LittleFish
Active Member
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2021
- Threads
- 6
- Messages
- 43
- Reaction score
- 41
- Location
- Salish Sea Coast
- Vehicle(s)
- 2021 Gladiator and a lot of other toys...
- Occupation
- Realtor
- Thread starter
- #1
I've had Air Lift 1000's on my last 3 trucks and have been very happy with them. I looked through the Forum, YouTube, etc. and installation reviews were mixed... Squeeze and stuff or disconnect the rear shocks and drop the springs. Having done the squeeze and stuff method a few times in the past, I opted to undo the bolts and drop the rear end this time around. Seriously people, drop the rear end, it made life so much easier to ensure a leakfree installation. Total install time was a little over an hour.
The hardest part of this install was deciding where to place the air fill valve. I was tempted to place it behind the gas filler cap as this would hide any eventual rust on the nuts/washers that hold the valve in place. My concern with that was if someone other than me went to fill them using a metal air nozzle and hit the paint... I'd lose my mind. Since I use a stand on bike pump, this location was too high for my pump hose to reach. So that location didn't really work very well for me. I decided to drill through the rear bumper at the lower licence plate bolt hole (Note, I also had to slightly enlarge the hole in the plate itself). The bumper has a larger molded in, round pocket directly behind this spot and the nut on the backside of the valve slips right inside it. I opted to join the lines and just run 1 valve but a person could very easily drill out the other side and run 2 valves. When the cap is installed, you'd really need to be paying attention to see the valve. The bolts that hold the valve (that will rust) are covered by the license plate so you'll never see them. The mounting position is low enough that my bike pump can reach it and given the valve location, it'll never catch anything (clothing, branches, etc.)
Hope this gives members another viable option for a clean installation location.
I've since swapped out the side steps (seeing the mounting bolts/holes on the pinch weld drove me to distraction) in favour of the factory plastic side steps. Yes, I know my jack stands are too short... lol
The hardest part of this install was deciding where to place the air fill valve. I was tempted to place it behind the gas filler cap as this would hide any eventual rust on the nuts/washers that hold the valve in place. My concern with that was if someone other than me went to fill them using a metal air nozzle and hit the paint... I'd lose my mind. Since I use a stand on bike pump, this location was too high for my pump hose to reach. So that location didn't really work very well for me. I decided to drill through the rear bumper at the lower licence plate bolt hole (Note, I also had to slightly enlarge the hole in the plate itself). The bumper has a larger molded in, round pocket directly behind this spot and the nut on the backside of the valve slips right inside it. I opted to join the lines and just run 1 valve but a person could very easily drill out the other side and run 2 valves. When the cap is installed, you'd really need to be paying attention to see the valve. The bolts that hold the valve (that will rust) are covered by the license plate so you'll never see them. The mounting position is low enough that my bike pump can reach it and given the valve location, it'll never catch anything (clothing, branches, etc.)
Hope this gives members another viable option for a clean installation location.
I've since swapped out the side steps (seeing the mounting bolts/holes on the pinch weld drove me to distraction) in favour of the factory plastic side steps. Yes, I know my jack stands are too short... lol
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