In the never-ending quest to rid the world of all asphalt and reflectors, we give you tech on how to keep your S-series at the forefront of this mission. Needing a lot of equipment, we called up AIM Industries. Having more airbag parts in stock than the safety division at Chevy, the only decision was how crazy we wanted to go. We opted to go all the way with a complete four-link setup, tubular upper and lower control arms, and the latest and greatest air managers.
Wanting all the components installed to perfection, we called up our friends at GO-EZ Customs in Placentia, California. 'Bag jobs such as this are no problem for mini-truck veteran Art Gomez, owner/operator of GO-EZ. Art can set you up to the fullest, or build you a mild cruiser; no job is too big or too small.
Customizers and shops alike all have their own way of laying down an S-10. In this series, we will dip into the AIM way of how to get things handled. We swapped the front control arms, and 'bagged and shocked the front (yes, it is possible to run shocks in the front of an S-10 for a smooth ride). We installed AIM's four-link triangulated bolt-on kit and to round things off added one hell of an air management system. For more information, contact the companies located in our source box. To the shop we go!
1.Here we started with an...
1.Here we started with an overview of the front suspension parts.
2.The first step was disassembly....
2.The first step was disassembly. The GO-EZ crew removed all obstacles, including control arms, spindles, and brake calipers.
3.
4.The crossbar was removed...
4.The crossbar was removed from the stock upper control arm and slid into the new AIM drop control arm. These new tubular control arms feature urethane bushings at the pivot points and a unique adjustment system. The arms offer 1 to 6 degrees of camber adjustment.
5.Next, the new ball joints...
5.Next, the new ball joints were installed in the control arms.
6.Quick use was made of the...
6.Quick use was made of the new AIM adjustment system. The top control arms were mocked up to straighten the crossbar and the camber closer to reality.
7.After the bottom control...
7.After the bottom control arms were attached to the stock mounts, the cups were bolted to the airbags and the air lines were attached.
8.GO-EZ then dug back into...
8.GO-EZ then dug back into the parts box and retrieved the stock components. On the rebuild of the front suspension the crew added AIM drop spindles to the mix.
9.
10.With a near complete custom...
10.With a near complete custom front suspension setup, GO-EZ added front shocks to the S-10. Most 'bagged S-10s you see riding down the road - believe it or not - do not run front shocks due to lack of room.
11.You can see how the front...
11.You can see how the front shock has enough clearance to function, with the aid of AIM's S-10 shock mount arm.
12.Here's a good look at AIM's...
12.Here's a good look at AIM's four-link triangulated bolt-on kit, airbags, and brackets.
13.First the lower link bars...
13.First the lower link bars were bolted into the stock front leaf-spring mount. The lower airbag plate doubles as the lower four-link mount. The lowering block, lower 'bag plate, and rearend are then sandwiched together, courtesy of U-bolts supplied by AIM.
14.
15.The differential plate,...
15.The differential plate, which houses the brackets for the top triangulated bars, were bolted to the rearend.
16.The top triangulated bars...
16.The top triangulated bars were then bolted to the rearend with the supplied hardware. Next we attached the front mount to the bars, to mock up the location of the bracket. This kit offers you more than one option: It will bolt to the factory crossmember or you can raise the crossmember for added clearance.
17.
18.Since we already fabbed...
18.Since we already fabbed up a quick crossmember, we opted to weld the mount to the driveshaft saving bridge.
19.The top 'bag brackets were...
19.The top 'bag brackets were attached underneath the S-10 framerails.
20.The airbags were bolted...
20.The airbags were bolted in place to finish the rear suspension. Now we can get to the fun part.
21.The air management components...
21.The air management components were laid out to ensure all was there. Then GO-EZ team wasted no time on getting the finishing touches handled, to clear shop space for anxious customers.
22.A simple crossmember was...
22.A simple crossmember was rigged up in the rear to decorate with AIM air manifolds.
23.GO-EZ added sending units...
23.GO-EZ added sending units to the manifolds for the AIM four-position digital gauge that was used.
24.The crew proceeded with...
24.The crew proceeded with the manifolds, plumbed them to the airbags, and connected the nine-wire for the controller.
25.As all the compressors...
25.As all the compressors and most of the vitals were being installed on the bed floor, mounting holes were drilled in the bed and away the spray-in bedliner flew.
26.AIM supplies a solenoid...
26.AIM supplies a solenoid and circuit breaker to its kit for the compressors; it's always better to be safe than sorry.
27.An adjustable pressure...
27.An adjustable pressure switch was added to the tank to command the compressors when to engage.
28.The brain for the AIM digital...
28.The brain for the AIM digital air gauge was attached to the provided bank of relays. The wiring may seem overwhelming at first, but after a quick reference to the directions and excellent tech support, any questions were quickly answered.
29.
30.A vacant spot in the center...
30.A vacant spot in the center console was located and the final piece of the puzzle was put in place. Keep your eyes peeled for more on the rebuild of this S-10.