Gary Lewis

Thanks, Bob. That helps. I don't like the idea of a LOT of condensate going into my tires. But, in looking at portable air compressors, like in this article in Overland Journal, most of the low-end systems they tested are just compressors w/o tanks. So apparently it will work that way, although obviously not ideally. So what I'm thinking is that if I can find a way to cool the output enough so it won't fry a hose then I'd like to go from the compressor to the tank and then back to the manifold with its outlets. And here are a couple of thoughts of how to cool the air: Copper Tubing: I could bend copper tubing into a series of loops and attach it to the tool box - as shown, horribly, in the the pic below. The air from the compressor and the aluminum of the tool box will cool the air, and at the bottom of the loops I'd put a compression fitting to hose barb connection and run hose down to the tank. That way the tank is the low spot and the condensation will naturally run down to it. Then hose back up to the manifold. Cooler: If I found a thin high-pressure cooler I could go from the copper tubing into it, put it on the front/right wall of the tool box, and then come from it into hose and go down to the tank. But I have to figure out how to go from copper tubing to it, and then from it to hose. I'm leaning to just using copper tubing as it looks easy and effective. Easy because I have to buy copper tubing to come from the compressor as the existing piece isn't long enough, so why not just use it to make the "cooler"? And effective as it'll have more length than a proper cooler and be in contact with the aluminum of the tool box. Thoughts?

Nice! Not a fan of the lift, but still like the truck.

I'll be following along. Let's go!

Thanks, Bob. One problem is that unless I put a hole in the side of the compressor's cover the copper tubing needs to go down to the bottom of the cover and then up. So that means any water that condenses there stays there unless it gets blown out. However, the low point is only ~8" out of the port, so there may not be much condensation there. And yes, unless a coil is constrained it'll vibrate. I've gone through in my head how to constrain it, and if I do that then the advantage of having a long run over which to handle any movement is nullified. So perhaps the manufacturer knows best and I can go down to the bottom and then up to the manifold, which may be an 18" run. That's pretty much what they did, although they went to the tank instead of the manifold first. But to have the air to the disconnects come from the tank would be a pain. I'd have to run the copper a ways to handle the heat, and then somehow convert to hose to go to the tank - through the side of the toolbox and the side of the bed. And then come back from the tank through the side of the bed and through the toolbox. So I really would like to go from the compressor to the manifold on the control panel, which includes the gauges, regulator, and disconnects, and from there on to the tank. That lets me have a positive termination point for the copper tubing, and a place for the hose to start. And with the tank being the low spot hopefully it'll capture the condensation. Does that seem workable? Not optimal, but workable?

It looks great! And STOUT! As for not being professional, weren't you striving for something better? Like "I made this!" If so, you win.

Congrat's!

That was used from 1980 through 1983. In '84 they came out with E4TZ 2455-B for the same application, and I don't know what the difference is.

Carl - We have the factory service manual section here: 11-14 WHEEL HUBS & BEARINGS - REAR (FULL FLOATING AXLE). But it looks like it says the same thing yours does. As for a cup, I think a that is the outer race and the inner race is called a cone. But that's just what I think.

Stein - Are you saying that the holes the metal threaded piece goes into are worn oversized? If so, since I have a lathe, I'd ream the holes out oversized and make new inserts to put in. However, can yours be put back in using red loctite?

Moved. And the shaft should pull out like the other one. At least mine have.

