The evolution of "Alpine" Tundra
- Thread starter RoundOut
- Start date
RoundOut
Explorer
Got the compressor mounted...
Been a while since I updated the thread...
The Viair 400C Compressor is mounted in the original battery location. I have placed the manifold system on the other side of the engine bay, near the air cleaner, where my original location of the dual battery solenoid was. All air lines run so far, except the air line to the interior pressure gauge, as follows:
In my quest to mount my compressor in a way that cleared the battery cable lines, I found a really cool rivet tool that installs threaded rivets. See photo below.... It is called a "Surebonder Threaded Insert Tool" and I found it at Northern Tool one day while browsing and knew immediately that it would work for my compressor install. I like this solution far better than using self-tapping sheet metal screws.
See pics in next post for final installation...
Been a while since I updated the thread...
The Viair 400C Compressor is mounted in the original battery location. I have placed the manifold system on the other side of the engine bay, near the air cleaner, where my original location of the dual battery solenoid was. All air lines run so far, except the air line to the interior pressure gauge, as follows:
- Air intake line located just behind the expanded metal in the front bumper, run over to a point just behind the top of the right headlight, in front of the K&N intake filter.
- Quick connect from braided leader hose with check valve
- Connects to 1/4 nylon line, run atop the firewall, around to the manifold system.
- The intake of the manifold system is first routed through a small dehydrator, then to a tee above the pressure switch, and then to the manifold.
- There are five ports on the manifold (purchased from Sierra Expeditions - GREAT SERVICE, BTW!) as follows:
- Line to the air tank in the rear
- Line to the in-cab pressure gauge
- Pressure relief valve (popoff valve)
- Under hood pressure gauge
- Line to front quick-connect fitting in front bumper behind the right riser of the bull bar.
In my quest to mount my compressor in a way that cleared the battery cable lines, I found a really cool rivet tool that installs threaded rivets. See photo below.... It is called a "Surebonder Threaded Insert Tool" and I found it at Northern Tool one day while browsing and knew immediately that it would work for my compressor install. I like this solution far better than using self-tapping sheet metal screws.
See pics in next post for final installation...
Attachments
Last edited:
RoundOut
Explorer
Air Compressor To Date
Alpine Tundra's On Board Air System is totally functional. I'll be mounting the interior air pressure gauge and switch using the supplied Viair bracket. It will go under the console near the ignition switch. I gave up on trying to get it to look like a factory install at this point for a couple of reasons... 1) the TRD gauge pods are very difficult to locate for the Tundras, and 2) I am satisfied with my factory head unit and replacing it with a single DIN unit to gain access to the lower din for switches, is a project that I just don't want to spend the money on right now. Here are some observations on how it works...
TUBING ROUTING
1) I have the compressor air supply coming from next to my K&N intake filter, around the front of the radiator (to avoid transient heat in the supply air - since the compressed air is hot enough). I am ok with this location, since I will be striving to keep the K&N dry, it won't become an issue to drown my OBA filter. This part is good.
2) Compressed air routing is around the back at the top of the firewall to the dryer, then to the switch/relay, then to the manifold. From the manifold, to the following...
Front air chuck
Under hood gauge
Plug where interior gauge line will go
pop-off
rear air feed to tank
At the rear air tank, the line tees with a feed to the tank and a line to the rear air chuck, just outside the driver's side of the battery/air tank box. When using the rear air-chuck, I have 4 gallons of compressed air (at 140 psi starting) very close by. When using the front air chuck, that air tank is 20' from the manifold and another +/- 3' to the chuck. Filling tires from the front is slow, and I wonder how much I gain by having the air tank in the system. Sure it helps, but I'm not sure how much.
WIRING
The power lines, using the supplied 10 gauge feed wire with a 30 amp fuse, were not impressive, heating up to the point that the temporary electrical tape used to cover my splice under the hood for the switch was smoking hot. I replaced it with 8 gauge wire after seeing that, which helps, but does not totally eliminate the heat. Another possible problem with heat, was running my compressed air line to the dryer/switch/relay/manifold in the same split-loom dressup tubing. I tore it out and ran them in separate split-loom when replacing the wire with heavier gauge.
FIRST USAGES
1) When working in the oil patch a few weeks back, a Kawasaki Mule approached with a flat driver's front tire. He looked at my truck and assumed I had air, which was pretty gratifying, since I had only readied the system the weekend before. I answered, "Of course.", not willing to admit I just got it ready - LOL.
