US Dollars
Link Pin Front Air Ride Install
The cleanest way to convert your 1949–1965 link-pin Type 1 from torsion-leaf-sprung to floating air ride. Through rods, upper shock mounts, air sleeve shocks — a one-day install with no body removal.
"The slammed VW look you love without the harsh ride. Our Air Ride Kit transforms your Classic VW into a smooth, adjustable machine—style and comfort in one package."
A Better Way to Air Ride a Pre-`66 Beetle.
The link-pin front beam VW ran from 1949 to 1965 is the original. Simple, robust, easy to service — but the torsion leaves inside that beam give the front end a ride that feels exactly as old as it is.
The Airkewld Link Pin Front Air Ride Kit converts the entire front torsion-sprung suspension to air ride. Through rods replace the factory torsion leaves inside the beam, air sleeve shocks bolt in with the supplied upper shock mounts, and the link pins get adjusted to spin free. Push a button to lay frame, push another to lift over the driveway.
Soft ride. Lift over driveways. Lay frame at every show. Your Classic VW is instantly cooler.
Fits 1949–1965 link-pin Beetle and Karmann Ghia on an OEM front beam or an Airkewld Ultimate / ECObuilt beam. Body stays on. One-day install. Welding required for the upper shock mount — or skip the welder entirely with an Ultimate / ECObuilt beam that ships with shock mounts already in place.
The Beam Underneath You Decides Everything.
This kit was engineered for an OEM VW link-pin front beam (factory towers, factory roller bearings) or an Airkewld Ultimate / ECObuilt beam. Other beams — especially custom-tower aftermarket beams or anything running urethane bushings — will not behave the same. Verify your beam before you order.
- Use OEM or Airkewld beams ONLY. The PROs can't tech-support another vendor's beam combined with our air ride.
- No urethane bushings. Urethane and air ride do not get along, period. If your beam has urethane bushings, swap to OEM-style or pick an Airkewld beam.
- Drop spindles strongly recommended for maximum drop. The kit was designed assuming you're running them.
- Lower shock relocaters are highly recommended. They drop your lift PSI by about 30 once everything else is dialed and they noticeably improve ride quality by moving the lower shock mount into a better leverage location.
- Welding required — the upper shock mount welds to the beam. Skip the welder entirely by ordering an Ultimate / ECObuilt beam that ships with the shock mounts already in place.
The Numbers You Need Before You Wrench
Through Rods
Male + FemaleLoctite or weld · cut excess
Lift Pressure
165–195 PSIBelow 160 / above 200 = bind
Fittings
Teflon TapeDO NOT overtighten
Grease
4 Zerks · 10–12 PumpsTop off w/ each oil change
Link Pin Front · 1949 through 1965
✓ Fits
- 1949–1965 Beetle (link-pin front)
- 1956–1965 Karmann Ghia (link-pin front)
- 1964–1965 Fridolin (Type 147, link-pin years)
- OEM front beam with factory towers + roller bearings
- Airkewld Ultimate / ECObuilt Beam (skip the welding step)
- Stock-style narrowed beams (factory tower geometry)
✗ Does NOT Fit
- Ball-joint front ends (1966–1977) — see the link below
- Type 2 Bus / Type 3 — different front architecture
- Custom-tower aftermarket beams
- Beams with urethane bushings — air ride and urethane do not get along
- Straight-axle conversions
Complete Front Kit Contents
Everything you need to convert the front from torsion-leaf-sprung to air ride. Add basic shop tools (next section), grease, a welder for the upper shock mount, and a full day of your weekend.
- Through Rod Set — male + female, joins inside the beam to replace factory torsion leaves
- Air Sleeve Shocks — one pair
- Upper Shock Mounts — weld to the beam (or already installed if you're on an Ultimate / ECObuilt beam)
- Hardware Pack — washers, thrust bearings, hex nuts, locking nuts
- Printed Quick Reference Guide (AK-AR-001, 2 pages) with QR code that scans straight to this page for the full guide, install videos, and troubleshooting
Two Ways to Air Ride Your Front End
Already have an OEM or Airkewld beam? Grab the standalone kit. Want zero compatibility worry, no welding, and a 4-hour install instead of a full day? Pick the PRObuilt bundle.
Link Pin Front Air Ride Kit
Just the front. For builders who already have an OEM or Airkewld link-pin beam, drop spindles, and a rear air-ride solution. Fits 1949–1965 link-pin Beetle and Ghia.
Shop Front Kit →
Complete Air Ride Kit w/ Assembled Beam
All-in-one. Air ride kit + Stage 2 PRObuilt assembled link-pin beam, 4″ narrowed, with the air ride already installed. Zero compatibility worry, no welding, ~4 hour install on the car.
Shop PRObuilt →Filming the Install Series
We're shooting an end-to-end link-pin front air-ride install on YouTube. Drops as soon as it's edited.
Subscribe to Airkewld on YouTube for the alert when it goes live.
The Top 5 Install Mistakes — And How to Avoid Them
These five are the difference between a front end that floats and a front end that won't lift. Read them. Live them.
