jeepnhusa

Please forgive me if I haven't done a proper SEARCH to find my answer, I tried but no joy.

I have a 1970 VC with 350 engine, and 200R4 transmission.

I think I want to put air bags / Air Lift type, helper springs inside my rear coils. My intention is :
1) since I have an open differential, to help traction via tailoring weight bias to the traction point

2) improve ride & load capacity, the literature suggests +1000 lbs

After trying to self help, I called Air Lift Support for assistance on fitment. I spoke with their staff and NO JOY. Their fitment charts specifically exclude VC. WHY?

I cant believe I am / my request is unique, Station wagon want to carry/tow more stuff, better.

Can anyone assist: Is there anything I am missing?
what is the fitment / part number I need?
any foreseeable installation / use obstacles?

Thanks for your time and responses.

lemoldsnut

I put air lift bags in my 67 442 rear springs and man was that worth the little it costs. drastically improved handling and traction. I love them. I am sure the VC springs are taller than the non-wagon springs. Years ago we looked for wagon springs to lift the back of the cars to get bigger tires on them. Check to see if they make them for el caminos. They are taller springs too. Might be a hair shorter but should work ok.

jeepnhusa

Thank you @lemoldsnut, for the quick reply. RE: your experience, do you recall how you handled the installation of the schrader valve (black rubber?) protector block that goes at the fill end of the bag? Did the coil have to come out?

Vistabrat72

Hi! I have had the Air-Lift air bags in my rear coils for many years on my '72 Vista Cruiser. I wish I could find the box or part number to assist you, If I can I will add to the thread. I have 2 Schrader valves on mine (actually holding the licence plate frame/plate to the car for a nice blend in. In other one, one bag is independent from the other. One can adjust pressures, but with everyday driving and an Anti-Spin differential this may be a moot point. The big question, can you stuff them in while the springs are on the car? Yes you can! But it can be a swear job! Better to set the car safely on jack stands, and allow enough lift so you can lower the axle in a controlled and safe manner once you remove the lower shock mount bolts. The axle will really drop, supported of course on a floor jack by the pumpkin. Pay attention to the flexible brake hose too as you lower! Once the springs are out, it is a tedious job of stuffing the air bags into the springs, tire mounting spoons or other DULL long and strong tools are best to help with the stuffing in of the bags to the springs!

Vistabrat72

Sometimes it pay to be a pack rat, if only for sacred Oldsmobile parts/additions! Found the box! The ones use on my 1972 Vista Cruiser AKA 'Sammy' are part number 60733. The kt came with all needed, and includes heat shields which I highly recommend to put on to keep exhaust pipe heat away from the bags.

jeepnhusa

Thank you @vistabrat72!
Pack-Rats UNITE! Yeah for us.
I appreciate the part number and am especially impressed (and respect) your ability to RETRIEVE it so quickly.
Any idea why Air-Lift would specifically exclude VC, especially when 1) it is on the shelf, and 2) us Station Wagon guys would need them for utility and performance?!
Also as @lemoldsnut mentioned, and I heard elsewhere, I wonder if the VC /wagon springs are LONGER: vis-a vi (...'el caminos. They are taller springs ...)
Anyway, thanks again.

Vistabrat72

jeepnhusa I am honestly not sure about the height difference, but the RATE difference, meaning how much they will compress under a given load, is different I am sure, given the fact a Vista Cruiser is rear end heavy, at least mine is, so a stronger spring rate would be specified. Who knows? Perhaps lemoldsnut is onto something about height, but this has not affected my use it seems. Maybe Airlift is afraid us wagon guys may really put the bags to work and have blow outs. I only know of one person who had a blowout on a bag, and that was because he did not use the heat shields. Oh! You are welcome, I generally just have to stop and dig into my memory where a box with parts are, and it came back to me quickly, so there we are! Please let us know of your progress on this project!

Vistabrat72

Partial picture of the air bags when we were in the midst of adjusting the exhaust system for proper fit as can be seen. Note the heat shields affixed to the pipes on each side!

Greg Rogers

Most of the old companies we remember to be accommodating to our needs no longer are. They have changed. No they haven't ! They are still out to serve the largest audience. In 1975 if you asked about putting Air Lift bags on your 1972 Vista Cruiser, they would be happy to help you. Now they are interested in 2012 F 150's and the like. I once needed a crossover pipe for my '70 Vista Cruiser. I checked the Walker exhaust site and it didn't go back that far. So I checked a crossover for a 1985 Olds 88 w/ a 350 on their site. I then emailed them and asked if that part # would work. They did reply,they said it would not work.!! I then found a old Walker book for a 70 Vista and what part # do you think it listed for my application? Yep you guessed it!!

jeepnhusa

Boy isn't that the truth, loss of service since -- apparently 'they have all the business they want or can handle'
I spent 15 (real) minutes of my time, on hold, waiting for the first person to answer,
I started as #3 in line, on a Tuesday, in the middle of the afternoon.
I pressed about WHY the specific VC exclusion specifically, = No Joy, only said 'measure and they might match up a collection of pieces, - no Kit'
I suspect that similar to what @GregRogers said:
' I then found a old Walker book for a 70 Vista and what part # do you think it listed for my application? Yep you guessed it!!'

I'm sure they HAD the information, previously, but didn't carry it forward
> no excuse on this cheap information age<
They need more competition.
I even tried Firestone RideRite, they didn't even list Oldsmobile!

jeepnhusa

I am new to being active on web boards, I tried to self-help with SEARCH and proper OP question placement (> Vehicle Lineup > Large Oldsmobiles > Vista Cruiser & Wagons) and question (Suspension Air Spring air bag) so that the thread would to SEARCHABLE and useful to others in the future.
however:
I would appreciate some coaching & feed back:
- I noticed a lot of VC chatter on main HOME page, should I have posted my OP there?
-Does activity here 'bump' this thread to the top of some list such as the general "NEW POSTS"?
- My OP is such a basic topic, I can't believe this hasn't already been thoroughly discussed. Is there a better path I, or the next guy with a similar issue should take, in order to make better use of the collective knowledge here?

VC455

The search function on most auto sites is broken, best not to even try.

Instead go to a real search engine of your choice and type, for example:

site:classicoldsmobile.com "air bags" "vista cruiser"

When I tried that in Google, I had to correct it to specify that I really wanted "air bags" instead of "airbags". But then I got 85 hits from this site to choose from.

Yes, you would call that thorough discussion.

joe_padavano

Because they haven't bothered to incorporate models in their catalog that are not common these days. Unless it's a Camaro or Mustang, most vendors really don't spend a lot of time marketing parts for cars that are a half century old. Just get whatever bag fits the same year Chevelle wagon and don't lose any sleep over this.

TripDeuces

On my old 1970 Cutlass S I used Air Lift bags and the springs were from a Buick wagon. Ride height was perfect and no difference in height of the spring (at least from what I remember).
I think what Joe said is the correct answer. Young counter guys of today have no clue about the old school stuff and wouldn't know where to begin anyway.
Get the bags for a 70 Cutlass and you'll be fine. If you're interested in used bags I still have them but you'd have to fabricate a set of lines for them.
To address your question about whether to use one or two lines the answer I would give is the two line method is for a drag car where you would set up different pressures in each bag to help traction and make the car launch straight. If your only concern is for added load then the single line would be fine.

Summit sells the hose kit for $24

lemoldsnut

I did use the heat shields that came with the kit. Kind of a pain but they worked. I ran the hoses along the frame and made sure to clear the exhaust well. Put the valve in the hole on the back bumper behind the license plate. Worked awesome.