Hi all.
Im looking for some opinions of those who have on board air.
Im seeing i have 2 options more or less. Little electric compressors that flow about 1cfm at 90 psi, or converted a/c compressors.
I was looking more at the conversion because of flow, and other reasons. BUT, I dont have a/c. Is this as easy as scoring a a/c compressor and brackets and boltin her up? Or is there more to it? (as far as the a/c compressor mounting)
Thanks.

 

Kilby Air
Or i saw that Quadratec.com has the electric Viair for cheap. A lot cheaper than the Kilby.
http://www.quadratec.com/products/92043_600.htm

 

you would be better of using a 12 volt air pump with a remote tank.
using an a/c pump is easy to do if you have done it be for.
i have an a/c pump that needs a clutch head that i will sell, and i have a 12 volt pump and an air tank that i'm currently selling as well. it is cheaper to buy a 12 volt pump an tank, and a lot eaiser to mount and maintain than using a a/c pump as a compressor. keeping the a/c pump lubed and cooled is
not simple. let me know if you need one or the other.

 

I prefer to have a 12V air compressor instead of engine driven. I am going to get the Oasis Mfg 4000XD for mine when I put the air system in. I am of the opinion that they make the best compressor out there, though it sure is not the cheapest option. Then again, you get what you pay for.

 

how about an electric that does 3cfm at 90psi?
Puma 12v

 

What are you going to use it for?

 

I went with extremeoutbacks extremeaire. They now have the magnum which I may have gone with instead had they had it at the time. The oasis as mentioned above sounds to be an awesome unit but was out of my price range.

http://www.extremeoutback.com/index....d=3007812.5892

 

Here's an link you might like, read both pages. This guy has done some interesting research. http://www.hornwhistleboard.com/view...hp?f=18&p=5087

 

Thanks for the links, gave me a little more education on options.

I am gonna use it for everything... ha!
But seriously, im wanting it for horns, air tools, tire inflation... You know, everything but brakes. Basically so I dont have to bring the compressor and generator to the pits. Just bring the truck and its already set up, you know?
This is why im not too stoked on the pricetag vs flow of the 12 volt ones. To get a reasonably flowing 12v compressor it seems you gotta drop near a grand to get that. And then the exchange rate.

Basically the more I read about 12v compressors, the more I want to do the A/C pump. I just happen to have a scrap dakota sitting in my yard with a/c. Hmmmm.

That seems to give me 2 options. Run the a/c compressor off of a starter motor, or run it off of the accessory drive.

Ive read somewhere about there being a v-belt thing that you can buy for the front of the 6bt engine. Anybody know anything about that?

What about building some brackets and running it off the stock serpentine setup? Anybody know how much power (belt slippage) it takes to spin an a/c compressor?

thanks.

 

I believe the system using the ac compressor relocates the alternator and uses a longer serpentine belt. The alternator in turn drives the converted ac pump via a v-belt. I think this is correct but if you'll look at the converted ac pump setup it will show you.

 

If your leaning towards a engine driven one then look at the Kilby again.
I am running an York AC compressor on my jeep. It works great, i got lucky and found a van in the junk yard with a 350 motor and york compressor. I got all the parts, belt for cheap.

 

I suppose if you're using it heavily the belt-driven setup might be worthwhile. The trade off is complexity and the truck has to be running to use it. You can offset the lower flow rate somewhat with a bigger tank. I fit a 5gal tank between my drive shaft and exhaust pipe, no prob. I doubt even the engine-driven compressor is gonna support much in the way of air tools for anything but sporadic use. What's the CFM rate on that, anyway?

 

I have a fairly large tank with an fairly big electric compressor that has no identification on it, but looks like the bigger VIAR ones.

I am either going to add a second equivalent electric unit to double the rate of air build-up, or add a belt-driven YORK A/C compressor, either on the engine, or along an engine-turned line-shaft.

The big YORK belt-drive A/C compressors will fill a ten-gallon reservoir in less time than it takes the electrics to take the wrinkles out of a kid's balloon.


As I already have the electric mounted, there will be no reason to remove it; I will just plumb the air-line from the belt-drive compressor into the tank and I can always put the electric in immediate action should the need arise.



The YORK units have an oil reservoir/sump and do not require lubricant in the lines.

If you use a plain old A/C compressor, you will have to add an automatic oiler on the intake side, and your air will always have oil in it; no harm in that for anything except painting and blow-gun cleaning; without the oiler, the compressor will be short-lived.




I have an auxilliary "B" (the big fat one) V-belt pulley that myself and a machinist friend retrofitted to piggy-back in front of the fan-pulley.

We used the fan-pulley for our pattern, lathe-bored the center-hole, and lathe-marked, then drilled, for the six mounting bolts.

My V-belt pulley drives the Ford A/C compressor and the vacuum-pump that supplies the vacuum-over-hydraulic trailer-brakes.


You can also buy a Dodge/Cummins specific V-belt pulley from any of the makers of trailer-brake vacuum-pump kits that is a direct bolt-on.


If/when I mount a YORK compressor, I am thinking low and to the left of the oil-pan, such that it will not always be in the way under the hood.


You need to do a search over on the Ford diesel site, oilburners.net, as a bunch of those guys have added YORKs to their engines with great success.

 

depending on what your needs are I have a number of 12V otpions for you http://www.pacbrake.com/index.php?pa...ir-accessories

 

a real nice dc compressor that comes on a small tank, with regulator, and pressure switch, on ebay, or a tool dealer, has extreme output, at 75 psi, a duty cycle that can be ignored, and blows my 350 dollar quick air out the door for around 200 bucks, i mounted the compressor under the battery, in the fender skirt, and the tank, under the brake master, with plenty of room to get around it. i can do all 4 35" bfg's, from 25-50 psi in less than 10 minutes, a friend uses his hauling tractors, filling big tires constantly, 4 years, no problems, it will easily run an impact 1/2 ", worth a look, kudos, joe.