the mount, upper holes reused the notch hardware (forgot to mention earlier, the holes on the bracket were massaged up about 2 sizes for the notch hardware), 1 new hole drilled and one leg of the bracket hung down into the notch so it got cut off

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After dialing in the adjustments, I have JUST ENOUGH room between the bag and shock. I've double checked several times since then and there's no witness marks.

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Then I just ran the air lines up along the frame (using fuel hose zip tied over them anywhere they might rub on something) and out the back to the tag bracket.

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[410 John]

Thanks. That cool, I thought they went inside the frame. I don’t have a flip kit and my rear is kinda custom lowered. I think the front and rear shackles were raised on the frame. So homemade, zero cost lowering. I had an 85 with a flip kit and used to tow with it. It was actually fine

 

[410 John]

There’s probably more than one airlift kit that is a close fit. Like maybe the 59103?
Also, after seeing where Huck’s mounts. I measured and I only have 7-8” there. Spring to bed bottom.

 

[TotalyHucked]

That or 59209 would probably work as well. You might email or call Airlift and let them know how much room you have between the spring and bed, just tell them you're working on like an '05 Silverado so they don't do the whole "welllll, we can't recommend anything since that's not what it's made for"

 

[410 John]

Right, thanks.

 

[Bennyt]

I don’t think the Timbren kit would work well on a lowered truck.

I don't have personal experience yet but I have talked to two people at car shows with the Timbren stuff on their lowered trucks and they love it and my neighbor has it on his trailer and raves about it. One is an '80's C10 w/ a flip so about 6" drop and the other is a CC with about 7" drop with a flip. The CC says he tows regularly with it and his wife said the ride was the best of any of their vehicles.

Again, nothing wrong with airbags and Huck has a nice step by step posted here but it might be worth making a call to them.

 

[peats]

I have a Timbren setup on my '81 c10 . It's lowered 2" at the shackles and 2" at the front spring perch. I had to modify the setup but it starts to take up slack after 11/2" of travel since I wanted to be able to load the bed. Brake line clearance may need to be addressed. I also have the timbren setup on the front of my '72 k5 as i used to use it as my plow truck. Timbren makes a quality product IMHO.