His tire would not inflate, and being the prepared Boy Scout, I had some extra valve stem cores and replaced his bent one. Wallah, it inflated in a jiffy.
2) I used the rear chuck to power my air-ratchet when removing my sliders. It didn't have enough air to drive the tool for more than a few seconds at a time. I could use it effectively to remove nuts from long bolts after the torque was broken, or install nuts on long bolts, then hand-torqueing, but the impact hammer will be hampered severely. Just not enough air volume with my 400C. I may try dual compressors or a MUCH larger compressor at some point in the future.
3) I just installed my Deaver 10-pack (see later post for this description) and had a pull to the right which I thought was from my new leaf springs not getting mounted to the axle properly. After fixing what I thought was the problem (1/16" behind at the right off perpendicular as measured from the forward spring hanger), I drove home with the same problem. Then I saw the flat front right. I inflated it with my forward chuck. The tank only provided about 10 seconds of air before the pressure switch turned on the compressor. I then realized that the valve stem was faulty, so it was off to Discount Tire this morning after putting on the spare.
Photos:
1) Compresor view from front right of vehicle. Below the compressor are the terminal lines coming from the battery/alternator/accessories. Behind it is my Blue Sea master switch.
2) Split loom coming from compressor around the top of firewall to the manifold system.
3) View from the drivers side across the engine to the manifold system. Note the temporary switch atop the wires coming out of the relay/pressure switch, and the dryer in the center back.
4) Top view of the manifold system. Left to right are quick connect, dryer, pressure switch/relay, manifold mounted to inside of fender with standoffs.
5) Air chuck positioned just behind the bull-bar on the passenger side.
6) Pardon the dust -- Note the small red handle outside the driver side of the battery box, just above the skid plate... this is the valve supplying air to the air chuck in the rear. I have a rubber cane tip over the air chuck and lots of splash of dirty water to add effect in the photo. I went to great lengths to get the right amount of soiling for this photo...
.
Alpine Tundra's On Board Air System is totally functional. I'll be mounting the interior air pressure gauge and switch using the supplied Viair bracket. It will go under the console near the ignition switch. I gave up on trying to get it to look like a factory install at this point for a couple of reasons... 1) the TRD gauge pods are very difficult to locate for the Tundras, and 2) I am satisfied with my factory head unit and replacing it with a single DIN unit to gain access to the lower din for switches, is a project that I just don't want to spend the money on right now. Here are some observations on how it works...
TUBING ROUTING
1) I have the compressor air supply coming from next to my K&N intake filter, around the front of the radiator (to avoid transient heat in the supply air - since the compressed air is hot enough). I am ok with this location, since I will be striving to keep the K&N dry, it won't become an issue to drown my OBA filter. This part is good.
2) Compressed air routing is around the back at the top of the firewall to the dryer, then to the switch/relay, then to the manifold. From the manifold, to the following...
Front air chuck
Under hood gauge
Plug where interior gauge line will go
pop-off
rear air feed to tank
At the rear air tank, the line tees with a feed to the tank and a line to the rear air chuck, just outside the driver's side of the battery/air tank box. When using the rear air-chuck, I have 4 gallons of compressed air (at 140 psi starting) very close by. When using the front air chuck, that air tank is 20' from the manifold and another +/- 3' to the chuck. Filling tires from the front is slow, and I wonder how much I gain by having the air tank in the system. Sure it helps, but I'm not sure how much.
WIRING
The power lines, using the supplied 10 gauge feed wire with a 30 amp fuse, were not impressive, heating up to the point that the temporary electrical tape used to cover my splice under the hood for the switch was smoking hot. I replaced it with 8 gauge wire after seeing that, which helps, but does not totally eliminate the heat. Another possible problem with heat, was running my compressed air line to the dryer/switch/relay/manifold in the same split-loom dressup tubing. I tore it out and ran them in separate split-loom when replacing the wire with heavier gauge.
FIRST USAGES
1) When working in the oil patch a few weeks back, a Kawasaki Mule approached with a flat driver's front tire. He looked at my truck and assumed I had air, which was pretty gratifying, since I had only readied the system the weekend before. I answered, "Of course.", not willing to admit I just got it ready - LOL.
His tire would not inflate, and being the prepared Boy Scout, I had some extra valve stem cores and replaced his bent one. Wallah, it inflated in a jiffy.
