Hopefully this compressor mod will make some sense to you guys.I am using a York 210 A/C compressor from a Ford to fill my air tank on my Mazda(YES I SAID IT,SO WHAT!) This same set up will be on my 50 Merc as well.These compressors put out ALOT of air.It will fill an empty 9gal tank to 185psi in about 3 min at 1000 rpm,faster at higher rpms.Now,to the mod.Remove the bottom plate and drain the old oil.Next,remove the bolt that holds the pully to the shaft and remove the clutch.Next, remove the 4 bolts that hold the electric magnet and remove the magnet.Then remove the front seal plate and the rubber seal from under it.These compressors have a suction port and a discharge port.The suction side has a passage that allows a small ammount of oil to be sucked into the cylinder and then discharged into the air tank.Over time it will suck out all the oil from the crankcase.So to prevent this you must plug the passage.Tap the hole to 10-24 and install a 3/32 allen set screw.Re-assemble in reverse order.Fill with 8-10 oz of motor oil,mount to engine and play with your bags!! Here are the pics.
your probably going to need more hard line or braided line comming out of it it gets really hot. other than that looks good
how do you keep it from building up too much pressure while the car's running? This is a good idea, just curious because I'm running nitrogen on my coupe and I'm looking for cheaper options..
The clutch is wired to my pressure switch.When it reaches 185psi it turns off,then at about 120psi it turns on.
Okay, I'll be the E-diot... How's it work? You got a switch to engage the clutch? Please expound, as I think I wanna be a bag-fag one of these days......
As a 4 wheeler, we have been using A/C compressors for years to air up tires and trail tools. Instead of messing with the inlet and outlets, most of us just put an oil trap and return between the compressor and tank. In addition, these compressors require only a small amount of oil since it is not running for hours on end like it would if being used as intended, A/C. As a result, very little oil ends up in the tank even if you do not put in a catch. These things are $10-15 at a pull a part, so a lot of wheelers tend to do very little maintainence on them and I've seen people run them for a couple years with only a little oil at the time they installed it. Here's another neat trick. For the tank, you could hide it in something like a boxed frame rail(s). Wheelers use tube bumpers and roll bars, but since most hot rods don't have those, a boxed frame rail would work. Add a quick disconnect in the engine bay or plumb one for the trunk and you could power tools, air up tires or even a blow up doll or pneumatic blender!
great tech,,ive seen them used before,,but wasnt never sure what all had to be done,.,,cool ,thanks! sam
Here is a pic of a schematic taken from a great website that supplies the 4x4 crowd. Here is a link to their site with more products and info: http://www.kilbyenterprises.com/index.htm As far as the schematic goes, substitute your air bag system controls with the ARB system shown. ARB is an electrically activated locker (like Detroit lockers for you drag guys), but the bags work on the same principal.
Damn! An engine-driven pump for bags??!!! I never woulda thought to try that...VERY cool idea...espcially with the pressure switch/clutch cut-out feature! Now...show me how to bag a suspension that originally had STRUTS!!
"Now...show me how to bag a suspension that originally had STRUTS!! " I think they actually make airbag replacement's for struts.. I saw a late model Grand Prix last week, fully bag'd.. Thanks for the tech, very cool!
Ahhh, ok how about replace the "shock" in the strut with an air shock and plumb it to the system...errr, ok, maybe not!
Oh, and you're only out about $75-$100 including a junk yard compressor for the system to plumb it from mostly Home Depot parts (bags not included! )
I get the compressors from late 70s early 80s Ford Fairmonts with the straight 6 engine.$9 each at the U-Pull it.
when i first discovered these compressors for air use, i heard that the york's are the only ones that are self-lubed, i dunno if it's true or not. it's a bad ass setup though, mine puts out more air than my portable shop compressor! it'll be cool for junkyardin, just bring the air tools and cut away! and yep, these things do kick out some heat, a braided stainless steel leader hose is a must. i removed the top plate and tapped it for pipe threads. i've also seen york compressors on Volvos that have a two bolt flange to attach to the hoses, so it would be simple to whip up a pipe threaded adaptor. also, being i know somebody is wondering, you can just use the pressure switch from any old air compressor, the pressure switch doesn't know the difference between 110 ac and 12vdc.
I know guys running Sandens, so I think they are self oiling. Not really sure about anything else, so I shouldn't have commented. A couple things to keep in mind when shopping at the junk yard for an AC. It's best if you can find a system that came with your motor. That way all the brackets and stuff will bolt on. Be sure to grab those brackets. Also, if you cut the air in/out lines (it's best to disconnect, but sometimes those old bastards are a pain in the ass to get off), be sure to leave as much hose as possible to allow you max. freedom to route them in the best possible manner. You can use compressors from different motors and fab brackets, but just be sure your pulleys match your car and you can line them up ok. One more thing, and this is one of the few down sides to all this is that at low RPMs these take a while to work. If you use a tank of around 5 gal. or so, this won't be an issue unless you play with the up/down switches a lot. Most people I know that air up tires with them rev the motor to around 1200 RPM. Now airbags have a lot less volume, so this is probably moot, but just know that engine speed affects lift rate. Mazdaslam, those struts are cool! Thanks for starting this thread!
I just got done hooking up my york today. Couple things though. The oil plug mod, while it keeps oil from getting through to the airline for the most part, I have talked to people who said that after a couple weeks of break in, the oil stops blowing in the system for the most part. Also, check valve, you need a check valve or the air will just blow back through the compressor when it kicks off. And a air/oil/water seperator would be a wise investment. I have also heard of people using tecumseh compressors, I found a new one in my shop, and the mounting bolts are the same, and it can use the same clutch as the york, but the overall compressor is taller.
Its not wise to use any old AC compressor, most compressors lubricate the whole system while it cycles, the york and others comparable are self lubricating. Since its a one way system you would burn up regular compressors. Also when setting up a airbag system, most people use tanks, so reving the engine isnt necessary, since you got air on demand.
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