In the world of custom trucks, our watercooler talk typically involves a beer and a napkin with drawings all over it. Bouncing ideas back and forth with words like "I wonder if" and "what if we tried this", more trucks have been built in garages and atop shop lifts because someone thought an idea could be cool. When the crew at HOT Motorsports was talking with truck builder Mike Ungles and truck owner Nica Tirla about his new '08 Chevy Silverado, the idea of 'bagging it the easy way came up and then stuck. What is the easy way to 'bag a truck anyway? Contacting KP Components, front Slam Specialties airbags were ordered with the appropriate mounting buckets, as was the popular rear KP cantilever six-link with Watts link setup. Also on the order list was a weld-in step notch, rear Slam Specialties airbags, and Chris Alston Varishocks. Wanting to ensure the frontend did lay low, a pair of Ground Force 2-inch drop spindles were also to be installed.
With the parts in hand and the truck up on the lift, HOT Motorsports' Brian Doyen and Joe Conduff got crackin' on the suspension and in two days had the Chevy layin' low. This truck was to be driven often, and you may be surprised with the choice for an airbag setup, but with the engineering and reliability in the KP Components parts, the decision to cut it up was a no-brainer. Each part installed on this suspension is available off-the-shelf and besides some required welding, it was mostly a bolt-on affair. Capping off the airbag install, a set of Fesler Built three-piece wheels were added, but not before they were mounted inside Yokohama Parada SpecX tires. Combining stunning good-looks and better traction, the wheel and tire combo was a great addition to the truck. Take a look at just how easy the install was and if you're in need of an airbag system, give KP Components a call.
 Starting things off, the guys...  Starting things off, the guys at HOT Motorsports, in Santa Ana, California, began by removing the necessary factory suspension pieces including: the shock/coilover assembly, brake hardware, and spindle. |  Fresh out of the KP Components...  Fresh out of the KP Components box, the Slam Specialties airbag received the upper and lower mounting cups. |  A pretty cool setup, the bottom...  A pretty cool setup, the bottom mount for the airbag actually uses the factory shock mounting points. The only custom work that was necessary required drilling the factory holes larger to accommodate a bigger and stronger bolt. |
 Brian Doyen then welded in...  Brian Doyen then welded in the KP upper tab. This tab was used to secure the upper `bag cup to the frame. |  With the tab ready to lock...  With the tab ready to lock in the upper `bag cup, Brian installed the airbag fitting and then locked in the air line. |  The air line was then ran...  The air line was then ran through the upper shock mount and the airbag assembly was secured. |