A 58-64 Chevy Full-sized uses the same frame and suspension design from a basic standpoint as a 61-64 Buick Fullsized and 63-70 Riviera. I think they kept the same suspension on the new perimeter frame on the full sizes for a time but a rear kit is pretty universal, its the front that is the one that can get pretty specific. The big deal with the rears is that since the shock isn't concenteric with the spring the bag simply fits into the spring pocket and the shock has to just acomidate the rang of travel. The front kit depends on if you have a traditional airspring setup or the new air coil overs. The traditional way requires you to weld on an external shock mount since the airbag takes up the whole spring space displacing the shock. The "bagover" setup keeps everything in the middle but can be pretty specific. Escentually you would have to modify the front suspension area so that it looks like a 58-64 Chevy or 61-64 Buick Fullsized from the stand point of the spring to make it work. Your '67 LeSabre should be almost identical to the Buick kit with some only minor differences in the front. The rear might require a different kit since I don't know if you have a Satchel 4-link or a 3-link back there. This would mainly effect the shocks and the bag size but I'm sure that any of these places could acomidate that with thier existing bag designs and probably shocks too. You can always run these without a compressor if you keep tabs on the bag pressures and schraeder valves but a compressor is definately the easiest. I'm putting the Shockwave double adjustable "bagovers" on my Riv without a compressor system to start out with since the front suspension is shot anyway and just going to check the pressures ever time I take the car out for a spin.
DAMN. great deal of knowledge, thanks alot. i appreciate it. if your looking for cheaper rear kits go to gravity-werx.com. they have some cool rear setups. ive heard good thaings about this company. plus they have hits with slam specialties, which are super durable bags with hi psi. thanks again CTX-SLPR
CTX-SLPR i noticed that the buick years you mentioned dont cover 1967 lesabres, unless the riv has the same type of rear setup. thus my question is, the chevy kits for the rear will universally bolt on to the rear suspensions of 67 buick? is it an over axle tube set up, or bolt on to the leaf spring? if this is the case, chev kits are alot cheaper and more available than buick kits, thats for sure. ridetech.com has some kits that go into the spring cup and others that bolt onto the leaf spring, im just not sure which route i should go at this point. thanks
You definately have a coil spring set up back there, the difference mainly is that the early Buick system that fits my '64 Riv has the springs located on the lower control arms and the shocks mounted at an angle hanging off the back end of the axle mount for the control arms behind the tube. This setup is a 3-link setup with 2 lower control arms located outboard and a single upper offset to the passengers side of the pumpkin and a panhard rod for latteral control. It is possible, since I don't know the suspension under the later perimeter, sometimes called ladder, frames that started under Buick and most GM full sizes in '65. It is possible that you have a Satchel, also known as a triangulated, 4-link suspension that locates the coils on the axle tube and mounts the shocks in a closer to verticle position. Having only owned 2 1st Gen and a 70 Riviera who are all X-frames I'm not familure enough with your suspension to tell you what you have under there. This being said the rear end is still much easier to adapt something into as the shocks are not located in the springs and you have more room to fit something in. If need be you can contact a spring company and find out the dimentions of your springs for the rear and supply that to the air ride company so they can match a spring up to your application for the minimum amount of custom fitting.
if you know of any diagrams of various buick suspensions i can probably tell you which one it is. if your willing of course.
has anyone dealt with either of these two companies, ridetech.com or airridepro.com and if so how are thier products, are the cheap. cuz ARP has inexpensive stuff but im not sure of the quality. what's your guyz' opinion. thanks
has anyone ever had any experience with these http://ridetech.com/productinfo/airoverleaf.asp im thinking about getting them, BUT im not sure if their only used for cars without coils in the back, cuz thats what the diagram shows. if i can keep my rear coil and remove a leaf spring then i wont worry as much if i blow a bag cuz then ill still have the coil for some ride height. can anyone elaborate, these look cool and dont seem as expensive. thanks.
air bags on my 65 Riv I just bought a complete system from air-ride technologies, here is the breakdown: shockwaves in the front:$849 cool-ride in the rear:$417 Big red max w/ride pro E 2:$2243 (this is the two 5 gal tanks, two viar compressors, half-inch lines, etc.) My shop hasn't had time to install it, but it is a lot of stuff, wiring, etc. and does require some cutting on the frame to create clearance for the frame. My estimate for installation: $2000.00 But it is the best of the best, and it will be really sweet when it is finished.
