1990 front air bag opinions

[Sinequa]

Ok up for opinion gathering is front air bags on a p32 1990. The bags are the inside the coil verity, so what would be a good replacement the stock GM product or an aftermarket type. I’m leaning toward the aftermarket, but don’t know. The GM ones look to be rubber and the aftermarket look like urethane. The current ones I’m sure are the originals as they have completely rotted through. Also it looks like to replace them I’m gonna haft to pop a ball joint, drop the lower a-arm to R&R it correct?
TIA.

[whem2fish]

i went with the red ones camping world i cant remember the brand front was $ out the door $260 rear. the old ones cone out in pieces (box cutter) the new ones go through the hole in lower a frame be sure to deburr the hole good. that said
force all the air out of them then tie them muck to look like a burrito warm them in water to make them softer then with lots of dish soap and twist them through the hole in the bottom front took about 4 hours the first time i did them.i have done others for friends when i full timed faster. the rear are no drill bolt on.

[Wallaby Dan]

Air-Lift is the big aftermarket type for the front of the P-32.

[TXiceman]

Air Lift after market.

Ken

[az bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sinequa Ok up for opinion gathering is front air bags on a p32 1990. The bags are the inside the coil verity, so what would be a good replacement the stock GM product or an aftermarket type. I’m leaning toward the aftermarket, but don’t know. The GM ones look to be rubber and the aftermarket look like urethane. The current ones I’m sure are the originals as they have completely rotted through. Also it looks like to replace them I’m gonna haft to pop a ball joint, drop the lower a-arm to R&R it correct? TIA.

It is not necessary to drop the control arm. The replacement can be inserted through the hole.

[Mike Thomas]

You might want to consider not using the bags, and just replace the coil springs with ones that are rated for the load. Run it across some scales to get the weight, then get coils to match the load. A lot easier than chasing air in the bags, wondering if they will leak, running lines, and such. I think I got mine from Brazels. They post here on the forum...

[Wallaby Dan]

I am not to sure about that. A friend had new springs put in his then 92 Trek with the P-32 chassis. After he put them in, he ended up putting the air-bags back in as he was bottoming out with the springs. They were for 6000 pds, but hey..just a story, Dan

[Macrosill]

I replaced the originals with the Air Lift kit. It is a repair that only requires basic skills but getting the bags in those holes at the bottom of the A arm is not an easy task.

[George Schweikle]

Mike Thomas said it right: removing air bags on a GM P-chassis requires that you use the correct springs to accommodate the change. There are many Safari Trek owners that report improved handling from replacing original springs and air bags, but the coach must be weighed and new springs matched to this front end weight.

Dan, the information about your friend may have some facts incorrect; a '92 Trek would have been on an Izusu chassis. The GM chassis didn't appear on Treks until 1995 (I had one of the first ones).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wallaby Dan I am not to sure about that. A friend had new springs put in his then 92 Trek with the P-32 chassis. After he put them in, he ended up putting the air-bags back in as he was bottoming out with the springs. They were for 6000 pds, but hey..just a story, Dan

[Wallaby Dan]

I may have been wrong with the year. He had that V-8 diesel engine and it was he said a P-32 chassis. I don't always have the greatest memory in the world and most times i really have to think! You can tell when i have smoke coming out my ears....

[WeatherTodd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wallaby Dan I am not to sure about that. A friend had new springs put in his then 92 Trek with the P-32 chassis. After he put them in, he ended up putting the air-bags back in as he was bottoming out with the springs. They were for 6000 pds, but hey..just a story, Dan

On my 98 chassis I had about 1" of clearance between the bumpstop/frame with the bags blown out. After replacing the bags/coils with heavier rated ones... I had 3.5" of clearance on the bumpstops.
Problem magnified the rear sag... which I had purchased new leafs for the rear. Labor would have been over $2gs if I didnt replace them myself.

[Sinequa]

The front spring are rated correctly and the coils are in good shape. I ve got close to 3" of travel when fully loaded left before the bump stops. I was mostly looking to replace them as a) I can see through them in several places and b) to help take some of the wobble wagon soft ride out. I know it will never corner like my autocross cars but I really dont the is it going fall over at 5 mph feeling! Ye the anti-sway bars and bushings are good. anybody make 4" sway bars for thing?

[AirLift]

As others have mentioned we offer replacement bags. All of our bags for inside of coils are red, these are our 1000 series airbags.

Typically you can crush the bag and fold into a nutrition shape and feed it into the spring in between the gaps of the coils. Unless your springs are very tight together you should be able to do this.

[ahicks]

If you could get super duty springs, springs that would rid you of the air bags for good, for 150. delivered, would that sway you're thinking?

Offering heavy duty and super duty truck coil springs for light and medium trucks and vans.

At the bottom of the Chevy listings, they have a suggestion for coaches over 28'. Those are what I used and would highly recommend based on that experience.

Coil spring swap "how to" from another company:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMQG1II-XK8