1996 Chevy S-10 Air Bag Suspension - Systematic Air Suspension

22.Not only does it provide clearance for the driveshaft, but a custom mounting bracket strengthens the crossmember after it has been cut and provides a mounting point for the track bar. All the while, the gas tank stays in its factory location. There is no beating on the tank with a hammer to make room for anything.

23.The disassembly continues with the removal of the leaf springs. Note that we place transmission jackstands underneath the axle tubes to keep the rearend from shifting.

24.The lower link bars bolt into the front leaf spring perches using the factory hardware.

25.Connecting the bars to the axle tubes is a pair of pinion angle-corrected blocks and mounting plates. Note that the lower shock mounts are a part of the plates as well.

26.The assembly mounts to the axle tube just like the old leaf springs did, with U-bolts tying everything together.

27.The other end of the track bar will mount to the center of the rearend housing. The bracket bolts onto the housing using the six uppermost mounting holes. New hardware is provided to attach the bracket.

28.The track bar mount is also the home of the Panhard bar. Like the rest of the bars in this kit, the track bar and panhard bar are adjustable to correct the pinion angle and center the rearend between the framerails.

29.Once the rearend is centered and the pinion angle is set, the new shocks are installed. The upper mounts are built into the notch plates. Note that we set our pinion angle at ride height of 1 degree.

30.The only welding required to install the Air Lift kit is on the lower 'bag brackets. They are standard, over-the-axle brackets that will provide the sturdiest attachment points.

31.After sanding the 8-year-old dirt, grease, and grime from the axle tubes, the lower 'bag mounts were aligned and mig-welded in place.

32.A new mounting bracket for the brake line is included in the kit.

33.If you recall from photo number 10, we unhooked the e-brake cables from the framerails. Air Lift provides new clams to attach them to the notch plates.

34.The reassembly process continues with the charcoal canister and fuel vapor solenoid, which we removed from the truck in photo number 9. Following the instructions, we relocated the canister and solenoid to the rear of the spare tire crossmember. The meant we had to extend the wires and fuel lines. From the factory, these are 1/4-inch plastic lines (they only carry fuel vapors) and we extended them with DOT air line and the fittings included in the kit.

35.A bit of trimming on the stock mounting brackets and the hardware was easily remounted to the frame and spare tire crossmember.

36.Because we've covered 'bagging the front of an S-10 too many times already, we'll just give you the highlights. The front 'bags are mounted with standard cup-style upper and lower 'bag mounts that sit inside of the stock spring pockets. Of course, the upper pocket must be trimmed to clear the 'bags.

37.Air Lift positions the shocks to the rear of the control arms using bolt-on brackets. This position enables us to keep full rotation of the steering.

38.Controlling the flow of air from the reserve tank to the 'bags are 1/2-inch ported Bad Boy solenoids and 1/2-inch DOT air line.

39.Air Lift provides dual-needle gauges and mounting brackets to locate the gauges underneath the dash panel. Because we can't leave well enough alone, we pulled the gauges out of its mounting panels and installed them in the dash, beneath the headlight switch.

40.There is just enough room to cut the holes out for the gauges using a hole saw and then massage them into the dash bezel. It's a tight fit, but worth the effort because we can now look at the gauges without taking our eyes off of the road for long periods of time.

41.W.E.C. kicked down one of its trick 10-switch boxes in clear plexiglass. The box is pre-wired to pull all the traditional moves, including pancake and seesaw, and provides control over the individual corners of the truck.