# Firestone Airbags On Excursion...



## folsom_five (Jan 10, 2008)

Has anybody recently installed Firestone Airbags on an Excursion (4x4)? I am having a big problem, and not able to get them installed correctly.
There is a lower brace that has a cutout in it, that goes around the jounce bumper pad. This allows it to snug right up to the leaf springs. Well the problem I am having is that the cutout is too narrow to make it around the jounce bumper pad, so I cannot get it close enough to the leaf springs.

I didn't expect to have to modify anything to get these to fit correctly, since I have not modifies anything on my Excursion. As far as I know I purchased to correct kit (FIP-2251) for my 4x4 Excursion.
So far I have spent about 6 hours on this and haven't even gotten one side installed (they say it's about a 3 hour job total)!

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Greg


----------



## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Wish I could help..

Prolly too late to call there hotline for advice... They prolly wont answer till tuesday.

Might try a Excursion or Ford Forum for some quick advice.

Carey


----------



## jdpm (Apr 12, 2007)

I found this post from a FORD owners website. See if this helps. Good Luck. PCM

Firestone Ride-Rite Airbag Installation Notes

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I finally installed the Firestone Ride-Rite airbags today on my '03 4x4 Excursion 6.0l diesel. Took about 3 hours with two guys, no air tools. Here's some notes for anyone wanting to install these little wonders. These only really apply to my truck as done by me, so your results may vary:

- their instructions and diagrams are great. No missing fasteners, everything was there.

- use a good jack and axle stands. Lift the truck by the frame (despite what the instructions say) to get the required clearance between the frame and leaf springs. We actually jacked it up by the pumpkin and put the axle on stands, then removed the tires, and found that we couldn't get the bags in place. Lifting up the body did the trick (we kept the axle stands under the axles at all times).

- the spring bumper stop/snubber needs to be removed from the frame, and it was near impossible to remove. They need a 15mm socket. Clean the top of the nut and threads first to remove all road grit, and use penetrating fluid for a few days before you start, if possible. This took two people: One to remove the nut from the inside of the frame and the other to hold onto the bumper with big channel-lock pliers. This was by far the hardest part.

- The lower bracket, under the air bag, is supposed to slide around the metal bumper stop. (This is the ramp-shaped thing sticking out from the side of the spacer between the axle and leaf springs. You know, the spacer that causes axle-wrap for which you need Landyot's Radius Rods.) The metal bumper stop was too wide to fit through the bracket. Not wanting to compromise the strength of the airbag bracket, I used a flap-style sanding disk on my small grinder to reach in and take maybe 1/8" off of each side of the bumper stop. The grinder just fit above the axle and between the brake lines. It's the small Makita grinder body set up for 5" disks.

- Despite lifting the body, we couldn't get the airbags in when they were pre-assembled in one piece. So we removed the lower bracket and put the two halves into position, then slid them out just enough to bolt the lower bracket onto the bottom of the airbag. Make sure you keep the brackets aligned when tightening the lower bracket onto the bag

- The diesel fuel lines (send and return) run along the inside of the driver-side frame rail, right where the lower of two bolts from the upper airbag bracket need to go. These didn't like being bent, so I bent them a very little bit towards the inside of the truck. I also cut the bolt for that hole BEFORE I put it in place, such that the end of the bolt was flush with the nut when tight. The nut then fit just behind the two fuel lines.

- I didn't drill any holes for the air lines. I just had to make the lower license plate holes a tiny bit bigger. So now the air fittings are also holding on my license plate.

- after installation is complete and before your put the tires back on, double-check everywhere for anything chafing against the bags and against the brake/fuel lines. Also imagine where things will be when the truck is lowered down. We had to bend away the passenger side brake line over the axle, the main driver-side brake line, and the fuel lines inside the frame.

Like I said, your experience may vary. But consider lifting by the frame to get the required clearance for installation. Clean and use penetrating fluid on the bumper bolts, and use two people to remove them. Check the fit of the lower bracket to see if you need to grind away the sides of the bumper stop. And be very careful with getting adequate clearance around the brake and fuel lines.


----------



## folsom_five (Jan 10, 2008)

jdpm said:


> I found this post from a FORD owners website. See if this helps. Good Luck. PCM
> 
> - The lower bracket, under the air bag, is supposed to slide around the metal bumper stop. (This is the ramp-shaped thing sticking out from the side of the spacer between the axle and leaf springs. You know, the spacer that causes axle-wrap for which you need Landyot's Radius Rods.) The metal bumper stop was too wide to fit through the bracket. Not wanting to compromise the strength of the airbag bracket, I used a flap-style sanding disk on my small grinder to reach in and take maybe 1/8" off of each side of the bumper stop. The grinder just fit above the axle and between the brake lines. It's the small Makita grinder body set up for 5" disks.


THANK YOU!
The above part about the bumper stops is exactly the problem I am having. I did start to grind away at the stops, but nowhere close to the 1/8" on each side as this guy did. I guess I will be taking it apart again, and grinding even more away. Unfortunately all I have is a small dremel tool, so it will take a while.

Again, thanks for finding that post. I was a little uncomfortable contiuing to grind away at the stops, but now I guess that is what I will be doing.

--Greg


----------



## folsom_five (Jan 10, 2008)

Well, 2 days later (~8 hrs each day) I am FINALLY DONE with my airbag installation. I cannot believe how long it took me to actully get these things installed. The directions are good, but those darn bumper stops were killing me.
After grinding the sides of them down (~1/8" each side) I was finally able to get the lower brace into place. Even after getting the brace into place, getting the nuts onto all of the bolts was very time consuming. I guess they make it so they won't accidently loosen.









They are aired up right now, will check tomorrow morning to make sure there are no leaks.

After all this, I was too tired to take any pictures. I will be getting to that tomorrow morning.

Thanks to 'jdpm' for finding the post that led me to the solution I was looking for.

--Greg


----------



## jdpm (Apr 12, 2007)

I'm really glad I could be of help. The internet is an awesome source for info. I have found many, many answers and tips on the web. 
We installed the bags on the RAM 2 weeks ago and Bilstein shocks last week. Today, we got the E-Z Fle installed on the fiver right side and plan to finish the left side tomorrow. Discovered that one of the new wheels/tires has already thrown a weight. So now have to get that rebalanced. Then we discovered a mystery leak. 
ALWAYS something! But we love our rig and camping. Again, glad the web post helped. Happy trails. PCM


----------



## folsom_five (Jan 10, 2008)

I finally uploaded the pics of the Firestone Airbags.









driver side









passenger side









filler valves

I liked the idea of putting the filler valves in the license plate. That way if I ever add an onboard compressor, I won't have extra holes to cover up somewhere else.

--Greg


----------



## Sparky642 (Jun 16, 2008)

Greg,

You will have to let us know how much they help with your setup, I am considering an Excursion for our 31RQS and wonder if this upgrade helps much.

Thanks
Frank


----------



## folsom_five (Jan 10, 2008)

Sparky642 said:


> Greg,
> 
> You will have to let us know how much they help with your setup, I am considering an Excursion for our 31RQS and wonder if this upgrade helps much.
> 
> ...


Well, I don't have any trips planned at the moment, but I sure do want to get out and test out the new setup.
I may just have to hook up the TT and drive around for a while to see how it all performs.

--Greg


----------

