Easy and inexpensive air compressor mod

[Dipodomys]

I installed an ARB air compressor under my hood and have been very pleased. I didn't want to have to pop the hood when I aired up, though, so I came up with this easy mod that provides an air outlet on my front bumper. Now I can plug my air hose into the outlet, switch on the compressor using the switch in my cab, and air up easily. The ARB air hose easily reaches all four tires from this location. I thought this might give others some ideas on how to do something similar. I've had this setup on my truck for about seven years, and it works great.

All you need are a few air fittings, some pipe thread tape, some hose clamps, and a few feet of appropriately-sized air hose to run air from your compressor to the new air outlet. I bought all of this stuff at Ace Hardware for about 20 bucks, including the brass elbow fitting that's on the front bumper that the new outlet screws into (look in your store's plumbing section for the elbow). Secure the hose with zip ties to keep it from moving around and rubbing on the body. It's an easy and inexpensive mod. I added stainless steel braiding around the air hose, but that's not absolutely necessary, and can be hard to find.

 

[Dipodomys]

Great idea. Will copy this whenever I get a compressor!

How about some kind of plastic/rubber cap over the new outlet to keep dirt out?

I use a simple rubber chair leg cushion to keep the dirt out. Another hardware store item that looks fine and works great.

 

[AaronK]

Nicely done!

Sent from my OnePlus One using Tapatalk.

 

[rexwang]

looks awesome but i would think that if the stainless braid is touching the grille, it will start to eat through it. my buddy has something similar but his air nozzle is under the body (and above the frame). you have to know were to look. also has it plumbed to the rear of the truck as well.

 

[4wdCamper]

Neat! I'm in the process to do the same on a Tacoma (also) but with a Superflow MV50 compressor.
How did you mount yours on the 3 bolts sticking out of the truck?

 

[just eric]

I've spoken with a few industry types about a similar setup. The consensus has been that things get pretty hot under the hood and opening the hood while filling tires etc helps to extend the life of the compressor. Have you experienced any heat issues with your compressor?

 

[jeep670]

I have the same ARB mounted in my JK's engine bay.
The temps that build under the hood even on long drives are nothing compared with how hot the compressor itself gets when in use. So I'd say the compressor is safe from that point of view.
My daughter came home a week ago from toysrus with a 4foot pool baloon. I wasn't going to inflate it with my mouth. Using my bike hand pump would've been a one hand 5 hours workout as well. So I used the ARB. About 5 minutes later we had a 4 foot baloon. I did not dare to touch the compressor as about 1 foot and a half of the hose side coming from the compressor was hotter than hell. I had to let it cool down for another 10 minutes just to be able to disconnect and pack the hose. I was expecting the hose to melt, but it didn't. Two days later I added some air to my wife's WJ. The ARB ran like new. And the hose was nice and fresh.
The ARB looks like a solid product.

Side note: it took my daughter about 2 minutes to pop the baloon...