I'm looking to put an air compressor set up on my truck. I know it's been done. I've seen a lot of electric setups but I'm interested particularly in the belt driven alternative. I don't want to convert my ac pump, one because I like having ac and two because its oiled by the freon that it pumps. My search led me to the internally oiled York compressors commonly used in the 70s and 80s. I've done a minimal amount of research so far and I have a pretty good idea how I want to do it. I was just wondering if anyone on here has used a York compressor, how you mounted it, and whether you converted it to a serpentine pulley or switched your power steering pump pulley and ran a separate v belt to drive it. Anything is appreciated.

 

Bump

 

you would be MUCH better off doing a bigger alternator and using an electric pump, you would loose so much power and once the tanks filled you would be pumping out air all the time just wasting fuel and air having the compressor on the engines belt drive.

it takes a 2-6hp engine to turn a compressor you will be loosing that or more if your belt can even turn it.

 

It has a clutch just like an ac compressor, so it would cut off when the tanks are full so there would be little to no extra belt resistance. And I'm just worried about whether or not even a higher amperage alternator could carry the load of an electric compressor at idle.

 

Ah i see, well could work? although you will need to make one hell of a bracket LOL and still might sap some power, as for the alternator. I have a power inverter that plugs into my power point. I ran my projector off it once for a personal drive in type deal. so im guessing if you get a good enough alternator it would be no sweat for it.
you can get a 200amp alt for 120 bucks or so and with a little bit of wiring you can make it work perfect for your truck. or go extreme and run 2 dual 200amp alternators with a dual battery so you can use the air compressor with out running the truck all the time how big of a compressor are you thinking of?

 

Not quite sure, big enough to fill a 35 inch tire in less than 2 minutes and run an impact and what not off of. I can fit a 10 or 15 gallon airtank on the frame rail where the exhaust used to run.

There's actually a company that makes a bracket that replaces the power steering pump bracket, it holds your power steering pump and the York. I would just need to replace the pulley on the power steering pump and run a v belt to the York.

And with my truck being a 96 I shouldn't have to change any wiring to use a bigger alternator should I? With it being a 3G to start with. I'm sure heftier wires wouldn't hurt but the set up and what not would be the same correct?

 

I just bought a $130 compressor to fix my $400 compressor. I'm going to take the pump and motor and put it on my tank. You could buy a cheap one and use the parts to make a system. The only thing it wouldn't have is the clutch. Lots of choices there and it could be controlled by the tanks pressure switch.

Just throwing out an idea.

 

You need to pm fordtrucknut, he's running the setup your looking for and can guide you through this. Surprised he hasn't chimed in.

 

I vaguely remember him mentioning it once. And I was quite frankly counting on that.