2001 Chevy Silverado 3500 Air Suspension Install - Hammer Time

The Air Ride Technologies upper control arm was mounted up top at the factory upper control mounts and secured with an impact and socket and open-end wrench on the opposite side.

Now for the best part of the install: We got to remove the Air Ride Technologies Shockwave airbags from the box and prepare them for installation. The supplied air fitting was inserted into the billet 'bag cup, coated in liquid Teflon tape for a tight seal and coupled with the supplied braided air line and aluminum fitting. A braided section of air line was used here because in this particular application, the Shockwave was mounted upside-down and it moved from the bottom with the control arm, making the line much more vulnerable to flexing and stretching. It is also susceptible to road debris being close to the ground, and the braided section is just more durable.

Before the Shockwave could be mounted in between the upper and lower control arms, the top mounting bracket was bolted in.

Our quality-crafted Air Ride Technologies Shockwave airbag, complete with a HAL shock absorber and billet spring cups, was installed into the upper and lower mounting points on the control arms and secured with the supplied hardware and an air ratchet and socket with an open-end wrench on the back side.

Using an impact and socket, the torsion keys were loosened up to allow Sean to remove the keys and factory torsion bars.

The torsion keys were removed and pulled down and out of the way, so the factory torsion bars could be removed. Remember when you removed the front of the torsion bars from the lower control arm in Step 32? Now they just need to be pushed out the rest of the way.

Sean pulled on the torsion bar to remove it from its mounting place.

Air Ride Technologies supplied a new transmission crossmember bar, so we supported the transmission with a jackstand and a block of wood to remove the old one.

With the new torsion bar slipped through the transmission crossmember framerail mount bracket, the bracket was mounted up to the framerail so the new crossmember could be bolted up.

The new transmission crossmember was slipped into its links on each inside lip of the frame and tightened into position.

The crossmember center bolts were secured under the transmission mount. After this was complete, it was a good time to slide the torsion bar through the back of the lower control arm, button up all the front suspension components, and reinstall the spindle, caliper, and rotor assembly.

Since the geometry of the suspension and drivetrain is altered so much with adjustable suspension, a carrier bearing relocator bracket is supplied in the Air Ride kit. The original mount was cut off with the plasma cutter, leaving a little material left on the ends to bolt the new bracket to. Before beginning this step, make sure the driveshaft is strapped up with a tie-down of some sort.

The new carrier bearing bracket was bolted up from the bottom with an impact and socket.

The Air Ride Ride Pro valves were linked together and the fittings were installed according to the Air Ride instructions, using liquid Teflon tape and an open-end wrench.

Sean chose to mount the Thomas 317 ompressors and Ride Pro valves to a steel plate he had lying around the shop. Then Sean bolted that plate to the inner framerail underneath the truck.