800-928-1984
Cart
Let’s say you walk in the front door here at the shop and ask to buy an air suspension system. We ask you a series of questions, and then you respond with, “OK, but how long is it going to take to install?”
Well, that’s a great question, but the time varies wildly depending on what you’re doing and who’s doing it. So let’s play out a few hypotheticals and see how it goes.
All Bolt-In Setup; Manual Valves; Bottle and Regulator
This is going to be the first, and arguably the most basic option. We’re talking about a fully bolt-in setup: struts, shocks, maybe air bags that don’t require any cutting to install. This kit is 100% bolt in. So for the suspension alone, you’re probably looking at a day for a professional, or maybe a few hours. For an amateur, possibly a weekend, depending on how many things break (don’t worry, the pros do that, too).
Then there’s the plumbing. This setup doesn’t use a tank or compressor, and instead has a pressurized bottle and regulator. This isn’t the best or cheapest way to go, but it used to be a thing, and it saves you on wiring. You do have to plumb the whole vehicle with air line though, so this is about the same length of time for a professional as the other part, and the same applies for an amateur.
All tolled, this is maybe a two-day job for a professional, and at least four days, maybe a solid week for an amateur.
Bolt-in Setup with Minimal Cutting or Modifications; Manual Valves, Tank and One Compressor
Again, this all varies a ton based on the car, but let’s say we’ve got a vehicle where you have to do some clearancing or fabrication for the air bags and/or shocks. Then we’ll add to the plumbing and wiring to the mix for the compressor, and it’s still got manual valves. Think of a kit like this one, for example.
This would set us back maybe 2–5 days for us to do at a professional shop. The suspension would be done in a day, and the plumbing and wiring could take less time as well. But we’d also fab up some brackets for the tank or maybe swap out the spindles, so keep that in mind. For an amateur, this is an easy week-long job. You may also need to repair/replace the brakes or go to dropped spindles, plus those control arm ball joints can be a pain to sort out, particularly when you’re working in a driveway.
Bolt-in Suspension with Accuair/AirLift Digital Height Management
A good example here is a 1958 Impala that we built over on YouTube. We used a kit similar to this for the suspension, and the management portion was an Accuair e-Level+ setup with dual compressors and all that. We filmed most of the build, and it took us at least three weeks to knock out. Now we also did a lot of custom work there, including a special box for the air management and so on, but still, roughly three weeks, give or take.
If you’re an amateur, something like this might take you months. We have a buddy who knows air suspension pretty well, but was a little bit rusty on the whole process. It took him a few months to bag his car, and while he did it around his work schedule and so on, it still was a very long time.
What About You?
All of these examples are pretty general because there are so many variables. If you’re adding a bridge notch, custom crossmembers or any number of other things to the mix it’s going to take you (or us) longer to accomplish.
Don’t let this deter you. If you want to bag your ride, talk to us and we’ll help you sort it out. The process does take time, but the end result is very much worth it. We know you’ll love it.
