el camino air shocks

[87ttop]

I have a 81 el camino with factory air shocks. i just noticed this after a fellow member brought this to my attention. I tried putting air in them and it went in and i heard it go back out like 3 seconds later. I was wondering if those original air shocks are the same ones from the Gabriel brand I think that it is just the line im not sure help me out guys

 

[billyjack]

The original GM air shocks were Delco, which require that a minimum pressure of about 10 psi be maintained, otherwise they will self- destruct. Hi-Jackers are a suitable replacement if you want to keep the air shocks. Just be very careful when you route the lines to avoid moving parts of the suspension, as well as the exhaust. The OE shocks had the lines in the top half of the shock, where the Gabriels have the air fittings in the moveable half, so it's more of a challenge to route the lines. You could just buy a line kit and try to repair what you have, if you can verify that it is the lines that are actually leaking, but chances are the shocks are overdue for replacement anyhow.

Bill

 

[fonz3482]

If you are going to buy air shocks for your elcamino also consider getting oversized air shocks. I bought a set of stock air shocks for my 83 monte. They were tiny and I had to fill them to high psi (150) to get a good stance out of my car. This made the ride terrible(like a rock). I took them back and just looked through the shock boxes for the same mounting setup, but in a larger, longer shock. I bought a set and only had to fill them to @ 75psi to get the same stance. This made the ride comfortable, stance nice, and left me tons of room for more adjustments. The only thing you gotta watch is when you jack the car up the rear springs can fall out due to the longer shocks. Makes it nice if you wanna change rear spring quick!