No, I'm not on crack! I'm fixing that derned cracked 11mm block....

[rabbitman]

Why not run the compressor off the back of the crank? You could bolt a couple pulleys on there and run the generator and compressor, unless the generator is gonna bolt straight up.

[maxfax]

I can;t remember which company built them but I've seen compressors setup like that using a Ford 5.0  ...  4 cyls ran and 4 compressed..   Very slick indeed..  800psi might be a bit much for my air nailers though..    I guess for the smoothest operation either cyls 1 & 3 or 2 & 4 should do the running... This would be the engine to use as a lab rat, nothing seems to kill it...

AS it is now the generator bolts straight to the engine.. For the sake of simplicity it would be nice to run the compressor off the front, but since that is a weak point I'm leary..  I haven;t worked out all the mounting details yet, but I have considered still mounting a pulley to the back of the engine to run the compressor, and then coupling the generator thought the pulley..  It would be a bit more involved, and a pain if I had to ever change the compressor belt, but probably they way to go as far as things holding together...

[vanbcguy]

An AC compressor is pumping out about the same pressure as an air compressor would be, so the crank nose should definitely be strong enough to power a compressor...

[truckinwagen]

I've considered welding on a junk cam and then grinding down to make two more lobes for two of the cylinders 180° out of the existing cam lobes.  That way the four strokes would be intake open, exhaust open, intake open, exhaust open.  Then remove those two metal injection lines and add rubber lines to those two delivery valves to return the fuel right to the fuel return line.  Voila, a two cylinder air compressor powered by a two cylinder diesel.     You could even run the exhaust from one of the compressor cylinders into the intake of the other cylinder and have a two stage compressor at some 7-800 psi of outlet pressure.     Then run the generator off the flywheel end and just freewheel the air compressor when running the generator.

there were kits for aircooled vw's that came with a cam to do just that to a 1600cc aircooled vw.

I almosst did that to my old beetle before it got junked

-Owen

[maxfax]

An AC compressor is pumping out about the same pressure as an air compressor would be, so the crank nose should definitely be strong enough to power a compressor...

That was sort of my line of thinking..   I'm sure this truck compressor would probably take a bit more oomph to spin as the internals are heavier, but it wouldn't be cycling like an a/c compressor..

[vanbcguy]

If you have an AC compressor you don't particularly care about it will work just fine as an air compressor, at least for a while.  I have one on my pickup - it happily fills a tank under the bed to 150PSI no problem, reasonably fast too.

The big thing is you're not feeding any oil to the compressor - when it's being used in an AC system there's an oil charge in with the refrigerant.  But mine's been going for a while, so YMMV.  I don't think junkyard AC compressors are all that expensive, especially if you rig up a GM or Ford one that you can find anywhere.  A regular air compressor pressure switch connected to the AC clutch works great too - it'll cycle the compressor on and off to keep the tank full.

But if you've already got the truck compressor I'd probably just go with that - it'll undoubtedly last a WHOLE lot longer!

[maxfax]

The old York A/C compressors (Ford used them alot as well as alot of tractors) are a piston compressor with the capability of holding oil in the crank case.. Had I not gotten the truck compressor, eventually I may have though of mounting one of those on...   Dad put on on his '79 F-250 shortly after he bought it..  Working dandy for almost 30 years...

THe compressor was totally an after thought..  Originally I was gonna run my little compressor off the generator for when I start renovating the house..   I swapped an engine from a bus with air brakes to a flatbed without a few weeks ago and had the leftover compressor and tanks. THe light kicked on, "Why not run a compressor off the diesel too!"

[truckinwagen]

I am currently sitting on a air brake pump off a CAT overland truck.
my summertime boss was recycling the motor for scrap iron, and I liberated the pump after work one night.

I had hoped to install it for onboard air, but there is no more room under my hood anymore, so...

I really wish I had a shop(or even a yard/driveway) as I have a spare diesel motor as well, they would make one hell of a compressor if put together, but alas, I have no space for them, the spare motor is sitting in a buddies shop, and the air brake pump is in a crate in the bottom of a closet in my tiny apartment.


I guess my point is I ENVY YOU!

maybe someday...

[NintendoKD]

I have an old york I pulled it from my 54' savoy's trunk.  I think that the previous owner was going to put airbags on the car.  Anyone interested?   To stay on topic here, I think you should really sit back and enjoy what you have accomplished, whether you decide to keep driving it or converted it to a compressor, or to just drive a compressor, or alternator/generator, or both you have completed no easy feat.  Congratulations, and god bless.

