monkey92

iTrader: (3)

looks clean! will you leaving the center piece on as is or will you install some hinges on them?

CelsiorFin

Take lots of pics when do that I want to see what I have to face at some point

LS430Z32TT

Looks great. I like the carpeted trunk look much better than the wood, but that's just my opinion.

Ricklin

You could also consider flooring material like laminate and glue it to your plywood. 1 box would be more than enough.
To mount your components for the air system be sure to use Tee nuts. It's a threaded insert that looks like a top hat, and has little spikes to engage the wood. Pre-drill the hole and install the tee nut from the back side. I would use stainless hardware just in case things get damp in the trunk. Make sure to use lockwashers on the machine screws that hold the components. Both Lowes and Hone Dopey sell Tee nuts.

onthelo

Its looking good. I like the OEM carpet ontop too and a nice solid mounting surface underneath but the wood looks good too maybe with a dark stain. Keep us updated!

onthelo

This is how I built all of mine with t-nuts. They work great and make it much easier to replace components when mounted only from the top side. SS hardware not absolutely necc being inside the trunk but is a nice touch

YannG

Hey guys!

Managed to continue with the build on this 3 day weekend.

During the past few days, I was working on staining all of the panels which took a while to do but turned out great in my opinion, really happy with the outcome. I started with sanding the wood, use wood pre-conditioner, stain and several coats of polyurethane.



The plan was to install/route all of the wiring and fit all of the components on the hardwood panel. I did take some pictures (although with poor lighting they didn't come out great, so I do apologize...)

It honestly was a pain, routing all of the wiring through the car as our LS430's are so well insulated but managed to get everything done in time.

Step 1: I started with drilling the holes in the plywood, using the AirLift Performance provided templates:



I also decided to use T-nuts for securing the air tank...(Thanks to the advice of others on here )



I also bought a Isolator kit, to reduce the noise of the compressors as much as possible:



Step 2 : Removing the rear seat backs and bench:





Step 3 : Routed the wiring as neatly as possible behind the rear seats (not as easy as it seems, and took a lot longer than I thought...)



along rear door (under the door sills):



Same again for the driver side door sill:



under the glove box and out through the rubber grommet in the firewall: (This took a while to get it through, as im running 2 compressors and therefore more wiring) :



I then added the O-ring connectors to each wires with heatshrink as well as the in-line fuses on both positive wires:

Positive:



Regarding the ignition source, I tapped into a cigarette lighter fuse (that only comes on when the car is on...)





The last wire I needed to work on was the USB cable that plugs into the AirLiftPerformance unit. I decided that I wanted it near/around the ashtray that I never use. I routed it under the glove box, through the little air vent near the passenger footwell and up into the center console. I then took apart the gear surround, took the ashtray out and drilled a hole.





The end product:





Now you see it:





Now you dont ! :



All comments/feedback is welcomed

Next steps: Fit the actual air suspension components and all of the air lines...

Thanks
Yann

LS430Z32TT

Wow, that's a lot of work. The stained wood does look much better than before!
Attention to detail is great. Keep it going!

YannG

Thanks, I appreciate it

YannG

Hey - Slight update !

I bought some new trunk struts as my old ones were blown.

Here are a few pictures of how to replace them if anyone ever wondered:

Step 1 : Open trunk and remove the black inset (carefully) located on the trunk bracket:





Step 2 : Remove the Top and bottom C-clips holding the strut in (excuse the dirtiness, it's my daily and we are in winter...) :





Step 3: Replace strut (it's a simple push-fit mechanism)





Step 4: Fit the black insert in the trunk brackets and repeat on the other side

Picture comparison: New vs old...



The trunk now stays open without having to hold it open and hoping it doesn't fall back down. It is also much easier to open, so overall I am very happy with the strut and how easy it was to replace.

Thanks
Yann

LS430Z32TT

Nice job. I need to replace my trunk struts as well. Where did you source those replacements from?

YannG

They are really good!
I got them on amazon, and for $16 you cant go wrong!

Sold by BOXI Auto Parts

onthelo

YannG everything looks really good I like how you completed your air suspension and nice write up! I didn't see the watertrap or manual fill/drain line are those hidden? Very nice I like how its tucked away and functional great great job!

onthelo

Here you go, this is how I did mine Drill hole, grommet, nut sert, clamp and SS Philips panhead hardware as well piece of black carpet to prevent rattling or noise

YannG

Thank you Onthelo!

Next up is routing the Air lines, which I may attempt this weekend!