Through Rods Too Tight
Tighten the hex nut until the control arm just stops moving, then back off EXACTLY 1/2 turn. Tighter than that and the arms can't pivot — your front end won't lift, no matter how much air you throw at it.
Skipping Polish & Assembly Grease
9 out of 10 used control arms have grooving where the bearings rode under load. Hit them with emory cloth until they're glass-smooth, polish, and lube every contact surface before the arms go on. Five minutes of prep saves hours of "why won't it lift?"
Welding the Upper Shock Mount Before Cycling
Tack-weld only. Install the shocks, cycle full travel, verify nothing rubs through the entire stroke. THEN remove the shocks and finish-weld. Lock in a contact point first and the bag (or the shock body) is what loses.
Over-Tightening Air Shock Fittings
They split. Teflon tape and snug — do not gorilla. The fitting body is softer than you think and a cracked shock body is a slow leak you can't fix without disassembly.
Air Lines Run Near Moving Parts
Keep tubing well clear of suspension travel and steering linkage. Chafe-through is a slow kill — you won't notice until the line splits and the front falls overnight.
Tools Required · Shop the Build
Standard hand tools plus a welder for the upper shock mount — unless you're running an Ultimate / ECObuilt beam, in which case the shock mounts are already in place and the welder stays in the box. Affiliate links support the channel — same price to you.
Jack & Jack Stands
Lift the front, set on stands rated for vehicle weight. Slide the wheels under the chassis as a failsafe.
Shop on Amazon
Metric Socket Set
For lugs, spindle nuts, link pin bolts, backing plates, control arm hardware, and shock mounts.
Shop on Amazon
Emory Cloth / Sandpaper
For polishing the control arm bearing surfaces to a glass finish. Skip this and your front end won't lift — this is non-negotiable.
Shop on Amazon
Grease Gun & Assembly Lube
Assembly lube on every bearing surface during arm install. 10–12 pumps of chassis grease into each of the four beam zerks at final.
Shop on Amazon
Teflon Tape & Cutting Tool
Teflon tape on every air-line and shock fitting. Cutting tool to trim the through rod excess once the hex nuts are dialed.
Shop on Amazon
MIG Welder
Required only if NOT running an Ultimate / ECObuilt Beam. The upper shock mount welds to the beam. Tack first, cycle, then finish-weld.
Shop on AmazonAirkewld is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases — at no additional cost to you.
Step by Step · The Way We'd Run It
Read each phase before you start it. Don't skip the Pro Tips. The whole job runs about a day if your beam is right and your control arms are healthy.
Disassemble Beam
- Loosen the lugs 1/4 turn before jacking. Raise the front, set on jack stands; slide the wheels under the chassis as a failsafe; disconnect the battery.
- Pull dust caps and spindle nuts; slide the drums off. Driver side: remove the (3) backing-plate bolts. Do NOT break any brake lines.
- Remove the link-pin bolts; pull the spindles. Bag the shims by side AND inner / outer / upper / lower — keeping them organized now saves you a lot of fiddling on reassembly.
- Remove the control arms (jam nuts + grub screws).
- Remove the center grub screws and pull the factory torsion leaves out of the beam.
Before you wrench anything else — verify your beam. OEM with factory towers and roller bearings, or an Airkewld Ultimate / ECObuilt beam. No urethane bushings, no custom-tower aftermarket beams. If your wheels already sit close to the fender edge, an Ultimate / ECObuilt beam saves you from tire-fender contact at full air-out.
Through Rods
- Thread the male and female through rods together. Add Loctite OR weld the joint to lock the connection.
- Slide the assembled rods into the beam, replacing the factory torsion leaves you just pulled.
- Verify the rods are centered side-to-side in the beam.
- Confirm the control arms move freely on a dry-fit. If they don't, polish the bearing surfaces FIRST — don't try to muscle through binding now.
Control Arms
- Inspect each arm. File or emory-cloth grooves smooth. Major grooving = replace — no amount of polish will save a deeply scored arm.
- Apply assembly lube to ALL bearing surfaces. Slide the arms onto the through rods.
- Hardware order on each side: washer · thrust bearing · washer · hex nut.
- Tighten the hex nut until the arm just stops moving, then back off EXACTLY 1/2 turn. Install the final locking nut.
- Cut the excess through rod each side. Pump 10–12 shots of grease into the four beam zerks.
9 out of 10 used control arms have grooving where the bearings rode under load. Polish to a glass finish before greasing — the air ride lift completely depends on those arms moving fluidly through their full travel. Airkewld ECObuilt and PRObuilt arms ship pre-finished, no polish needed.
Spindles & Brakes
- Slide the spindles into the control arms with the original hardware (and the shims, in the order you bagged them).
- Adjust the link pins clockwise until snug, then back off slightly so the spindle rotates freely with NO slop. Tighten the link pin bolts.
- Reinstall the backing plates and brake drums / rotors.
- Drum nut: tighten until no spin, then back off 1/4 turn. Install the thrust washer + spindle nut + dust cap.
