Budget air ride

[69_shortbox]

Hey all,
I’m looking to go air ride on my 69 swb, I’ve been doing some research and came up with these two “budget” kits
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=655935
https://azproperformance.com/products/budget-air-ride-kit-63-72-c10
Basically I’m looking to get a nice low stance, decent ride quality and not break the bank. I was hoping to get some opinions and suggestions about these kits and other budget kits. I’d just like to say that although I’d love to go for a more expensive kit with more bells and whistles I’m a college kid trying to pay for education AND build a badass truck!
Thanks for any help guys!
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[Mike C]

Lower your truck, have it drive nice, not have to work on the suspension, save money = static drop.

Air bag setups may be trendy, but in the end you will spend less and work on it less with a static drop. 4 1/2" front 7" rear on my short step. Leaf spring flip in the rear so you get what you get with that. ECE conversion spindles for discs with 2 1/2" drop and 2" drop spring.

I have a factory front sway bar with the ECE drop brackets. I pulled the overload in the rear and running a set of CalTracs. Would do it EXACTLY the same again.

[blazer2007]

I agree with Mike I have one with air and one that is static,I drive the static one more than the air one. Air is kinda cool but you can,t drive it that low unless you spend a small fortune on P.B fr. end and rear setup. Can,t beat static on a budget, lowered spindles ,cut a coil and a flip kit

[SCOTI]

Weird.... Once on the road, I haven't had to work on my air ride equipped trucks (my old 68 & my dually) any more than I've had to on my static suspension trucks (my old 74 & my 90). Air ride isn't necessary for a nice driving lowered truck but it isn't a bad choice either. If you use your truck for towing or hauling heavy stuff, an air set-up can definitely offer better performance.

69_shortbox, static dropping a truck is easier (mechanically & budget wise). I would recommend starting there.

Beyond that, you're better off spending money toward products that allow a lowered height while allowing plenty of road clearance. Dropped/modified crossmembers, enlarged wheel tubs, & raised bed floors offer a MUCH improved driving experience. It gets annoying real quick when things are rubbing, banging against, or scraping constantly. I've seen many a truck on air that when driving down the road, they were not any lower than my static dropped trucks were. They could only get lower when parked or barely creeping around a show.