On board air on the cheap

[gaterose]

and most of you guys are convincing me to get a small tank. I just can't seem to find one that can hold 80+ PSI and is only 2 gallons or so and will fit in my engine bay. or behind my bumper. I just can't find a tank. I looked around for old small fuel tanks but they're pricey too. On that link the guy claims he found one for 20 bucks that was 2 gallons.

Amazon.com: Viair 91014 1 Gallon 4-Port Air Reservoir Tank with 1/4" NPT: Automotive

Amazon.com: Hyundai HPT505 5-Gallon Inflation Tank: Home Improvement

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-x-6-1-Gallon-Steel-Air-Tank-Air-Bags-Suspension-Horns-w-5-1-2-Ports-/230969368735?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item35c6d8e09f&vxp=mtr

There's also a lot of $50-$65 ones that look nice.

 

[EdmundGTP]

Innnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

 

[zopperman]

Amazon.com: Viair 91014 1 Gallon 4-Port Air Reservoir Tank with 1/4" NPT: Automotive

Amazon.com: Hyundai HPT505 5-Gallon Inflation Tank: Home Improvement

10" x 6" 1 Gallon Steel Air Tank Air Bags Suspension Horns w 5 1 2 Ports | eBay

There's also a lot of $50-$65 ones that look nice.

Is one gallon really worth doing at all?
So basically, the compressor feeds the tank air and whenever i let air out of the tank, the pressure switch tells the compressor to turn on and repressurize the tank?

I saw the 5 gallon on you posted on amazon too. Where the hell could I fit that? I feel like it's not the right profile for under my front bumper.

Is it safe to drive around with a tank full of 60 PSI or whatever?

Innnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Yes, my thoughts exactly

 

[LTDSC]

Mines a 1 gallon tank. I use it only for my horns and the switch is at 150psi. Its under the hood. Once the pressure dips below it signals the compressor to turn on until it reaches max capacity.

 

[zopperman]

Mines a 1 gallon tank. I use it only for my horns and the switch is at 150psi. Its under the hood. Once the pressure dips below it signals the compressor to turn on until it reaches max capacity.

i just figure, im only going to be using this to air up/used compressed air to spray stuff and clean so i feel like a tank would be somewhat overkill. though i guess it would be nice to have higher presssurized air than what's available just by running the compressor.

So one gallon would be worth doing you think? Where did you mount the tank? i couldnt see it in your photos

 

[LTDSC]

i just figure, im only going to be using this to air up/used compressed air to spray stuff and clean so i feel like a tank would be somewhat overkill. though i guess it would be nice to have higher presssurized air than what's available just by running the compressor.

So one gallon would be worth doing you think? Where did you mount the tank? i couldnt see it in your photos

Its mounted behind the intake box to the inner fender metal. Tucked away and wedged in there.

 

[zopperman]

Its mounted behind the intake box to the inner fender metal. Tucked away and wedged in there.

Thats where I was going to mount the compressor, where did you put that?

 

[LTDSC]

Thats where I was going to mount the compressor, where did you put that?

Mine is a tank/compressor combo but you can mount it on the front reinforcement bar like where i mounted the horns.

 

[gaterose]

I dunno for sure but it says the dimensions for the 5 gal are 10 x 18.9 x 12.6 inches, that's not that big is it?

Harbor freight also has some 5 gal ones that are about $25 after coupon, not sure of the size on those though.

 

[zopperman]

I dunno for sure but it says the dimensions for the 5 gal are 10 x 18.9 x 12.6 inches, that's not that big is it?

Harbor freight also has some 5 gal ones that are about $25 after coupon, not sure of the size on those though.

hm yeah thats actually not that big. I'll try to measure the front area that [MENTION=87687]LTDSC[/MENTION] suggested, tomorrow and maybe i'll go with that. I have a feeling it'll be a pretty tight fit. It's just annoying that it's double the price for the 2 gallon one...

 

[LTDSC]

its definitely a tight fit. Had to use a small bit to make a pilot hole, with a small snap on drill. Then used proper hardware once the holes were made.

 

[Whitebeauty]

Woowee it's like a rodeo in here....

​

. I want to do something like this as well for my airbags outback...

 

[zopperman]

Woowee it's like a rodeo in here....

​

. I want to do something like this as well for my airbags outback...

i'll let you know how my setup goes. for airbags I'd definitely want a tank.

Can anyone else comment on how beneficial a 1 gallon tank would be?

 

[zopperman]

ordered the 1 gal. tank with 4 1/4" NPT ports, picked up a bunch of air hose and stuff at harbor freight today. Got a swivel fitting to go behind front license plate unless anyone has another idea of where to mount the fitting?

 

[CXS]

I'll be interested wht your final cost will be to see if it remains "on the cheap" as you titled this. I'm more in favor of a CO2 tank which can be made fairly inexpenively and much more efficient. Nothing against your setup but I like to balance cost and effectivenes.

 

[zopperman]

I'll be interested wht your final cost will be to see if it remains "on the cheap" as you titled this. I'm more in favor of a CO2 tank which can be made fairly inexpenively and much more efficient. Nothing against your setup but I like to balance cost and effectivenes.

Lucky I've been keeping track!

Compressor: 50
Tank: 40 (I don't know anything about this and a co2 tank seems like it was more difficult and I needed something space efficient. I'm confused about how to do that and the 1 gal tank is aluminum)
Misc. fittings, Teflon tape and a gauge and air hose: 22
Pressure switch: 16
Daystar switch: 10

Total at this point is 138.

 

[CXS]

$138 is nice, you can't get a CO2 setup for that and they take significant space. On a past truck I converted my A/C compressor to OBA with an auxiliary tank and ended up removing the tank since I didn't see enough benefit for the lost space. I hope your experience is better which it may very well be with a small tank.

Keep it up, looking forward to your final setup!

 

[zopperman]

$138 is nice, you can't get a CO2 setup for that and they take significant space. On a past truck I converted my A/C compressor to OBA with an auxiliary tank and ended up removing the tank since I didn't see enough benefit for the lost space. I hope your experience is better which it may very well be with a small tank.

Keep it up, looking forward to your final setup!

Thanks
The tank should be here Tuesday and hopefully installed then. I'll test it out filling tires and see if I can run any air tools off of it maybe enough from the impact for one tire change. Not too concerned since I have cordless tools too :wink2:

 

[Whitebeauty]

Keepin track as well... Lookin forward to the outcome.

 

[zopperman]

I'll keep you guys posted. I'm going to try and add a regulator too. So I have on the air tank

Port 1: input from compressor
Port 2: pressure switch
Port 3: Output hose with regulator connected to fitting on the front bumper.
Port 4: capped off.

Additionally, I'll have a female quick disconnect to mount behind the front license plate and a male swivel connector for the end of my air hose. The compressor is "backwards" in that the fitting coming from teh compressor is male and the air hose has a female connector. Stupid, because all the air would flow out the male fitting. So I'm going to correct this on my fitting. Since it doesn't matter what connects the compressor to the air tank, i'm keeping the OEM fitting and using an air hose with a female connector to link the hose to the air tank.

Sound good?