Air Compressor Installation
Intro
I felt it would be wise to have some on-board compressed air for my wheeling adventures. So, I ordered a surplus Central Tire Inflation System compressor from
Surplus Center 1-800-488-3407
1015 West "O" Street
Lincoln, Neb. 68501

The part # is 4-1484

it is an oil-less 1/3 hp continuous duty piston compressor, that runs on 24v electrical systems. I has a maximum of 50 psi. and measures 12"x 5 1/2"x 7 1/2".
The unit draws 12 amps. It has no bracket to mount it, so I went to NAPA and looked up the price of 5" u-bolts to hold it in place. They wanted $43 per u-bolt!!! I said screw that and decided to see if they made 5" muffler clamps.....they did! @ $4.50 a piece !!
2x 5" muffler clamp from NAPA---Part # 733-5775  --$9

The bolts on the muffler clamps are 3/8 diameter...so you'll need a drill bit that size.

Wiring
I chose to tap power for the compressor at the 24v-12v converter I had installed at Cold War Remarketing. (You can tap power at the radio plug behind the passenger seat too) All it required me to do was unscrew the + terminal and slap the  lead from the 30amp fuse in there. I then ran the other end of the fuse wire to the "POWER" tab on lighted switch I bought from Radio Shack. I then ran a wire from the "GROUND" portion of the switch to the body.
I didn't know jack about electrical wiring, but I figured it out quite easily. I ran the wire from the "LOAD" tab of the switch to the compressor. I ran the 2nd wire off the compressor to a cleaned portion of the bed for grounding.
**NOTE** the compressor pulls a maximum of 12 amps at 24v. That means it pulls 24 amps at 12v. I installed a 15A fuse from Radio shack....a little breathing room. hopefully not too much. ( thanks for the clarification Eric! )


Mounting
I chose the right rear portion of the bed to install the compressor. I did not mount mine underneath, as I could see myself ripping it off in a mud hole or having it pull out of the bolt holes on the trail.....by placing it inside the bed, the weight is distributed over a much larger area.

I then mounted it where I wanted it, and marked where I needed to drill the holes.....then drilled four  3/8" holes.

The clamps provide a nice resting place for the compressor, but I though It would vibrate a bit much with the metal to metal contact, so I slapped some pipe insulation around the mounts....it's nice and quiet and rattle free.

I then got a 3/8 male NPT > barbed 3/8id  fitting for the intake, and a 1/4" male NPT>barbed 3/8id  for the output. I then slapped 1' of  hose on each barbed fitting and put a filter on the intake end and a male  " industrial quick connect" fitting on the output end . I needed some way to keep the hose in place, so I went to the hardware store.....I found some nice clamps for holding tools, brooms, mops etc....and mounted them on the body. The hose clamps nicely into the "broom clamps"

Price List-
Compressor-$79
50' of 3/8 id 300ps air  hose-$7 at home depot
air filter-$12
NPT fittings-$5
10ft wire-$5
30amp fuse holder-$4
miscellaneous clamps, screws, etc...-$10
-------------------------
$122 total
 

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