Onboard Air – York Compressor
Have you ever been out somewhere and wished you had a powerful and fast air compressor with you? 4 wheeling, camping, changing a flat tire? Well with the help of a heavy duty on board air compressor, this is no longer a wish. This exceptional feature of onboard air to Project Responder.
First, finding a suitable compressor to mount onboard was the first step. After doing a decent amount of research online, it was decided to use a York air compressor. This was because of it’s internal oiling system which does not require oil in the lines for compressor lubrication. This made it perfect for the onboard air solution. Once the onboard air compressor was purchased, it was time to set about designing the necessary brackets and having them manufactured so the onboard air compressor could be installed onto the engine. With the help of a local machinist, Keith Simmons of Simmons Tool & Die, this was easily accomplished
There was quite a lot of room on the passenger’s side of the engine with the L & L brackets securing the A/C compressor and power steering on the driver’s side of the motor. The big question was how to mount the onboard air compressor? Two obstacles were in the way. First, the water pump pulley only had two sheaves. The crank shaft pulley had four sheaves but it is not accessible at the angle from which the air compressor will be installed. It was finally decided that the power for the onboard air compressor would be taken from the alternator pulley since the onboard air system will only be used infrequently and should not interfere with the operation of the alternator.
Next, the mounting locations were selected based on the threaded mounting points available on the engine. The compressor needed the mounting plate to pivot, allowing the belt to be tensioned properly. One of the great features of the York air compressor is that it can be mounted from vertical to the horizontal position without any negative impact on it’s performance. With the onboard air compressor on it’s side, it was carefully aligned on the brackets with the inner sheave of the compressor pulley in line with the outer sheave of the high output alternator. Fortunately, the L & L alternator pulley has two sheaves.
The next step was to figure out how to tension the mounting plate. With the alternator nearly touching the engine block, there was little room for the tensioner. However, an angle was found that just cleared the alternator and gives just the right support. A spacer had to be manufactured as you can see in the phots. The end of the spacer is conical to allow for the angle of the tensioner and the rotation of the mounting eye without binding. The mounting point on the onboard air compressor plate also has a conical mount for the very same reason. After all of the parts were completed and the installation was tested and approved, the parts were sent to a local powder coating facility, Spectrum Industrial Coatings, to be powder coated in yellow to match, as well as possible, the color of the powder coating on the L & L brackets.
All that was left was to connect the lines and the pressure switch to control the operation of the onboard air compressor.