[06QCHemiRT]

Guys I finally got around to putting the McGaughy's Air Assist and a BellTech 5555 Sway Bar on my '06. Since I did the 2/4.5" drop about a month ago I was bottoming out something terrible in the rear, but that won't be a problem anymore! I had a bit of a problem while putting the passenger side bag on. For whatever reason when I was jacking up the truck all the liquid drained out of my Nitro-Active so I had to wait for a new one (Slammed1, I'll send you the dud if you still want it). The installs were fairly easy, if you count having to buy a half dozen drill bits for all of the holes I had to put in the frame. I went out and slalomed down the street at about 25 and there is an INCREDIBLE difference between just having the drop and having the air assist/sway bar on. I would recommend it to anyone. Thanks to Slammed1 for the parts and Chefred for the advice on running the air plumbing. Also, anyone needing parts for the air lines should visit www.streetbeatcustoms.com.

 

[slammed1]

streetbeat is the most expensive place to buy stuff from. Im sure other local places carry the same stuff alot cheaper.

I will take the dead shock,as I need it for some lock ups.

 

[06QCHemiRT]

Slammed1,

Yea I saw Streetbeat's prices for some of their products were ungodly, but the air plumbing I needed wasn't bad at all, plus they were local so I just picked it up and didn't have to pay shipping. Just a thought for those people who might not have access to shops that carry air lines/fittings. The McGaughy's air assist only came with one valve and a T-connecter, so if somebody (like me) wanted to inflate each bag separately they would have to get a 2nd valve. Just offering advice...I'm always one looking for the best deal! I'll send you that shock sometime this week or early next. I'll ship it UPS Ground and let you know what it costs...

 

[chefred112]

...cool..glad it all worked out...now I have to get a rear sway bar!!!

 

[06ramhemi]

So mcgaughy makes the kit?? i'm very interested in this set-up.. What up Brian??

 

[slammed1]

So mcgaughy makes the kit?? i'm very interested in this set-up.. What up Brian??

Yes I have them,easy to install and work well for still wanting to tow and haul. Let me know when your ready.

 

[06QCHemiRT]

Chefred112 - Yea everything came out great. The difference with the sway bar is like night and day. Now I need new seats because I'm swaying right of them while the truck stays level through the turns. :thatfunny I have 30 PSI in my bags right now but I'm going to drop it down to around 20 I think and see what it's like at that level. Have you noticed difficulty getting the things inflated with an air compressor? I can't get the valve inside the fitting from my air compressor pushed down to let the air out. Like the valve for the bag isn't stiff enough to push it in. It's a pain in the ass!

06RamHemi - Yea that McGaughy's kit is nice. I don't know about you, but after I put the drop on my truck the back end bottomed out like mad, but that may have been due to the below mentioned shock... Anyways, the kit is easy to install just think everything through before you get started, and have several 1/2 inch drill bits for the job. Somehow I blew one of my shocks out which added to my problems, but overall it turned out great. The McGaughy's kit only comes with one air valve, so if you are hauling anything uneven you can't inflate one bag more than the other. I bought some extra tubing and another valve and set them up separate just for this situation, with the fill valves taking the place of my lower license plate screws. Let me know if you have any more questions I'll help out as best I can...

 

[zemog255]

So how does the kit work exactly does it just stiffen up the rear end to allow you to haul more? How high can you inflate the bags? Any Idea on how much the kit weights? Thanks

 

[slammed1]

around 3" or more lift,the package weighs around 20lbs.......it supports the rear more to compensate for the soft rear springs........also can keep the truck level while towing and hauling.

Very worth while investment if you still plan on towing and hauling.

This kit also works well with stock suspension.....just remove the upper u-bolt plate,slide the lower air bag bracket over the center pin and re-install the u-bolt plate.

 

[zemog255]

Do you just hook up a standard air compressor to air them up?

 

[chefred112]

yup... or you can install an onboard compressor... here is what mine looks like:

 

[slammed1]

there are tons of ways and options to fill the bags and deflate. The kit has a T fitting so a single line is the fill line which inflates both bags evenly. Some lik eto do it separate and some like the single.....once you get a kit your choice on adding a compressor and such is an easy adapt.

 

[06QCHemiRT]

The instructions say to keep 5 PSI in the bags always (with a load on them) and no more than 90 PSI at any time. I was running with 30 PSI yesterday, but it jacked the back end up farther than I wanted so I dropped them to 20 PSI today and it was much better. I haven't bottomed out ONCE since putting them on. Worth the money, definitely. I use a small air compressor to fill mine up and they fill up just like would put air in a tire. Like Chefred's picture, I have the valves on the bottom of the license plate. Unless you look REALLY REALLY closely you can't even tell what they are. I may go to an automatic system later with an on-board compressor...that would give me an excuse to get some train horns put on and really piss some people off. :thatfunny

 

[chefred112]

...oooo..give me an excuse to buy a bigger compressor an/or tank....horns huh?...

 

[Shots]

Well I have a different brand, and I'm running a stock suspension (I'd rather lift than drop), but here are 2 links to how to's I did. One for air bags, the other for a gauge, and plumbing.
I cranked my torsion bars to level the front, but then the rear was low when I was hauling stuff. So I put air bags on. I also set mine up for separate controls (filled manually with an aux. outlet powered compressor in the cab). I didn't want the air to be able to go from one bag to another if I had a lop-sided load in the bed. Anyway. I figured I'd post so you can take a look at yet another option for plumbing.
http://www.dodgetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111178http://www.dodgetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111162

And 06QCHemiRT, is right. These things are worth every penny, and evey minute it takes to install them. I doubt I'll ever own a truck without assist bags again. Although, unlike 06QCHemiRT, I have no problems filling mine. :crazy:

 

[chefred112]

...nice writeup...in one of the pics the exhaust pipe looks pretty close to the bag tho...

 

[Shots]

Thanks.
It's actually further than it looks in the pic. The angle does make it look pretty close, but there's about 4" at the closest point.