After making the decision to install air suspension, the next decision you're going to have to make is how and where to install the controls. This installation was being done on my first custom car and I wanted to be as involved with the installation and the fabrication as possible. Since I'm going for an updated Bellflower custom look with my ride, I didn't want the typical black metal panel hanging down from the dash. I found the best examples of airbag gauges/ switch mounting in the mini-truck world, which goes to show you should be open-minded when customizing your car.
I decided on the Dakota Digital ride-height controller DHC 2000. This is a new system from Dakota Digital that packs a lot of features in one small control panel. From this panel you can access a manual setting for goofing around, a digital readout of all functions including individual bag air pressure, as well as three set ride-height positions that are continuously checked and adjusted by the included computer. So the Dakota Digital system keeps the car level, no matter how many people you have in the car or how much luggage you pack in the trunk. This is a great feature for obvious reasons.
I started by sitting in the car and figuring out the most comfortable position to put the control panel.
I called Dakota Digital and talked with a tech support rep before ordering. He was great, he knew the product inside and out, and he even pulled some strings to special order a green screen for me so the readout wouldn't look out of place with my stock green dash lighting.
After spending some time with friends who have their rides 'bagged, I could tell I was going to want to hit the switches enough that hiding them in the glovebox or somewhere out of reach was definitely not the answer. Luckily, the DHC 2000 is compact and aesthetically pleasing, so I wasn't worried about hiding it. The lower portion of my dash sticks out just enough that it's close at hand, so I decided to build a pod to mount the control panel there.
This decision necessitated building a custom switch box from fiberglass. But remember the process I'm using could also make custom gauge pods, armrests, you name it! Your imagination is really all that limits the use of fiberglass.
My first stop was my local florist. No, I didn't stop to get pre-apology flowers for messing up the house. I stopped in to get a product florists use called Oasis. It's that green squishy stuff they use to arrange flowers. While it's great for holding up flowers, it's also really easy to shape and contour.
This was only my second attempt at building a piece like this. It was amazingly easy so there's really no excuse to have ugly gauge panels, or anything else ugly for that matter, in your car's interior. I think I'll make an underdash panel for air-conditioning ducts next!
