Air Shocks

[Bruzilla]

Good to know because after looking at several threads I started to worry about my Cross member cracking.

I've been using air shocks since the early 80s and never had an issue, and I would inflate the Hell out of them. I've also heard these complaints about broken this and cracked that, and I suspect that like most car "issues", it's never one thing that's causing the problem.

More likely it's having air shocks over-inflated, really weak springs, driving on less-than-well kept roads, and driving like an idiot. Throw in a lot of rust issues back there, and a combination of two or three of those things could lead to a failure. And if there is a lot of rust back there, some of the issues listed can cause the same damage even when hydraulic shocks are used.

 

[Daves69]

Sharp looking car to work with! And you have a lot of options as noted in the posts.

Something to also consider, maybe different wheels and shocks are the way to go. I'm not sure what the largest tire is that fits in the well without clearance issues. Surely someone here can tell you.
Just looking at the pictures though, I'm thinking your current wheel size might be 15" X 10" with 3.5" backspace. Hard to tell from the pictures, are you scraping the tire on the wheel well lip with no air in the shocks? Would you have enough clearance with a deeper (4.5") back space to clear the spring, inner well, and outer lip?

 

[Cyty Slykers]

Sharp looking car to work with! And you have a lot of options as noted in the posts.

Something to also consider, maybe different wheels and shocks are the way to go. I'm not sure what the largest tire is that fits in the well without clearance issues. Surely someone here can tell you.
Just looking at the pictures though, I'm thinking your current wheel size might be 15" X 10" with 3.5" backspace. Hard to tell from the pictures, are you scraping the tire on the wheel well lip with no air in the shocks? Would you have enough clearance with a deeper (4.5") back space to clear the spring, inner well, and outer lip?

Yes I currently have 15x10 on the rear but unsure about the back spacing...the rims been on the car since late 80s before my pops gave it to me and in 95. Soon I'll be replacing them with steel wheels 15x10 on the rear and possibly 15x8 on the front but still unsure about tire size....if the air goes out of the shocks then the wheel well will cut into the side of the tires.

 

[The Rebel]

My car came with them to offset the negative spring arc. I just replaced the springs & shocks. Buddy of mine had them in the 80's and blew them. Chewed his tires up getting the car home.

 

[Cyty Slykers]

I looked up the Bilstein shocks and couldn't find any that fits a 68 Charger...for those with 68 Chargers that have them did you'll have to do some modification for them to fit?...update I just came across some on performanceonline.com for $95per, is this a reputable site to order from?

 

[Cyty Slykers]

Sharp looking car to work with! And you have a lot of options as noted in the posts.

Something to also consider, maybe different wheels and shocks are the way to go. I'm not sure what the largest tire is that fits in the well without clearance issues. Surely someone here can tell you.
Just looking at the pictures though, I'm thinking your current wheel size might be 15" X 10" with 3.5" backspace. Hard to tell from the pictures, are you scraping the tire on the wheel well lip with no air in the shocks? Would you have enough clearance with a deeper (4.5") back space to clear the spring, inner well, and outer lip?

You hit it in the nail 15x10 and scrubs w/o air...I’m unsure about the back spacing and next year planning on putting steelies on it as the cragers been on the car since my father owned it in the 80s.

 

[Dibbons]

In the interim, I am using air shocks to level out the car on road trips. Just back from my last trip a couple of months and both shocks have lost some air while parked. Is that normal or do I have a leak? (I checked with soapy water BEFORE the trip, and repaired a couple of leaky areas already)

 

[Ranger16]

Mine seem to hold the level I set it at. I never have to add air so I'd say you have a leak.

 

[WP29440SE]

exactly as Bruzilla says , applies to me as well. every failure I've seen was operator error. I still have a pair on my charger that I drive regularly

 

[Cyty Slykers]

What are other good quality brands other than Bilsteins?

 

[threewood]

Somewhere in the 80's is a massive pile of stock mopar steel rims and rear shocks lol. Every....EVERY Mopar I have worked on has had air shocks. My 68 had them because otherwise the tires mounted on the 15x10 rims would rub on every bump.

All points already hit by others, call PST (ad on right side bar of this thread). They carry Bilsteins and will get you the correct ones. They are pricy but seem to be the best option. I am also a fan of Mopar super stock springs. No reason to put new shocks on worn out springs.

 

[PST]

Besides the Bilsteins there is the Viking Smooth Body Aluminum Double Adjustable Shocks. They are pricey but gaining in popularity because of the quality. The nice part about the Vikings is the adjustability and the multiple options for valving. We offer "Cruise" for all around street use. But also available is "Drag" and "Pro Touring"

Thanks
James

 

[5.7 hemi]

Read what I found with my uncles 70’ RR with air shocks!

http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/trunk-pan.131941/

 

[Cranky]

I know people who aired up the shocks as far as they could go and well, that for sure isn't a good idea but if they were mainly used to raise the car like an inch or two, the leaf springs were still carrying most of the load. I abused some of my cars for years with air shocks and never had a problem like your uncle's car. One car of mine was even used as a truck and carried a complete 383 in the spare tire well and the shocks were aired up all the way to level the car. It survived the 60 mile or so round trip even lol. On the other hand, I've seen cars where the shock cross member was junk just from regular shocks and that happened somewhat often on the rust belt cars. An old racer trick was to air up the right rear shock a bit crank up the left front torsion bar for preload. I used to make a non Sure Grip rear act like one by doing that. On one car, I kept a 50 lb box of nails (instead of a battery since I was working out of my trunk doing construction work and needed the room that a battery would have taken) on the right side, ran 30 psi in the right shock and 10 psi on the left and that worked very well.

 

[5.7 hemi]

Running air shocks isn’t a big deal, but that cross member has to be beefed up.

 

[Cranky]

Running air shocks isn’t a big deal, but that cross member has to be beefed up.

Never beefed up any of mine. Heck, didn't know it was a problem until the internet came around lol but it's a good idea....especially with the way I used them!!

 

[Cyty Slykers]

Well I’ve come to the conclusion to take my air shocks off and go with the Bilstein shocks and maybe some new leaf springs

 

[WP29440SE]

Never beefed up any of mine. Heck, didn't know it was a problem until the internet came around lol but it's a good idea....especially with the way I used them!!

haha , exactly! after running them on damn near every Mopar I've owned, and that has been MANY, I never even knew it was a terrible idea until I read it on the world wide web !

 

[Dibbons]

Wouldn't there have to be something like "government mandated" warnings on the box if they were sure to damage your shock cross-member?

 

[PST]

No there would not have to be any "government mandated" warnings because when used properly they will not cause damage. Damage primarily occurs when they are over inflated. Only when not using them for their sole design can damage occur.