Re: Airing back up <- go with York-style compressor


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Posted by Rodney King on January 04, 2003 at 18:57:00:

In Reply to: Re: Airing back up <- go with CO2 posted by Pugsly on January 04, 2003 at 17:00:16:

One of the first things some people do before they hit the trails is air down the tires. It's really easy to do, but what about airing back up? There are several options for on-board air on the trails.

Here are a few options:
Bring a portable air tank with you. Should be good for a few fills, but won't help if you're gone for a while with no way to air the tank back up.

Carry a small compressor powered by the lighter jack. It's good for emergencies, but takes a long time to fill a large tire. Some companies sell portable compressors that are made to fill up tires fast, but most won't run air tools, and they are generally over $200.00. But, they are relatively simple to install, and very little if any fabricating will be required.

Bring a C02 tank. These are much better than the smaller portable air tanks, and will fill lots of tires, and run air tools, but you have to get it filled when it gets empty. And some can cost more than the portable compressors.

Run a compressor off of the engine. This supplies large amounts of air, is fast enough to run air tools, and will always work as long as the engine is running. The compressor is also fairly inexpensive. But, most likely, a bracket will have to be made to mount the compressor to the engine because there are so many different accessory and belt configurations available for GM vehicles.

Out of all these options, I chose to do an engine driven compressor. The cost, as well as the constant supply of air, were the main benefits. The most common compressor for this type of setup is the York-style compressor. It can be found on Ford, Volvo, AMC, IH, and Oldsmobile vehicles from the late 70's to the early 80's.




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