on my 79 when i bought it i put air shocks on the rear because it needed new shocks any ways and my dad had several cars back in his day and used them with no problem. ive read some places and been told by some people their a bad idea. some have also told me its ok as long as you dont use too much air. like mine can have up to 150 psi but i only run mine at like 60 just enough to give it a little bit of better stance. is this bad to do?

 

Air shocks are not a bad thing especially at just 60 psi but you will get a better handling car from a conventional or gas shock. If you want the back of your car raised up a little, its always best to re-arch the springs instead....

 

alright thanks i just didnt want to knock out the shock towers like some people say you can but i figured thats if you raise the car a lot with the shocks maxed out

 

I also have mine with seperate air lines, and run 10-20 psi more in the right side to preload the suspension when at the strip.

And then set them the same for DD.

Oh, but "back in the day" we would do really dumb things like put our car on a lift and with the suspension hanging put 120 psi in the air shocks (yikes) and when back on the ground you would understand why they called them "Skyjackers".

 

Thats to damn funny.I had an old nova i put air shocks on years ago,as soon as i put them on i drove around the corner and had a guy at a tire shop put around 100-120 psi in them.The rear end sat so high all i could see out the rear window was the sky,i felt every little pebble i hit in the road but it looked cool at the time haha.

 

I've run air shocks on the back of my Camaro for 35 years. I just changed the original Monroes out this year because I just figured it was time to.
I've always run the dual line kit for the same reason OneShoe50 does. I drag raced mine for years and wanted to preload the right rear. I still run about 15-20 lbs more air in the RR to keep it launching straight.
Another advantage of dual lines is that cornering wont push air from one shock to the other, which increases body roll. A world of difference in handling with an $11 dual line kit.
I'd also reccommend going to longer shackles, so your suspension will work the same and not be under too much preload. Don't go with those super tall shackles, as they will loosen it up too much. Just 2"-3" longer than stock to allow it to rise without binding and the ride will be nice, and not that harsh air shock ride that gave them a bad reputation. I made mine up from scratch to get the correct length, and not have extra hanging down, and also added an extension to the shock mount to keep them from topping out on rebound.

 

yeah i didnt know you could do the dual air lines that would be a good idea. with 60psi the ride isnt rough at all it still rides very smooth. i was considering shackles before the air shocks but mayb both would be a good idea. thanks for your guys help i read some things on another forum about how to never use them. my dad has pictures of his 71 chevelle that he had air shocks on. he said they woudl leak so every day he woudl go and refill them because if he didnt his tires would rub. looked neat but he said the ride was just ridiculous

 

Ive not had good luck with them. Both sets of mine always leaked. Found out it was the shock after I submerged it in water.

 

The old lines I had were pretty much leak proof, as they used brass fittings and ferrules. The new lines use plastic fittings, and O rings. You need to be very careful with the new lines during assembly, as overtightening will cause them to tear the O rings and leak. Always hand tighten the fittings on the new style, and use a dab of petroleum jelly or lube on the O rings when you assemble them.
There's several brand new cars that come from the factory with air shocks. If they were so bad I doubt the new makers would use them. I just was under my neighbor's Mazda MPV suv and it's got air shocks on the back, factory.

 

Didnt say they were bad, I said Ive not had good luck with them.