Alternate air compressor mounting

To be honest, what follows is not really a "cost effective" idea but a concept I've been kicking around for some time and it turned out a little more intensive than I imagined, but like a lot of things, once started down the rabbit hole I was committed to finishing it.

I already had a 10awg power wire in (place wrapped up under the rr fender well cover tray) but it turned out to be too light for the load so I replaced it with a 8awg wired fused near the battery - that worked well but if I had to do it over again I would likely use a 6awg wire.








For the mounting I sourced materials I had on-hand. The compressor (Smittybilt 2781) sits on a 3/16ths horizontal steel plate which is horribly welded (by me) to a steel cover off of a sub-panel breaker box which is attached to the 3/4' plywood side of my cargo box. The horizontal portion of the mounting plate rests atop some very dense rubber pads that are attached to the little storage tray above the rr wheel well - I may have to beef that up just a little as it looks like it's leaning just a tad to the right.

I replaced the funky non-standard air fittings that comes with the Smittybilt to what is standard for us in the US. The storage tank is a 2.5 gallon VIAIR. Power to the compressor is controlled by a master switch at the front of the box which then is fed through a 90-120 psi sensor then onto the compressor. The system has two manual air valves - one at the tank inlet and one for the tank drain.

THIS IS NOT A COST EFFECTIVE INSTALL! I have $80+ just in all the brass fittings, then $80 for the tank and a buck eighty for the compressor. I just didn't want the compressor under the hood and exposed to all the elements. Where its currently mounted is a space that was going to waste anyway.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/141SPq6n5SPpOua5RRRSTUI74I-3Be8bU/view?usp=sharing

This should've been a one day project (20 years ago) for me but I spent about a week on it (between naps) at 77 and I swear I wouldn't do it again - I'd hire a hungry young person to do it while I supervised from a lawn chair.

 

Thank you for your kind comments!

 

Way, way cool Dad! I'm so envious of your talent to create things from scratch, from just an idea! Especially with wiring, I wish I understood it all better. Love what you have been doing with the runner, you make me proud!

 

Hey daughter - your words made all the hours & sweat worth it, such a nice thing to say to your “old” man. You just made my day!

 

You never cease to surprise me. Keep following your passions, age is just a number . Love you Dad!

 

Ah daughter, is all that mud on your 4runner a badge of honor? Clean that puppy up!

 

You know she's clean! But, I like her just the same all muddy .

 

Wisdom is find in old age. Great job.

 

Slick! I like it!

 

Here's how I mounted my Viair-88P.

Quick and easy.

 

That is definitely quick, easy, economical, and more practical than mine - but doesn't take into account an old man's folly.....

 

You did a great job with the install and the thread, I was just being funny.

 

I have a nice comfortable gravity chair and a cooler full of beer if you want to supervise in California, I'm really good at following orders and instructions. yes sir!

 

Well I am a California transplant....

 

Nice work. I have another project for you that I think you might like and it's a fairly fast and easy job.
Put in a terminal block for your battery positive. I did this on one of my older vehicles.
Like this:

(Red) 5/16" 4 Stud Bus BAR Power Distribution Block - Made in The USA - for Marine Battery Terminals, 12v Power and Ground Distribution Blocks - Terminal Block for Battery Terminals - BusBar

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Power-Distribution-Block-BUSBAR/dp/B07C635FGR?crid=C98FE8AKXQ9A&dchild=1&keywords=terminal+block+12v&qid=1634220514&sprefix=terminal+block+&sr=8-10&th=1

 

I like that Jerry. I don’t have any projects in the planning stage that would require that but think I’ll order one “for stock” just in case the need arises. I enjoy electrical projects as long as they don’t require me to be on my back looking at the underbelly of a dashboard..

 

Same here... I was just thinking that when you are bored you would want to clean up the connections at the battery. My old truck had something like six at the solenoid (Ford) when I got it so I had to do something.

 

Wise man for leaving California. Wife and I dream of it someday.

 

I moved out of Northern California (the Sierras), it's beautiful there - nothing at all like the asphalt jungle of Southern California but circumstances at the time caused me to move to Florida but I shoulda picked mountains somewhere - anywhere...

 

Nice setup....Im going to try under the front passenger seat with mine.
Whats the 40" lightbar for?

 

You may change your mind once you take a look under the seat with a flashlight.

 

11 year volunteer with local PD - I teach and do TTC (Temporary Traffic Control)..

 

Thank you for your service, 2x!

 

And one more thing, they have some pretty sleek fuses now, more convenient that the "old school" ones, just found them this year while looking for a 200 amp fuse for the camper...

$24 T Tocas 50 Amp Circuit Breakers with Manual Reset Switchable Fuse 50A | 12V-72V DC IP67 Waterproof Protection | UL Certified for Trolling Motor, Automotive, Solar Battery Systems

https://www.amazon.com/Tocas-Circui...d98cd17d2ad&pd_rd_wg=6qZO0&pd_rd_i=B01F76VJKQ

 

I’ve seen those before on Amazon while searching out other electrical stuff - thats actually a manually resettable circuit breaker which would be a nice circuit protection device placed as close to your power source as possible.

 

Exactly, I velcroed mine on the 300Amp lithium battery, as an extra safety measure, on the top of what is fused in the trailer. And agree, every fuse should be placed as closed as possible to the power source to avoid "unprotected" shorts.