S-10 Install
Blazer. First, pull the front wheel and whole
brake assembly (Caliper, rotor and dust
shield). Make sure and tie the caliper up so as
to keep from damaging the brake line. Then,
pull the front shock. there are 2 bolts in the
lower controll arm, and a nut on the top of the
shaft going through the spring pocket. remove
the 2 bolts and try to get the nut at the top of
the shock. If yours is anything like mine was,
you'll need to cut the end of the shock off
because the shaft will just spin and the nut is
usually rusted on. Next remove the spindle. If
you've never done this before, take your time.
First, remove the sway bar end link from the
arm and steering arm from the spindle Remove
the cotter pins from the ball joint castle nuts.
Loosen the castle nuts but do not remove.
Just un-thread them to the end of the bolt.
Take a good sized hammer and give the lower
controll arm a good whack. This is why you
kept the nut on...it holds the control
arm/spindle assembley together and keeps the
coil spring from launching out of the pocket.
Hit the lower arm till both ball joints have
broken loose. Put a floor jack under the lower
arm and jack it up just so there's pressure on
the arm. Remove the castle nuts, both top and
bottom. Loop a chain through the spring and
through the center of the lower control arm
and snugly bolt the loose ends together. This
will prevent the spring from coming out of the
pocket when you drop the lower control arm.
Very slowly lower the jack untill you can
remove the spindle. Remember that you have
all the force of your coil spring pushing down
on that arm. After you pull the spindle , slowly
release the jack the rest of the way. Once all
the pressure is off the spring, pull it out.
Alright.....Time to cut the spring pocket. With
most air bags, you need to trim the spring
pocket to make room for movement/expansion
of the bag. A sawzall works great for this one.
Take an awl and scribe a line into your spring
pocket. My cut was about 3" by 6". Trim more
or less, depending on your needs, but make
sure there is enough room to get your thumb
all the way around between the bag and the
pocket. After the pocket is cut, grind down all
the edges so they're smooth and free of any
burrs. I also ground down the rear of the
pocket...that lip was just a little too close for
me. Next prime the area, and either undercoat
or paint it. Install the bag/bracket setup and
run the front system through it's motions to
check for clearance and any possible rubbing
issues. Finally, I used a set of Airlift
EasyStreet Bolt in shock relocators. I'm not
going to give you lots of detail on the
install...it's pretty straight forward. The
instructions cover everything in good detail.
Just make sure the upper shock mount is as
high as possible to keep the shock from
bottoming out before you lay out.
Run the air line, making sure to keep it away
from any high heat sources or anything that
could cut it. Attatch airline, install the bag, and
reinstall your front end components.
