Chevy 1500 travel question

[Weehousz]

I just got the shockwaves and airbar for a 1990 chevy 1500 reg cab longbed and i was wondering just how far up and how low the truck will go? I know the shockwaves have a 2.6" travel and the airbar is something like 6" . I have a 4/6 drop on it now with 20' s and 255/35/20, so i was guessing the ride hight will be some where close to what it is now, is this correct? Also how close is it going to be to laying frame?

thanks

[B.J.]

I assume that the 4/6 drop is done by a drop spindle and spring in the front and a flip kit in the rear??? If so, as long as you keep the spindles in front, the ride height will be really close to the same. As far as laying frame you' ll want to measur that out on the truck. The front will be about a 6 1/2' drop fully deflated (with spindles) and the rear will put the axle up against the bed floor.

[Weehousz]

what about the cutting for the shockwaves up front, will i be able to get in there with a sawzaw or will i have to invest in a cutoff wheel? and any idea how long the whole thing will take to put on i already have the tanks and comp. and all that in i just have to put the shockwaves and airbar in?

[B.J.]

On that truck trimming will be little if any at all, and you should be able to get it done with a sawzall. I' d bank on a weekend to do it, but that will vary with the skill of the installer.

[Weehousz]

In the front, will the truck come down to the factory bump stops or the shockwaves internal bump stops? And if it does come down to the factory stops can I remove thos and let it use the shockwave bump stops or possible install a smaller bump stop?

[B.J.]

The ShockWaves have an internal bumpstop. You will be removing the factory stops to install the kit, but you might need to fabricate some depending on how low you want the truck to lay.

[Weehousz]

So I can let it rest on the shockwave bump stops so it will be as low as it could be? And if I wanted it to sit higher when its aired out I could install bump stops?

[B.J.]

Right, you could install an adjustable bumpstop to set the deflated stance where you want it.

[Weehousz]

Ok one more question, in the back, how much side to side movement will there be? My rims sit maybe an inch to an inch and a half from the fender lip(which i could cut off, but dont want to). And do I have to disconnect the brake line to put it on the new bracket, in which case i would have to bleed the brakes when im done?

[B.J.]

Side to side movement should not be more than 3/4" , so you should be in good shape with the clearance that you' ve got. Don' t forget to check the room on the back-side of the wheel/tire. No you won' t have to open up the brake line, just move the whole tee.

[B.J.]

Hufnmeu jdicaksl hjeenk rowrny splenf todasy<---That' s me typing with my foot in my mouth.

Upon further review of the play: The initial ruling on the field, that the brake line does not have to be broken down is overturned, you will need to separate the line and bleed the brakes. Air Ride Technologies will be charged a time out. Sorry guys.

[Weehousz]

hahaha thats funny, one more thing i forgot to ask before( i know i said that was my last question but i have another haha) will the wheels bottom out on the fenders in the front or back before the shockwaves or airbar bottom out. i have 20' s with 255/35/20 tires

[B.J.]

That' s tough to say for sure, we haven' t fit that size up to one here. I don' t think that you' ll have a problem in the back. In the front it depends on the offset of the wheel to make sure it tucks.

[Weehousz]

I checked to see if they would tuck and they will, is it a problem tho if they rest on the fender wells before the shockwaves bump stops hit while its aired out?

[Weehousz]

also about the ride height on start, i have a remote start system and i have an addional channel that i can use from the remote. can i hook that up to the ride height on start feature to make it come up to ride height when i push that button? it puts out 300mA for 8 seconds when pressed so i would have to use a relay i would assume. Also could i still hook it up to the start wire using a diode so that i can still use that feature when i put the key in and start it? Just a thought i had about 5 mins ago

[B.J.]

The inner fenders sitting on the tires is not a problem, just make sure you inflate the suspension before you try to go anywhere.

As far as the remote start, I would think that it' s possible. The ride height on start feature is activated when 12 volts are supplied to a certain wire in the power harness. This wire needs to be hot when the ignition circuit is on.

[Weehousz]

does this wire have to be hot the whole time or just for a few seconds to activate it?

[B.J.]

This wire is actually the " power-up" wire for the panel/system. It will need 12 volts whenever the car is running (at all times).

[Weehousz]

Ok im kinda lost here, does the yellow wire of the power harness get hooked to the ignition or the start wire. and, if it is the ignition wire, my truck has 2 ignition wires so what one does it go to.

[B.J.]