2) I used the rear chuck to power my air-ratchet when removing my sliders. It didn't have enough air to drive the tool for more than a few seconds at a time. I could use it effectively to remove nuts from long bolts after the torque was broken, or install nuts on long bolts, then hand-torqueing, but the impact hammer will be hampered severely. Just not enough air volume with my 400C. I may try dual compressors or a MUCH larger compressor at some point in the future.
3) I just installed my Deaver 10-pack (see later post for this description) and had a pull to the right which I thought was from my new leaf springs not getting mounted to the axle properly. After fixing what I thought was the problem (1/16" behind at the right off perpendicular as measured from the forward spring hanger), I drove home with the same problem. Then I saw the flat front right. I inflated it with my forward chuck. The tank only provided about 10 seconds of air before the pressure switch turned on the compressor. I then realized that the valve stem was faulty, so it was off to Discount Tire this morning after putting on the spare.
Photos:
1) Compresor view from front right of vehicle. Below the compressor are the terminal lines coming from the battery/alternator/accessories. Behind it is my Blue Sea master switch.
2) Split loom coming from compressor around the top of firewall to the manifold system.
3) View from the drivers side across the engine to the manifold system. Note the temporary switch atop the wires coming out of the relay/pressure switch, and the dryer in the center back.
4) Top view of the manifold system. Left to right are quick connect, dryer, pressure switch/relay, manifold mounted to inside of fender with standoffs.
5) Air chuck positioned just behind the bull-bar on the passenger side.
6) Pardon the dust -- Note the small red handle outside the driver side of the battery box, just above the skid plate... this is the valve supplying air to the air chuck in the rear. I have a rubber cane tip over the air chuck and lots of splash of dirty water to add effect in the photo. I went to great lengths to get the right amount of soiling for this photo...
.
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RoundOut
Explorer
New Deaver "9+1 pack"
After all the mods adding weight to the rear, I had a small sag and a pervasive problem of the leaves in the driver side leaf spring/block/add-a-leaf getting slightly X-shaped. I had always heard great things about Deaver Spring, so I ordered a custom leaf pack to provide the two inches of lift I already had with my 1" block and 1" add-a-leaf, plus enought lift to offset an additional 500 lbs. They shipped out a custom 9-pack a few weeks ago and I had it in a few days. A buddy of mine that has a great shop, helped me get them installed. Prior to installation, I measured the height on both sides to the lower edge of my fender flares and got 37.5" on the PS and 37.375" on the DS. After installation, I measured again and got 36.9" on the PS and 37.1" on the DS.
I was so bummed. We looked at putting the block back in, but the pins were not long enough, and I figured if I'm spending $700 on a leaf pack, I darned sure shouldn't need a block.
That was Saturday, so I had to wait until Monday to contact Deaver. I sent them and email to all the addresses I had, and at 10:00 a.m. my time, I picked up my phone to call them and noticed they had already responded. GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE.
I decided I better re-read my email to make sure I wasn't impolite, and it was ok. LOL. Then I called and spoke to Jeff, who said they'd get me another leaf out right away to install in the middle. They did, and last Saturday, we went back to my buddy's shop to get some more experience with rear leaf springs. :Mechanic:
We got it all set up and called Deaver for some last minute pointers. They said put it between leaves 2 and 3 as counting from the top, use clamps to keep them aligned, (but one really needs a jig -- Note to anyone adding a leaf: buy a foot-long smooth rod and have it welded plumb to a sturdy 12" x 12" plate. It will make re-stacking the leaves much more accurate the first time.) Without a jig, we didn't get it exactly straight, and tended to botch up the threaded pins that Deaver included with the new leaves. This made getting the nuts on very difficult. Oh well, someone on here says that cross threaded is better than lock-tite, right?
Leaving the shop, I began to notice a pull to the right. After a couple days, I blamed it on the possibility that we didn't get the threaded pins perfectly plumb in the leaf pack, leaving the axle behind or ahead on one side. I made an appointment with my buddy for the next Saturday to fix it. We took some measurements from the spring hanger bolt to the forward edge of the axle, and it was only off by 1/16". hmmmm
I got that fixed, backed out, and darned if it still didn't pull right. When we got home, I noticed that the front right tire was almost flat. As mentioned in my last post, that was from a faulty valve stem. They needed rotating & balancing anyhow, so I visited Discount Tire this morning for that service and repair. Done, no more pull to the right!
After that visit, it was off to order some Billstien 5100 rear shocks.
Photos:
1) View from outside left rear of DS "9+1 pack". I didn't have time to get the proper amount of soiling on the new leaf pack for these photos.