Shock Mount (Welding)
- Position the upper shock mount bracket on the beam contour. Mark the perimeter with a Sharpie.
- Sand the marked area to clean steel — paint and undercoating will keep your weld from biting.
- Tack-weld the bracket only. Install the air shocks and cycle the suspension full travel.
- Verify NOTHING rubs or binds at any point in the stroke. Adjust position if anything contacts.
- Once clearance is confirmed: remove the shocks, finish-weld the bracket, let cool, prime, paint. Reinstall the shocks.
Front end won't lift? 99% of the time it's binding somewhere. Check in this order: through rods over-tight (back the hex nut off exactly 1/2 turn), control arms not polished or greased, link pins over-torqued. Normal lift range is 165–195 PSI. Above 200 PSI = something is binding. Fix the bind — don't just keep adding air. Lower-shock relocaters drop lift PSI by ~30 once everything else is right.
Air Lines & Final Setup
- Apply Teflon tape to the fittings; install on the shocks. DO NOT overtighten — the fitting body splits easily.
- Cut tubing SQUARE; push fully into the push-to-connect fittings; pull-test EVERY joint. Soap-test all connections under pressure.
- Route lines AWAY from suspension travel and steering linkage. Secure with clamps; verify clearance through full motion.
- Inflate the system BEFORE lowering the vehicle. This avoids damaging the front apron with the floor jack.
- Reinstall wheels; remove stands. Set ride height to mid-travel. Poor-man's toe alignment — tires parallel to fenders, equal front-and-back tread measurements — then book a digital 4-wheel for the final dial-in.
"Knocked it out in a Saturday with the welder running on the upper mounts. Front lifts at 175 PSI and rides smoother than I thought a Beetle could."
— Replace with real review #1"Polished the arms to a mirror, set the hex nuts back exactly 1/2 turn — lifted on the first shot. Added the lower shock relocaters and the front floats."
— Replace with real review #2"Bought the Stage 2 PRObuilt beam with the air ride already installed. Bolted under the `57 in an afternoon. Easiest air ride install I've done."
— Replace with real review #3The Questions We Get Most
Is welding required for this kit?
The front kit requires welding — the upper shock mount welds to the beam. The one exception: if you're running an Airkewld Ultimate / ECObuilt beam, the upper shock mounts ship already welded in place, so you can skip the welder entirely.
Does the body need to come off to install the air ride?
No. Front-end-only install. Car on jack stands, wheels off, and you have full access to everything you need.
Will this work with my existing narrowed beam?
If it looks like a stock beam and still has factory towers and roller bearings inside the beam, yes. All others, no — custom-tower beams and beams with urethane bushings are not compatible. If you're unsure, send us a photo before you order.
How long does the install take?
About 1 day if your beam is right and your control arms are healthy. The PRObuilt bundle (with the air ride already installed on the assembled beam) cuts that to roughly 4 hours — bolt the beam on, hook up the air lines, set the alignment, done.
Do I need drop spindles with this air ride kit?
Yes. The kit was designed with drop spindles in mind. Without them you won't get the maximum drop the kit is capable of. If you need advice on which spindles make the most sense for your build, read our DIY vs. PRObuilt spindle article or give us a call.
Can I use an electronic air management kit (AMK) with your air ride?
You can. Heads up though: we won't be able to tech-support any AMK-specific issue, because we don't have the ability to recreate problems with every vendor's AMK and their firmware updates. The mechanical install in this guide doesn't change — only the controller wiring on top of it.
Do you offer a bolt-on solution?
Yes — up front, we do. The Stage 2 PRObuilt Beam ships as a complete narrowed beam with drop spindles and the air ride already installed — literally a 4-hour install on the front of the car, no welding required from you.
Are the lower shock relocaters worth it?
Yes — highly recommended for any link-pin air-ride build. They move the lower shock mount into a better leverage location, drop your lift pressure by about 30 PSI once everything else is dialed, and noticeably improve ride quality. Cheap insurance against fighting a high-pressure setup.
Is there anything else I'll need with this kit?
No — the kit ships complete with through rods, air sleeve shocks, upper shock mounts, and hardware. You'll add the standard tools listed above plus Loctite, Teflon tape, assembly grease, and a tube of chassis grease for the beam zerks.
My front end won't lift — what's wrong?
99% of the time it's binding. Check in this order: (1) through rods over-tight — back the hex nut off EXACTLY 1/2 turn; (2) control arm bearing surfaces not polished or greased; (3) link pins over-torqued. Normal lift pressure is 165–195 PSI. Above 200 PSI you're not "needing more air" — you're fighting a bind. Fix the bind, don't just add pressure.
What's your warranty?
If any component in the kit ever fails from a manufacturing defect, we replace it. Period. Email help@airkewld.com with a photo and your order number.
Real Humans. Real Phones. Real VW People.
Beam compatibility questions, bind diagnosis, link pin adjustment, won't-lift troubleshooting — reach out before you make a cut you can't undo. We pick up the phone. We answer the email.