 Few parts are required to...  Few parts are required to make the switch to air-spring suspension. The TCI kit makes it a relatively easy swap. |
 First, take apart the old...  First, take apart the old Mustang II front suspension to get the lower A-arm out. |
 Dont forget to use a...  Dont forget to use a spring compressor when loosening the ball joint. Be safe. |
 The air spring is located...  The air spring is located on the new TCI lower A-arm with a mounting plate. |
 The retrofit kit is ready...  The retrofit kit is ready to bolt onto the Mustang II front suspension. The airbags are from Goodyear. |
 Since the air spring is not...  Since the air spring is not as long as the Mustang II spring, you will need to bolt on this supplied spacer. |
 Slide that puppy into position...  Slide that puppy into position and bolt it up. |
 The kit includes new shocks....  The kit includes new shocks. They will be located behind the lower A-arms. A new upper shock mount is included with the kit. |
 Heres another view of...  Heres another view of the upper shock mount. |
 Heres an important step....  Heres an important step. A bumpstop (included with the kit) must be installed to prevent the suspension from bottoming out in the event of total air loss. |
 Hook up the rest of the suspension,...  Hook up the rest of the suspension, and youre ready to run the air lines. |
 For the rear suspension on...  For the rear suspension on this F-100, we went with one of TCIs four-link suspension systems and the air-spring retrofit kit. This is nice stuff. |
 The front four-link bar mounts...  The front four-link bar mounts line up with existing holes in the frame, so you cant botch it. |
 Some of the holes need to...  Some of the holes need to be enlarged. |
 This piece is a simple ...  This piece is a simple bolt-on. |
 The bars are attached using...  The bars are attached using Grade-8 hardware. |
 Here were measuring...  Here were measuring to make sure the bars are all the correct length. |
 The four-link bars attach...  The four-link bars attach to a bracket thats welded to the rearend. Here were installing the shock mount to this bracket. |
 The air spring will be mounted...  The air spring will be mounted to this plate. We had to trim just a little to make it fit our 9-inch rearend correctly. |
 The TCI air-spring kit is...  The TCI air-spring kit is supplied with a crossmember that is used as a shock mount. |
 The crossmember butts up against...  The crossmember butts up against the frame boxing plate. Youll have to make your own plate. |
 Here were attaching...  Here were attaching the air spring to the upper spring mount. |
 We marked the location of...  We marked the location of the air spring on the rearend. |
 The upper air-spring mount...  The upper air-spring mount is welded to the frame boxing plate. |
 When you use a four-link system,...  When you use a four-link system, you need to control side-to-side movement with a Panhard bar. TCI supplies this with its kit. One end attaches to the rearend with this bolt-on bracket. |
 The other end of the Panhard...  The other end of the Panhard bar is attached with a bracket thats welded to the boxing plate on the frame. Now this truck is ready for the air plumbing, and well be cruising real soon. |
Air springs have become a real hit in the classic truck world. The ease of ride-height adjustability and the cushy ride have led to the demand for air-spring suspension. Total Cost Involved Engineering is a leader in street-rod suspension, and the company has recognized the growth in demand for air springs. As a result, TCI has developed a retrofit kit for F-100 pickups that already have a Mustang II front suspension installed. Thats right, just because youve already installed a fancy suspension doesnt mean you have to miss the air-spring boat. In addition, TCI has an air-spring rear suspension that works in harmony with the companys four-link system. Well take a look at both in this article. We enlisted the aid of Hot Rods & Custom Stuff to install the kits.