The other end of the adjustable Panhard bar was installed into the bracket that is part of the upper crossmember assembly. Air Ride includes a 2-inch-tall bumpstop to prevent the centersection of the rearend housing from hitting the bed floor. An optional 1/2-inch-tall bumpstop will allow another 1-1/2-inch of drop if you want to clear the bed floor, appropriately. | 
The air springs and shocks can now be installed. Make sure to run the suspension through its entire travel to ensure there is not any interference with other components. | 
Before installing the bed, you'll need to clearance one of the bed floor braces to avoid interference with the C-notch assembly. The cut will start about 7-1/2 inches from the wheelwell and continue another 4 inches inward. |
Here is the entire rear AirBar suspension. The only thing left is to install the air system and modify the exhaust. Air Ride suggests running a single- or dual-tailpipe system over the axle on the passenger side. | 
The Compressors And Controller
The control panel features a VFD (vacuum florescent display), three one-touch ride height presets, and backlit soft-touch silicone buttons all in a nice clean box. Programming the box is just as simple as touching a few buttons. Also, another nice feature is the ride-height-on-start option, so each time the vehicle starts it will automatically go to highway ride height. | 
The LevelPro system uses a combination of air pressure sensors and ride height sensor arms to accurately monitor the 'bags. The sensors mount to the frame and the upper control arm. As the suspension cycles, it moves the sensor arm and tells the brain box where everything is at. Once you've aired the truck to ride height, you push a button on the controller to set it-kind of like a preset on your radio. From then on, it will only take one button to bring it back to the proper ride height. The control box gives you three of these preset buttons. |
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The 'bags in the system are supported by a 3-gallon tank and two 327 Thomas compressors. The 327 Thomas compressors are rated at 150 psi and flow 0.50 cfm at 150 psi. Air Ride decided to mount everything where the spare tire used to be for easy access and maintenance. | |
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The Final Word
With the system in the truck, you can see the dramatic difference in ride height. Even when the 'bags are fully aired up, the truck still sits a lot lower than stock. When the air is let out, the truck comes down and sits on the front crossmember. The Air Ride kit is definitely geared for the do-it-yourselfer, as you can tell from the story. Not only will this system allow for up and down adjustability, but it also greatly improves the handling of the truck. To make the best use of the new handling properties, you might want to invest in a set of bigger wheels with sticky rubber, much like what you see in the first photo of this article.