If you look through the maze of CCE No. 8 hydraulic hoses that make up the air system plumbing, you'll notice that the front suspension is pretty basic. The Slam Specialties XS-7 600-psi airbag is installed in typical fashion, between the Air Ride Technologies upper control arms and Chassis Tech lower control arms. It's a mismatched combo but, according to Matt, provides more travel than if the truck was running the same arms top and bottom. This truck also runs Chassis Tech 3-inch lift spindles, rather than lowering spindles, to aid in keeping the truck from bottoming out on the ground when hopping. We assumed the arms would pivot on spherical bearings rather than factory ball joints because of the amount of stress put on them as the suspension reaches maximum travel, but that was not the case here. Note the limiting chains that keep the suspension from over-extending the 'bag and ball joint.
The rear suspension pivots on Johnny Joints or spherical bearings, which are superior in construction to the average urethane bushing. Limiting chains are also employed like the front suspension, to limit travel.
The rear 'bags enjoy a mechanical advantage that the front ones do not have because they are mounted on longer bars, closer to the pivot point, which results in the rear having more up travel than the front.
Pop open the hood of the air dancer and you won't find the factory four-banger. It was ripped out, in favor of an 8-gallon front-mounted reserve air tank and eight prototype 1/2-inch orifice 500-psi Air Lift solenoid valves. All eight of these valves are used just for the front pair of airbags. Each 'bag has two air inlet ports, and each port receives two valves: one that allows the air to enter the 'bag from the line, and the other that evacuates the air from the 'bag and the line. The truck did have a motor until the end of the 2005 season, when the force of repeated hops kept it from running reliably.
Like many lowered trucks, the rear framerails have been treated to an 8-inch step notch, which allows the axle to travel upward several inches before it bottoms out. Matt fabricated his own axle out of 3-inch-diameter, 1/4-inch wall tubing and fitted it with late-model Chevy Cavalier hub and bearing assemblies. Matt went with the Cavalier parts because he could bolt these hubs on without using the stock S-10 axles.
The air supply system employs two more 8-gallon reserve tanks for the rear suspension and, of course, eight more solenoid valves. These are 1/2-inch 300-psi rated Air Lift valves. Look close at the top of the tanks, and you'll see two ball valves and quick-disconnect fittings. Since no air compressors are used, the quick-disconnect fittings will be attached to long leader hoses that run to nitrogen-filled cylinders that will be located nearby, outside of the truck. The ball valves are used to shut off the air supply.