The old load leveler air shocks, for instance for an ElCamino, usually died from too low air pressure, or no air pressure, resulting in the fabric rubbing against fabric and metal. The bags rarely died and the shafts rarely broke when properly inflated, leading me to think they probably are reliable enough for a little used 'T'. As for strength, they were rated in the 1100 lbs per pair range, which seems pretty close to what is needed for the back of a 'T' bucket. Sure, the shock's rod isn't real big, and it uses standard shock mounts, but apparently those worked OK for 1100 lbs for many miles. As for the shocking/valving charictoristics, I was thinking that the rear end of an ElCamino wouldn't have really stiff shocks to start with, so maybe they'd be OK that way, if perhaps a little on the stiff side, But mounted at an angle, maybe the shocking effect would not be all that bad. Has anyone tried them and have real world experience?
Given all that, I may be WAY off base, but I'd think the ride would not be that bad, they can obviously handle the weight without breakage for some time, and since they'd be aired up to at least some minumum all the time, bag rubbing would not be an issue, and they are quite inexpensive. (They are even available for lighter cars than the example ElCamino.) Shoot me down...
(Oh, and since they are probably Gabriel or Monroe, the valving is usually a peice of crap to start with anyway. HA!)
It might work, but I suspect the ride would be terrible. The valves in most air shocks will be way too stiff for a bucket.
Also, I would be concerned about the construction of the shocks when used for primary support, since they're only intended to supply extra load capacity. Years ago, when air shocks were used to "jack up" the rear of cars to put on wide tires, I saw numerous shocks come apart from the constant pounding.
Air bags work well (I have them on my car) and are designed for use as a primary spring. You have the advantage of using shocks more suited to the weight of a light car.
Mike
