I know that all 68-72 El Camino's came from GM with air shocks in the rear.
I also know that there is no difference between a 12 bolt in a 1969 El Camino and the 12 bolt in a 1969 SS 2 door hardtop.
There is no reason why you can't run air shocks on the rear of any Chevelle.
I suspect that the reason why some have had them fail is because the rubber bushings were wasted or they had weak mounts.
(put a bolt in a vise and smack it with a hammer. It will bend or break. Now put the same bolt in a vise with a rubber bushing over it and smack it with a hammer.)
I doubt you could hit it the same and have it break ! The lesson here.....If the bushings on the air shocks get old/brittle or smashed down, then they cannot absorb the shock.
I have air shocks on my 69 S/W, 69 El Camino, and my 2 door hardtop has had them for 15+ years. No problems ever.
They should not be inflated past the recommended maximum pressure, and this could be another reason for the failures spoke of here. They also have a minimum pressure of around 20-25 lbs. I usually run mine at 40-80 lbs (different for each car), to achieve the desired ride height.
Come to think of it, all of the air shock sets that I have bought in the recent past have come with new studs for the lower mount. Now I can see if you had old studs there, that they may be more prone to fail also. Add to that, 120+ lbs pressure and a full load of people and then the speed bump.....yeah....you get the picture !
Just buy the air shocks. They will give you a stiffer ride, but you can tailor them to the load.
Nate
Current collection:
1. 1969 Chevelle S/W SS 396/350 hp, TH400, 12 bolt 3:31 Posi, PS, PDB, AC, Dual action PW gate, Blue/Blk int (car is built as the factory would have made it. SS emblems, hood, wheels, paint scheme, etc, etc. Engine compartment looks factory). Interior not done, converting to black with buckets/console, tilt, tach, etc.
2. 1969 Chevelle Malibu. 2 dr hdtp. All #'s match. L48 350/300, TH350, 12 bolt 2:56, PS, PDB, AC, Tilt, Butternut ext/ Parchment int. (193,000 mi. never apart !) Owned since Nov, 1985.
3. 1969 Chevelle Malibu Convertible. Frost Lime/Blk int 350 TH350 10 bolt PS PDB AC Buckets/console, Power top, 87,000 orig mi.
4. 1969 El Camino SS396. Cortez silver ext/Blk int, buckets, PS, PDB, PW, No-AC, TH400 12 bolt 3:31
5. 1969 Nova SS. L48 350/300, M20, 3:31 12 bolt Posi, Red int/Garnet Red ext., Buckets, PS, PDB, no-AC, no console, 88,000 orig mi.
6. 1970 Camaro RS. (Z/22) all #'s match, 350/TH350, PS, PDB, AC, Shadow gray ext / blk int, Orig AM/FM
[This message has been edited by SS3964N8 (edited 12-18-2001).]