But I seriously doubt he knows what he's talking about. I wonder if there is a way to put a different cap on the 85/86 reservoirs? Something that would vent so that when the radiator cap opens there won't be any pressure in the reservoir? The filler plug is a pain to get out anyway, so if there was something to put there that vented and was easily removed maybe that would work? Got the compressor out, the carpet in, and the compressor back in. Easier said than done as finding the screw holes through the carpet took some time. Then I got the control panel installed. As you can see, it is bolted to the strut mount on the top, but that wasn't solid enough for me so I bent a piece of stainless sheet metal "angle" to serve as support at the bottom. There's plenty of tension on the angle to keep it in place, but I added rubber between it and the toolbox to ensure there's no abrasion. And that piece not only gave plenty of rigidity to the control panel, it made the strut mount a lot more solid. And the term "solid" brings me to a question. In the pic below you can see that the compressor is mounted on rubber isolators. They are the ones it came with from the factory, so I screwed them down to the floor of the toolbox. But you can also see a piece of copper tubing in the pic. That's the original connection from the compressor to the tank. However, the tank was welded to the frame of the unit and the compressor's isolators were mounted to that frame. So the compressor was free to vibrate on its mounts, but the tank wasn't, and yet the two were connected with copper tubing. Back in January of 2020 we had a discussion about copper tubing, coolers, air hose, etc. And the feeling at that time was that I shouldn't use copper tubing to connect things if they can move with respect to each other. And yet the factory did. What I'm thinking of doing is to use 3/8" flexible copper tubing to make the connection from the compressor to the manifold, but coil several feet of it up and use it as a cooler. I could put the coils at the air inlet to the compressor so air would get drawn over them. And the extra length would tend to allow flex w/o breaking the tubing. Thoughts?

Thanks, John. But so far only Rock Auto has responded. I recently asked Keith to follow up on my request at LMC. And last year Darrin didn't respond until well after the show.

You should put that in a signature so we won't have to remember, 'cause at 74 my memory isn't what it used to be. Or, at least I think it used to be better, but I really can't remember for sure.

You are now on the map. We don't use addresses as we don't want people showing up on our doorsteps uninvited.

You've not said what engine you have, but that looks like a Windsor and since it has a 4bbl it must be the 351HO. And that is good as there's less emissions stuff to remove than if it was the 2bbl version. That having been said, I'm not sure what the "next to go" stuff is. But you should be able to move the relay, as you asked. The thing in your hand is the air manifold that was used to inject air into the exhaust ports. You can plug the holes in the heads with a very short 5/8" bolt. I used a copper washer under its head.

Excellent! I look forward to your lucid update!

Yes, welcome! Glad you joined. And, I look forward to the journey of getting your truck running, and running well. So I'll watch for your post in the main section. By the way, we have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu) and we'd be happy to add you - if that's ok by you.

Welcome!

I should also point out that POR15 gets so hard when it sets up that getting any paint to stick to it isn't easy. The instructions say to scuff it with some sandpaper. But that you can top coat it while it is still tacky. I used to use POR15's base coat and then their top coat, but I found that to be less than desirable as I couldn't get a complete coverage with one coat of the top coat, and by the time you brush on two coats on the brush strokes are showing pretty significantly. So now I've started using a spray top coat that is UV stable. Get it on while the POR15 base coat is still tacky, and that's pretty easy, and it sticks. You can put several coats on of the top coat within the specified time limits of that paint, and it should stick fine.

You mean if you take a bite out of that filter, especially used, you may not be here in 2035?

Thanks! Now I remember that conversation. And in it some yoyo said: But I seriously doubt he knows what he's talking about. I wonder if there is a way to put a different cap on the 85/86 reservoirs? Something that would vent so that when the radiator cap opens there won't be any pressure in the reservoir? The filler plug is a pain to get out anyway, so if there was something to put there that vented and was easily removed maybe that would work?

Glad you have confidence we'll still be around then.

Thanks, Scott. I'll take a look for the reseal of the reservoir. But, I'm not sure I'm too worried about it getting too full as it could blow the fill plug and get out that way since it isn't a tight fit or seal. I wonder about turning the thing upside down, cleaning the seal as best I can, and then running Permatex® Flowable Silicone Windshield & Glass Sealer into it. I've used that before to seal windshield leaks, and it works well. Flows like honey and gets into the leaks before setting up. Anyway, back to the compressor install...

Not sure what is causing your stalling, and it doesn't sound like the winch is really doing it. With a 1G alternator, which would be stock, you wouldn't have much power being generated at idle. So you could pull the battery down during winching and if you had much else running it might die minutes later as the load finally takes the battery below whatever is required for ignition. But with the 3G you shouldn't have that problem as it should easily keep up with any load, other than the winch, when idling. Anyway, I don't like the idea of being "out there" where I might need a winch and possibly killing the battery and the engine while doing that. So that's why I have the aux battery and the Cole Hersee 48530 Smart Battery Isolator 200A. That way I can pull the aux battery down and still have the starting battery for running the truck.