[maxfax]

I guess my point is I ENVY YOU!

I admit it, I'm spoiled!!  With the parent's farm (and VERY understanding parents), the shop, and now my little plot of earth I can drag junk in till I'm blue in the face..    Although it still get's cluttered (More space = More junk), I have some pretty cool toys and tons of spare parts....  ..  This welder generator was a freebie.. THe construction company was going to junk it because it was old, and the motor is shot.. At the time I had no use for it, but it was FREE..  Now that I have the house it has a purpose..  (And if you all think I was nuts for fixing that engine, you should see my house!!! http://s295.photobucket.com/albums/mm124/maxfax3/stonehouse/)

I think you should really sit back and enjoy what you have accomplished

I have to a degree..  Still pretty tickled about it..  But I still have that constant fear of "when's it gonna let go"..  I haven;t been driving the car too awfully far because of that.. I already had another engine in the works for it, and with this pending house nightmare I'm not going to have time or funds to be messing with the VW too much so I gotta have the ducks in a row...

[Rabbit on Roids]

that is a ***IN old house. really cool...

[maxfax]

3100 miles ish..   Driving home last night.. Up the mountain as usual..   Feeling pretty confident again I wasn;t religously watching the temp gauge..   Smelled a hint of antifreeze and looked down..   250F on the mech gauge, factory gauge heading for red again..   CRAP!

Got her off the road, shut it down..   This has to be the end of it..  It just has to..  The rather oil soaked upper hose that I was too cheap to replace (didn;t have a used one laying around) split open..   Keep in mind it's 4am so not alot of people I can call at this hour, and I'm 12 miles from home.. (I'll be so glad when my house is done and I'll be in walking distance of the shop)

I've been carrying gallons of water for just in case.. However due to the cold weather they have been blocks of ice for days..  Luckily the warmer temps yesterday were just enough to partially thaw 2 gallons...   The hose was split too badly to just cut it off, and I only had bits of heater hose and a bypass hose in the car..   But to my relief there was Gorilla tape..   Amazing stuff!!  Wrapped the hose, had just enough water thawed out to top off the cooling system..  Left the cap loose and drove home..  And drive 40 miles (back over the mountain) to the shop. And drive 15 miles to advance auto.. THey didn;t have the correct hose, but we found one that would work. 

Just fired the engine from cold a few mins ago..  No instant pressure on the cooling system, no bubbles in the tank... No overheat issues with the system pressurized.. And it's used less than a cup of oil in the above mileage.. 

To review: 1980 1.5 Block and head came from a car with 446,000 miles on the clock (the odometer was broken, could be more) when it was run low on oil and the crank was trashed... Head was redone, block was only cleaned..  Rotating assembly from a 1981 1.6 that had a cracked cylinder wall (it froze)..  Grant rings, Clevite bearings (with one piece thrust)..  And due to the lack of knowledge at the time new head bolts..  40K (running wvo) and the HG blew..   Block was cracked but I threw studs and a gasket at it anyhow..   140,000 Miles later (burning more WVO and some WMO and god knows what else along with oil going into the coolant) the HG lets go again..  Block gets bubble gummed together, slathered with JB weld and Hylomar with a new HG.. 3100 miles later after being overheated TWICE it's still going.. It's outlived 1 5 speed and a 4 speed in the 1980 Rabbit..   And 2 going on 3 5 speeds in my '81..

I'm having this engine bronzed!

that is a ***IN old house. really cool...

It's just a baby..  At this point we guestimate it was built in the mid 1800's..  My parent's house across the street was built in 1782... 

[macka]

wow, you have some crazy adventures.

[rabbitman]

Everyone should weld their blocks and be immune to overheats!!! It would be nice if my stuff would work when it shouldn't rather than not work when it should

[maxfax]

Everyday is an adventure Macka..  Most of which is brought on by myself..   And to think, I gave up working in a cubicle!!!

It would be nice if my stuff would work when it shouldn't rather than not work when it should

I tend to get alot of the not work when it should..  Really agravating when I see some of the half arsed crap some into shop that is working fine..   Let's just say that I'm beyond exstatic when this cluster ____ had been working so long..

I have to wonder if the Hylomar is due some credit..  For the cost of the stuff it ought to do something amazing..  Reading up on it years ago they mention that it remains soft and has the capability of resealing itself..  I smeared a crapload on this thing, I guess it's not hurting...