I recently put Trail Gear 3" lift springs (SUA), Doetsch shocks, and 1" shackles on my Samurai camper.  The vehicle weighs 2450lbs on the truck scales as is, causing the back end to sag a couple in inches.  I kicked around the idea of "add-a-leaf's", but didn't want the unpredictable ride quality and harshness, so today I mounted some Air Lift air bags without too much hassle.  The result is an evened out vehicle with smooth (for a Samurai) suspension that is totally adjustable based on how much weight I'm hauling (food, water, kid, wife, etc).

Before air bags.


After air bags and 2.5" of lift added.


The air bags are rated from 10-100psi.  It took 40psi to lift it to where it is now, leaving plenty of range for higher psi for heavier loads.

I bolted and welded the upper mount right below the metal bump stop on the stock Samurai frame.  The lower support is bolted around the axle housing. 


Not sure if this is practical outside of what I'm using it for, but for this little camper, it works great.

That's pretty cool.  What does the inside of the camper look like?

Please post pics of your interior, and awesome idea with bags! I recommend this goes to the DIY section and do a build thread.

Zak

Please post pics of your interior, and awesome idea with bags! I recommend this goes to the DIY section and do a build thread.

Zak

I second that.

Where Did You get the air bags? who makes them and how much were they?    Thanks'.

Heck of an idea, good job.

How close to the tire is the upper bag mount? A little hard to tell form the picture and you sure don't want to cut a tire when in the middle of no where.

Where Did You get the air bags? who makes them and how much were they?    Thanks'.

I bought them from a local 4x4 suspension shop in SLC.  They are Air Lift's, not sure of the specific model number.  Cost was $200

I bought local so I can check out all the different mounting options and find something that would have minimal fab work.  Really though, any airbag for "light duty" would work.  No matter how you do it, you're going to need to do some fab work because as far as I know, nobody makes a specific kit for a Samurai.

The tire clearance is adequate even with 18psi and the tire stuffed on a rock.  Put about 200 off-road miles on it a couple weeks ago.  No issues.


[img]http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy236/trackheadmoto/2011-10-01_11-38-35_931.jpg/img]

That thing is fricken awesome, looks like an almost perfect hunting/ camping/ survival vehicle.

A Couple of quick questions........
  1st: What is your top made of?
  2nd: Is it "Top Heavy"?
  3rd: Does your water temp stay manageable with the spare tire in front of the grill?

CAPT