Hey, I'm picking up my 55 Buick Special soon, and Im thinking about putting air bags on it. I did a search of the forums, but didnt come up with much info. Only found pics. While pics are cool, I need to know what's involved, what kind of cost is it going to be? Fabrication is neccesary I'm sure, but how much? If you have ANY info on this, let me know. Thanks. -Dan
What little I've read on various boards is that it is near-impossible to retrofit air bags into a car. Anyone else have comments on this?
Any fabrication shop worth its salt should be able to do this . A car like this would most likely benefit from a four link in the rear and a simple bag set up in front. We do this stuff in my shop all the time . It just takes time and money. Air Ride Technologies has the pieces you need. Good luck George
OK - now I'm confused - Are we talking about air bags that deploy in a crash (like I read the post) or air suspension bags that raise or lower the vehicle?
Suspension. Why would I want to put air bags for a crash into the car?! lol. Thanks for the links. I plan on attempting this myself. Think it's doable? Keep in mind, I do not have all the tools yet and I have a tiny garage to work with. Anyone else have input?
We buy our stuff direct . They are very helpful at Air Ride .Give em a call. They have done all the stuff they sell in thier shop at one time or another. Good luck George
I'm on Air Ride's web site right now, and they have a kit for 55-57 Chevy's...how similar is my suspension to the Chevy's? I'm guessing it should be pretty much the same? If so, I'm looking at around $2600 or so for the parts.
The rear ends have very little in common. you have coil springs, the chevys use leaf springs. If there is no kit for the 55, I bet there might be for 56 and up. A 56 buick rear end might work, but then you have todeal with that tordue tube, trans, ect.
Air Bags I had my 56 bagged and there was not a kit available specifically for that car, so Leet Customz in Hesperia CA, where I had most of the major work done on my car fabricated what they needed to make the bags fit perfectly, I paid $2600 to have it done. Mike
I had my 58 special bagged last year. I have a cutlass subframe under it so it wasnt to hard to do. I bought all my parts off ebay and at car shows. Im running 2 firestone 317 compressors, 5 gallon tank, 2600 lb bags, and air valves from parkers. I have 1300 bucks in all the setup and fabrication. PM me or send me a email and I can give you some more info.
