Question for the bagged hearses

[Psychoholic]

How much of an undertaking is it to do?

Got pics of the mechanics of it?

[SmoothNlow]

While my hearse is not yet bagged, I've bagged other vehicles. It really depends on what you want to do. Do you want to be completly laid out on the frame or do you just want to have the adjustability of a few inches higher or lower? Layin frame is an undertaking. You will have to fabricate control arms, bag mounts, at least a 4 link in the rear set pinion angles proper steering geometry etc. Just adding bags as your car sits now is pheasable but I wouldn't recomend it. That's just me I want to bag it once and be done the way I want. The right way. With some upgrades and some fab work, clearancing, beating, bangin, cussing a good bag and a really good compresser you could turn be on air. But to lay frame its gonna be a task esspecially on a hearse man. Check out creepy cruisers link "more on the build" on his 65.

Theres my 2cents.

[Jus" Roach]

I DO know full-framed, 4-coil cars are much easier than newer generation leaf spring suspended vehicles. I C-notched my dually frame to get it in the weeds.

[R U INJRD]

Typically the hard part is relocating the shocks in front if they currently go through the coil spring. If you're handy with a welder and have half a brain it's not too challenging, but it is one or two experience points above "bolt in". A lot of times everything else is, in fact, "bolt in", in that the air suspension components replace existing springs. There is even a way to do leaf spring vehicles without a lot of modification, provided you don't want to get too extreme with the suspension travel.

Too much detail to discuss without a specific vehicle in mind, but with enough skill and/or money there is usually a way to bag just about any vehicle.

airsuspsm.jpg

This is my GMC right after I did the air suspension. It still sits about the same now, just on different wheels and tires. I could go another 4 inches or so lower in the back by flipping the axle to the top of the leaf springs, but I would hace to notch the frame and I don't feel like cutting into it.

[Creepy Cruiser]

While my hearse is not yet bagged, I've bagged other vehicles. It really depends on what you want to do. Do you want to be completly laid out on the frame or do you just want to have the adjustability of a few inches higher or lower? Layin frame is an undertaking. You will have to fabricate control arms, bag mounts, at least a 4 link in the rear set pinion angles proper steering geometry etc. Just adding bags as your car sits now is pheasable but I wouldn't recomend it. That's just me I want to bag it once and be done the way I want. The right way. With some upgrades and some fab work, clearancing, beating, bangin, cussing a good bag and a really good compresser you could turn be on air. But to lay frame its gonna be a task esspecially on a hearse man. Check out creepy cruisers link "more on the build" on his 65.

Theres my 2cents.

That was a very good explanation.

Like he said, it really depends on how low you want to go and how good you want it to ride and handle. With air ride, reliability is everything, so you don't want to take any short cuts or do anything half ass. If you do, you'll be sitting on the side of the road trying to figure out how the hell you're going to get it on to a tow truck with the body sitting on the ground, lol. You don't have to go as extreme as I did (with 4 wheel disk brakes, all hand made control arms, etc...), but there is a lot to know. If it's really something you want to explore more, just let me know, I've done hundreds of cars and trucks.

There's nothing like hovering an inch off the ground on air, I love it. And there's nothing like draggin body and frame down the freeway.

[BIGEVIL]

Typically the hard part is relocating the shocks in front if they currently go through the coil spring.

If I want to be low, but laying frame is not a priority, are the "shockwaves" worth the money?

[R U INJRD]

If I want to be low, but laying frame is not a priority, are the "shockwaves" worth the money?

If you've got the money, they're a decent way to go. I would stick with Air Ride Technologies brand, not the knock-off stuff. Air Ride Technologies recently introduced a budget series of shockwaves that don't have the glitzy billet aluminum parts or adjustable shocks, but they don't carry the hefty price tag either.

[Creepy Cruiser]

What's the weight rating on them though, I'm not sure id' run them on such a heavy ride. Keep in mind that the whole car will be held up by those tiny little mounts, lol. We've used them on hod rods sure, but they're not very heavy.

[StrayCat]

I'm bagging John's 52 Ford if you want to get a basic "hands on" idea of how it's going to work. You'll still need to be mindful of the weight difference and adjust your numbers accordingly of course. I mean the Ford's weight is 3500lbs, plus this one will be somewhat heavier due to the engine/trans swap and the fact that we decided to use thicker sheet metal to replace all the floorpans, trans tunnel, firewall ect. I'll let you know when we get all the parts in.

[R U INJRD]

What's the weight rating on them though, I'm not sure id' run them on such a heavy ride. Keep in mind that the whole car will be held up by those tiny little mounts, lol. We've used them on hod rods sure, but they're not very heavy.

Getting them to fit is probably a bigger issue than the weight capacity. The 6.5 inch double convoluted shockwave can handle 2140 lbs per corner, or an almost 9000 lb vehicle. If that's not enough, the 8 inch can handle 3150 lbs per corner, or 12,500 lb car, but the air bag part is 8 inches wide, so you need a big spring pocket. Those are maximums too, so a hearse might be pushing the limit with the smaller ones.

[Creepy Cruiser]

Lol, I guess I should have worded that a little differently, (I actually know how much the waves themselves can hold up, we've used them plenty of times). What I meant was, the factory suspension in the car was never meant to have the weight of the car pin pointed on the particular parts where the shocks normally bolt up (it's designed just for dampening load). Normally you have a fair amount of surface area inside the spring pocket and on the control arm for the spring to rest on, and not just one small point in the middle of the control arm to support all the weight. I've seen guys break control arms in half after installing aftermarket coilovers in the stock locations. On the rides we install waves on, we build all the control arms from scratch, to be able to support the weight safely.

[R U INJRD]

That's a good point....

[Jus" Roach]

Continuing on the subject,

Just received this in an email from my supplier...dteday.jpg

[R & D Customs]

Bagged 1961 Caddy Coupe and it was easy BUT the weight of the vehicle is a Problem. To lift the front the regular compressor and tank doesn't have enough ass to lift it so I had to use a 2000 LB NITROGEN tank for bags. This can get expensive to use a lot and always a worry about Nitrogen Leaks. A good whiff of Nitrogen in that Hearse and you will be Riding in the Back. Take care when doing it and ask about how much air you need to make it raise, before buying anything.

[LongshoreKustoms]

I love this topic, there needs to be more bagged hearses! It's work for sure but if you want it bad enough, then it's worth it. I'm doing an 8 valve setup and sticking to quality parts. I would definitely recommend a 8 valve system on anything that's set up to lay out.