The yellow wire needs to be connected to a 12 volt circuit that has power whenever the truck is turned on. As far as which wire to connect it to, it doesn' t matter as long as that circuit has 12 volts when the key is in the " on" position.

[Weehousz]

ok so since it needs the 12 volts constant then i guess i cant use that extra channel on the remote because that only outputs for 8 seconds, is there any other way i could make it bring it to ride height when i press that button?

[B.J.]

Right, the output on your remote won' t work. An alternative would be to install a switch for the yellow wire. This switch would be used to " interrupt" the 12 volt power temporarily, simulating the that the vehicle was turned off and then turned back on. In turn, activating the preset #1 again.

[Weehousz]

ok say i had this all installed(without this remote thing) and i hopped in the truck and turned the key to on then turned it off, would it come up or does it actually have to " start" . Because i installed the alarm and all that jazz and i know that when the key is " on" ignition one and two have power. and just too double check things the front with the shockwaves should be very little if any cutting, the back i will have to disconnect the brake line and side to side movement in the rear is abour 3/4 of an inch right? im getting ready to install this weekend so i wanted to make sure i got my info right.

[B.J.]

The truck will start to come up when you turn the key " on" (supply 12 volts to the yellow wire). For the system to fully inflate you need to leave the key on until the RidePro e is finished adjusting. The panel/system is dead when there is no power to the yellow wire. As far as the rest of the info, you are correct sir.

[Weehousz]

ok cool, if i have any problems ill be postin it on here for a answer haha. thanks alot for your help

[Weehousz]

just finished the install today and everything went smooth. one thing i have a question about is the senders. now i know it says they can get false signals because of the compressors and all that and i know it says to run a dedicated ground but is there anything else i can do aside from move them to keep them from not goin nuts when the compressors run. just an example of what happened, when i set up the ride height on start thing and i tried it with full tanks it came up then the compressors kicked in and screwed with the senders so it just deflated cause it didnt know what to do i guess. but anything i can do aside from move them would help. thanks in advance.

[B.J.]

Make sure that the senders aren' t getting interference through the screws that attach the bracket to the truck. You might need to mount the bracket to a piece of wood/plastic and then mount that to the truck. Do you have the ECU and Senders direct to the battery negative? And, where on the truck is the compressor ground?

[Weehousz]

the compressors are ground directly to the frame, the ecu is to the battery negative but not the senders. i have everything mounted to a 1/4 alum. plate but i think im going to move the senders off that plate. should i ground it right to the battery?

[B.J.]

The best way (cleanest ground) to go would be to isolate the " L" bracket that the senders are in from the 1/4" plate and the shoot a ground wire from the bracket to the battery negative. That way the only ground the senders can receive is from the battery negative. And, keep the compressors to the frame ground...

[Weehousz]

what size is the braided line kit, also will it slow down the rise time any? i have 1/2 lines and the front left shockwave fitting is leaking so i ordered new fittings but im more interested in the braided line kit. and how long are the braided lines?

[B.J.]

The braided line is basically 1/4" . If you' re running 1/2" lines, it will probably slow the front down a bit. The braided lines are 12" long.

[Weehousz]

never mind problem solved, also kicked myself a few times. just needed to retape the fitting. any more info on when the level pro system will come out.

[Weehousz]

Just wanted to thank B.J. for all the help and quick answers to my questions. Iv been ridin on air for 3 weeks now with no problems at all (fingers crossed) it def kicks ass and i have to say art is the best in my mind.

[66blownbeaumont]

Weehousz,
how about some photos at different ride heights?

[B.J.]

Happy to help. Just like 66blown said, how ' bout some pics. If you don' t want to post them on the forum you can add them to our " Customer Cars" section. Or, if you get time do both...

[Weehousz]

will do soon, gotta clean it up a bit

[Weehousz]

Im gonna take some pics tomorrow and hopefully post them tomorrow too

[66blownbeaumont]

I will look forward to seeing them!
i just started my install this week end.

[Weehousz]

weathers not workin with me here ill get my pics on here as soon as possible, its rained the last 2 days it sucks[:@]

[Weehousz]

loaded some pics on the customer cars page, project 12851, take a look lemmie know what ya think

[79DeVille]

Looks sweet man, love the rims...im gettin my bags installed tomorrow.....very excited

[Weehousz]

Are there goin to be strong arms for the 88-98 chevys for the shockwaves anytime soon?

[darren@ridetech.com]

Sorry.