It was time to fix that, and make those "adjustables" something truly adjustable on demand. I bought the Rancho In-Cab Control Kit to do just that.

Tools and parts

The biggest problem in installing this in the Samurai was that it's hard to decide where the heck to put anything. It's not like there's all kinds of empty space under the hood and especially not in, on, or under the dash. Once you've decided where to mount everything though, installation is relatively easy and the results are great: easy one-touch shock "ride" change from light to stiff, on the fly, anytime.

Here's what you have to do:

Choose a mounting location for the gauge and actuator buttons. Be sure to choose a place where you've got plenty of clearance behind them, as you'll have to be able to run in both airline and wiring.

Choose a location to mount the compressor. I chose to put mine under the hood, behind the right front headlamp, although you could place the compressor inside the vehicle if you liked, as long as you will be able to run power and a single airline to it. About the only other consideration is that it not be located in a position subject to excessive heat, or where it's likely to end up submerged.

Choose a location to mount the air manifold. Again, in vehicle or out will work, as long as it's not likely to be subject to excessive heat, or the airlines conncted to it subject to abrasion.

My choice of mounting location determined that I use not the provided screws but a pair of bolts to mount the compressor. Since my mounting required drilling through the fender, and I was concerned that the points of the screws provided would gouge my tires, I used bolts installed through the fender with the heads toward the tires. I mounted the manifold a short distance from the compressor where it wouldn't be exposed to excessive heat.

Once you've got your compressor and manifold mounted, run the compressor wiring and then install the gauge and actuators in whatever location you chosen. Either use the provided mounting panel or drill the required holes for an in-dash mount.

Hook up your wiring to the red electrical switch that turns on the compressor. One wire to the compressor, one wire to power using the included adapter for your fuse box.

The gauge lamp should be spliced into the vehicle's existing instrument wiring harness so that it will be controllable (along with the vehicle's instrument lights) using the dimmer switch already wired into that circuit.

If your shocks are already installed, determine whether you'll need to remove the shocks to install the connectors. I was able to leave the front shocks on the truck, but had to remove the rear ones to install the connectors. I also turned the shocks 180 to rotate the connectors from facing outboard (where the knobs had been easier to reach) to facing inboard, where the airline would be easier to run.

To begin installing the airline connectors on your shocks, just remove the existing knobs by removing the Allen screws with the Allen wrench provided and then yanking the knob assembly straight out. Be sure to remove the existing o-rings!

Clean the connector mounting area thoroughly and apply a light coat of oil or silicon grease to the new assembly. Mounting should be with the airline opening pointing down along the shock body. Then press the connectors (carefully!) in place to seat the o-ring and connector. Tighten them down using the new Allen screws provided with the kit.

Install, or reinstall, your shocks.

Take a good look under the hood, behind the dash and under the vehicle to see where best to run your airlines. I ran a three-line bundle for the right front shock and the rear shocks down the fender from the manifold. One line directly to the front shock and the other two along the frame to the rear. Then I ran three lines in a bundle across the firewall in the wiring bundle to the left side of the vehicle, where one line ran forward again to the left front shock and two through the firewall to the gauge and valve. Finally, I ran a single connection to the compressor. Your installation will vary depending on where you've placed your gauge, switch and valve, and where you've mounted the compressor and manifold.

Don't try and precut the airline! Run each segment of airline start-to-finish from the manifold to the shock, compressor, gauge or bleed valve.

As you're running your lines, use the tie-wraps included to make sure each bundle and line is well-secured. I also placed a tie-wrap around each shock to hold a loop of airline against the shock body. The important things are to avoid areas of excessive heat, to make sure you leave slack in the lines at the shocks to allow for shock and vehicle motion, and to make sure none of the lines will be subject to cutting or abrasion from other parts of the vehicle or from trail hazards.

Once each line is in place,  place a cap and o-ring on each end. Push the cap and ring back along the line a little, insert the line into the connector until it seats, then hold it in place while you slide the cap and o-ring down to the connector and tighten them up. Finger tight is all that's necessary.

After you've got all your connections made up, it's time pump up the system to leak check the assembly. Run the pump long enough to get the needle up to "5". If it doesn't immediately bleed back down, you're probably in good shape. If, like I did, you have at least one leak, Rancho includes instructions to make up a soap solution to use to help find the leak. I could actually hear my leak, as I had one of the o-rings at a rear shock crimped rather than properly seated. You'll need some help from a friend to push the button on the compressor, but finding leaks isn't a difficult proposition. Make sure not to over-run the compressor though.

Once everything is all tight, pressurize the system up to "5" and leave it sit. You're looking for no leak-down over a period of hours. Mine bleeds down less than on-eighth of a position on the gauge in 24 hours. That's turned out to be about as much change as I often see just due to temperature differences.

Enjoy your new ride control!