[MattPSU]

So I'm finally ready to start my build after 10 months of saving and planning. I know it's been said on here thousands of times but the knowledge that I've gained from this board is unbelievably valuable. Without spending a dime, I've been able to review all of the different possibilities.

I've decided to do a mild air suspension. I wanted to do an air suspension on my S-10 when I was younger, but at the time, it wouldn't pass the state inspection in PA. Now I live in South Carolina and there's basically no rules. Plus, my wife said to build what I wanted! It'll cost twice or more what a static drop would have cost, but it's what I wanted.

I spoke with Travis at Pro Performance who's been a huge help. Since they sell both Ride Tech and Porterbuilt, I looked to him for his input on the various options and decided to go with Porterbuilt Stage One kits in both the front and back. They'll give me the option to add a notch and drop spindles if I want to go lower and I felt that I'll get more for the money going that way.

I also chose to move the tank to under the bed with one of Boyd Welding's tanks which I got from Travis as well. He had one that a customer didn't want because of some minor scratches. I figured it's going under the bed, who cares? I've also managed to scratch the crap out of it mocking it up!

I planned on pulling off the bed this fall and working on the rear suspension and the fuel tank. Once the back half is finished, I'll pull apart the front and get the suspension taken care of before moving onto the body. While I have things apart, I'm planning on cleaning up and painting the frame & suspension components. I looked at POR 15 and some other similar products, and decided to go with Master Series Coatings. I liked their product and the price seemed better than POR 15.

With the basic plan in place, I placed an order with Travis a couple weeks ago, and with Master Series last week. Everything started to arrive last week - it was like Christmas in September!

This weekend I decided to pull the bed with the help of my neighbor and start the tear down. I was really surprised at how well things came apart. I know the PO had the bed off recently, but the other suspension components were never touched to the best of my knowledge. I had to cut one bolt for the bumper, and I broke both the upper bolts on the springs. Other than that, the other bolts for the springs and shocks all came out with just some elbow grease. I forgot how much of a workout this would be which is part of my plan. Hopefully it'll be healthier for me to be wrenching in the garage rather than eating chips on the couch while watching TV.

I mocked up the tank which fits perfectly. I'm concerned about the fuel lines being close to the exhaust. The fuel outlet on the tank it within about 3 inches of the exhaust which I think is too close. Any input/suggestions would be appreciated. I plan on replacing the exhaust at some point, and I'm trying to decide if I want to pull it off now or not. I'll probably be easier to work around without it under there, so it'll probably go.

Needless to say, it's good to get started. I took some before photos so that I can see the difference between stock, w/Porterbuilt stage one aired up and aired down. There were no photos like that on the site that I could find, so I figured I'd pay it forward once I'm done.

- Matt