Air Suspension To Classic Mcpherson Set Up. Thoughts?

[ED.]

The 1996 needs ball joints BAD. Quotefor upper and lower came out at $1300. Then on eBay tonight I came across this:eBay

I would have to look prices on the ball joints but I personally would put these on the car and do ball joints then and rid the car of the air bags. With 223k miles I think they are a wee bit tired anyway.

I've also noticed the lights dimming when you hit on or off the brakes. Voltage regulator?

Thanks. Ed.

[LSPaul]

Ed:

If you're at all handy turning wrenches, the front ball joints aren't that bad a job. I've done all of the fronts (new wishbones/uppers and lowers) at home.

Arnott Industries' upper wishbones/ball joints are a very good deal for ~$200/pair, and there's plenty of OE and aftermarket sources for the lowers. You'll need to remove the front air struts to get the wishbones in and out, but it IS a pretty straightforward job. Be sure to have the front end alignment checked/reset afterwards.

I did the whole thing over a couple different sessions and spent probably less than three hours doing it all. No major special tools, and there's plenty of instruction both on this forum and on others.

As for air versus conventional, I have no personal experiences making the change, but I'd say if your air system's working well, I'd stay with the air ride setup. I suspect it'll be a matter of taste to find the right spring rate and shock setup for the car.

As for the lights dimming, check the electrical grounds, clean and retighten them. While you have the grounds apart, a product like DeOxIt (available at an electric/electronic parts supplier or from http://www.caig.com would be a good thing to spray on those connections (cleans/lubricates/improves connections).

Best,

Paul

The 1996 needs ball joints BAD. Quotefor upper and lower came out at $1300. Then on eBay tonight I came across this:eBay

I would have to look prices on the ball joints but I personally would put these on the car and do ball joints then and rid the car of the air bags. With 223k miles I think they are a wee bit tired anyway.

I've also noticed the lights dimming when you hit on or off the brakes. Voltage regulator?

Thanks. Ed.