[redneckchevy89]

i have a 1985 gmc 1500 and i want to know if i could use the smog pump as an air compressor trying to set up this truck for me and my friend as a service truck for our derby/dirt track cars. any help and info would be really great

thanks,JR

[matt167]

no, the AIR pump ( Air Injection Reaction ) is designed just to move air, not to gain pressure... you could use the A/C compressor

[oldred]

Those smog pumps are, as already pointed out, for volume and very low pressure so they will not work as a compressor pump. An AC compressor will be capable of the high pressure you need but the volume is so low it most likely will not be usable for more than maybe filling tires. I have seen several of these AC compressor setups and they not only take forever to fill even a 5 gallon tank there is the problem of keeping the thing lubed since they are designed to have the oil circulating in the system.

[Torque454]

You really need an old YORK style (used on alot of fords in the 70s) compressor to be used for an air compressor. Im not sure of the volume it puts out but they dont circulate oil through the system like modern compressors do.

[oldred]

Originally Posted by Torque454

You really need an old YORK style (used on alot of fords in the 70s) compressor to be used for an air compressor. Im not sure of the volume it puts out but they dont circulate oil through the system like modern compressors do.

I started to suggest one of those for the very reason you mention but they are so scarce anymore they might be hard to find plus mounting one could be a pain, probably not worth the effort for the very small CFM numbers it would produce. Going to all that trouble and expense it would be much better to just use a cheap import compressor pump so it would have enough volume to be useful. In fact it would be quite possible to mount a decent pump with enough CFM to do about anything a person might need, 15 or more CFM and a 10 gallon tank in the back should be enough to run impact wrenches, grinders, etc while the AC compressor would be little more than a tire pumper.

[stimpy]

get a addon air pump that we use for the gas powered semis and they and brackets are still available , tire changing guys use the all the time , they mount under hood and they are either electrically controlled ( like a a/c pump ) or by using the air govenor . but I would prefer a seperate compressor and use the trucks alternator to drive a invertor to power it .

[oldred]

Originally Posted by stimpy

get a addon air pump that we use for the gas powered semis and they and brackets are still available , tire changing guys use the all the time , they mount under hood and they are either electrically controlled ( like a a/c pump ) or by using the air govenor . but I would prefer a seperate compressor and use the trucks alternator to drive a invertor to power it .

I thought about mentioning those also but have you priced one of those suckers? I was assuming the OP wanted a cheap way of supplying air and really mounting a small compressor pump is no major problem, biggest expense is adding an electric clutch. Using the alternator/inverter to power a compressor simply will not work unless the compressor is quite small and then add the expense of an inverter large enough to handle it (around $500 for a real 5000 watt) and it starts getting expensive.

[stimpy]

Originally Posted by oldred

I thought about mentioning those also but have you priced one of those suckers? I was assuming the OP wanted a cheap way of supplying air and really mounting a small compressor pump is no major problem, biggest expense is adding an electric clutch. Using the alternator/inverter to power a compressor simply will not work unless the compressor is quite small and then add the expense of an inverter large enough to handle it (around $500 for a real 5000 watt) and it starts getting expensive.

compaired to the price of a gasoline powered a/c its a little cheaper ,plus you free up room on the truck or in the trailer , If anything I would use the air govenor style that controlls the unit and lets it free pump ( no clutch to burn out ) , and you can also hide the tanks on the truck frame on the outsides ( depending on the truck we did this to our service truck ) as for the generator option , they do make a N-L alternator that will mount up that puts out some wattage ( we use them on the big trucks plus some fire engines so they don't have to add a pto ) .but they are $$$ . it was a option so I mentioned it .

[timothale]

with the bust in the construction business now a lot of contractors are selling tools cheap. I bought a gasoline powered twin tank 5 hp for $ 150 a while back. The idle speed control just needed a little wd 40 and now it works fine

[oldred]

Originally Posted by stimpy

and you can also hide the tanks on the truck frame on the outsides

I may get in trouble for this one but back when we did those service truck compressor set-ups one of our most popular options was an integral bumper/tank. We built a rear bumper out of 6" diameter 3/8" wall pipe with a flat plate welded to it to form a step type bumper, looked pretty good and served quite nicely as a tank.


Before we put these in service they were hydro tested to 600 PSI and we destroyed the first one with a bulldozer blade to make sure it would not explode in an impact, remember this is 3/8" wall and only 6" in diameter and EVERY one was tested to 600 PSI!

[LATECH]

Originally Posted by stimpy

get a addon air pump that we use for the gas powered semis and they and brackets are still available , tire changing guys use the all the time , they mount under hood and they are either electrically controlled ( like a a/c pump ) or by using the air govenor . but I would prefer a seperate compressor and use the trucks alternator to drive a invertor to power it .

Thats just good lookin out there stimpy.I would bet a truck salvage yard may be just the ticket

[Tim C]

I know this is an old post but the 10 cubic inch yorks (210 series) found on 70s F150s and Jeep wagoneers among others puts out some serious air. You can find them in yards easy (I got 2 a few weeks ago for $20 ea) and auto parts stores sell rebuilt ones for around $120 minus the clutch (look up a a/c compressor for a 78 F150). I use one on the trail to run my air lockers, fill 42" tires and run impacts and air grinders for trail repairs and it works great. I'm filling a 11 gallon air tank with my york to 125 psi in about 2 minutes at idle and faster than that with the engine revved up.

You can do a google search for york onboard air and you'll find all kinds of info. The york is capable of filling a 42X15" tire on a 16" rim from 8 psi to 35 psi and build the 11 gallon tank back up and cut the compressor off before the tire is full. It cycles like the compressor in your shop.

[Old Fool]

Back in the day a guy used a smog pump as a supercharger on a Honda 125 twin and raced it at the Salt Flats.

Yes I know this is an old thread, just wanted to share some old trivia about smog pumps with other old geezers.