PROJECT ARTEMIS

A Step-by-Step Guide to Adding Air Suspension on ’88-’98 GMT400 Chevy Trucks

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY CHRIS HAMILTON

IN the first-ever OBS Builder’s Guide, (March ’20) we focused our attention on swapping out the factory installed 4.3-liter V-6 engine for a Blueprint Engines 383c.i. stroker motor. Additionally, we added an American Powertrain transmission, along with a full Ridetech coilover suspension system and 22-inch American Racing wheels. It was an impressive truck that was built right from Day 1 and driven hard like it was intended.

So now, we’re going to turn our attention to the OBS Builder’s Guide V2 donor truck, a 1997 GMC Sierra dubbed Project Artemis that’s sporting a 5.7-liter V-8 with the third door option and only 125K original miles.

She’s a completely clean—and 100% stock—extended cab OBS GMC that’s just begging for a new life, and we have a goal to give her one.

For this build, we will focus on adjustable suspension and bolt-on options for bagging your ’88-’98 OBS truck. Using a very well-engineered Ridetech air-ride suspension along with Ridetech’s patented air management system, we will simply cut off the old suspension mounts and bolt this complete system to the factory frame rails. No welding, no fabricating and, best of all, no cutting the bed!

With a new suspension in place, the factory wheels and tires will kill the new look of the truck. We didn’t want to make this truck unrelatable to the average consumer, so we went with an extremely affordable wheel from U.S Mags called the Bullet, and wow, they are nice! Toyo Proxes STIII tires will surround the rims and a new set of EBC Brakes will tuck nicely behind them. Once the suspension is complete, we will show you guys a super cool new product from BedWood and Parts called a retroliner. Yes, you can now put a wood bed floor in your OBC truck, too!

For this new suspension special, we will be working with the amazing crew SaltWorks Fab in Myakka City, Florida.

They are experts at metal fabrication and suspension setups, and the work they put out is second to none.

Producing Concours d’Elegance builds to compete at Pebble Beach is the daily grind for this team, so dropping the welders and bagging our OBS will be a cake walk for Thom Ophof and company.

Before we jump into the tech, we wanted to lay out the plan, show you the parts and ideally inspire you to follow along on your own OBS.