2) View from rear of left leaf pack over axle. We cleaned and re-painted the lower axle mounts that the U-Bolts fit into while we had them off.
3) View of the PS leaf pack from under the center of the rear of the vehicle.
After all the mods adding weight to the rear, I had a small sag and a pervasive problem of the leaves in the driver side leaf spring/block/add-a-leaf getting slightly X-shaped. I had always heard great things about Deaver Spring, so I ordered a custom leaf pack to provide the two inches of lift I already had with my 1" block and 1" add-a-leaf, plus enought lift to offset an additional 500 lbs. They shipped out a custom 9-pack a few weeks ago and I had it in a few days. A buddy of mine that has a great shop, helped me get them installed. Prior to installation, I measured the height on both sides to the lower edge of my fender flares and got 37.5" on the PS and 37.375" on the DS. After installation, I measured again and got 36.9" on the PS and 37.1" on the DS.
I was so bummed. We looked at putting the block back in, but the pins were not long enough, and I figured if I'm spending $700 on a leaf pack, I darned sure shouldn't need a block.
That was Saturday, so I had to wait until Monday to contact Deaver. I sent them and email to all the addresses I had, and at 10:00 a.m. my time, I picked up my phone to call them and noticed they had already responded. GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE.
I decided I better re-read my email to make sure I wasn't impolite, and it was ok. LOL. Then I called and spoke to Jeff, who said they'd get me another leaf out right away to install in the middle. They did, and last Saturday, we went back to my buddy's shop to get some more experience with rear leaf springs. :Mechanic:
We got it all set up and called Deaver for some last minute pointers. They said put it between leaves 2 and 3 as counting from the top, use clamps to keep them aligned, (but one really needs a jig -- Note to anyone adding a leaf: buy a foot-long smooth rod and have it welded plumb to a sturdy 12" x 12" plate. It will make re-stacking the leaves much more accurate the first time.) Without a jig, we didn't get it exactly straight, and tended to botch up the threaded pins that Deaver included with the new leaves. This made getting the nuts on very difficult. Oh well, someone on here says that cross threaded is better than lock-tite, right?
Leaving the shop, I began to notice a pull to the right. After a couple days, I blamed it on the possibility that we didn't get the threaded pins perfectly plumb in the leaf pack, leaving the axle behind or ahead on one side. I made an appointment with my buddy for the next Saturday to fix it. We took some measurements from the spring hanger bolt to the forward edge of the axle, and it was only off by 1/16". hmmmm
I got that fixed, backed out, and darned if it still didn't pull right. When we got home, I noticed that the front right tire was almost flat. As mentioned in my last post, that was from a faulty valve stem. They needed rotating & balancing anyhow, so I visited Discount Tire this morning for that service and repair. Done, no more pull to the right!
After that visit, it was off to order some Billstien 5100 rear shocks.
Photos:
1) View from outside left rear of DS "9+1 pack". I didn't have time to get the proper amount of soiling on the new leaf pack for these photos.
2) View from rear of left leaf pack over axle. We cleaned and re-painted the lower axle mounts that the U-Bolts fit into while we had them off.
3) View of the PS leaf pack from under the center of the rear of the vehicle.
RoundOut
Explorer
Fire extinguishers & rear winch power mounted
I purchased two fire extinguishers for my truck and have been carrying them around in the tool box for some time. It was time to mount them, and with my high-lift up against my tool box, I was relegated to looking for alternate locations. A buddy of mine suggested using the spots on either side of the tail lights, just inside the bed. They were flush which made it easy to mount the threaded rivets for the bracket. I chose 1/4 x 20 threaded rivets, as they were the strongest. We drilled the holes, painted the bare steel, inserted the threaded rivets with the Surebonder tool, and installed the bracket. It was a pretty quick install.
A few weeks ago, in order to power (short-term) a centrifuge for an oil-field project I was working on, and (long-term) to have a rear power point for my receiver mounted winch, I installed a quick-connect coupler in the rear. I am very happy with how it turned out.
With my dual batteries just under the bed, I had only a short run of positive cable through the battery box, up the corner of the bed behind (actually, in front of) the tail light on the DS. I drilled two holes and used continuous grommet to protect the wiring, then was generous with the permatex silicone sealant to keep all vibration isolated. I mounted the quick-connect using some threaded rivets, just like described above, and attached the cover behind one of the bolts under the quick-connect. After a coat of gloss black that blends in nicely with the bed-liner, leaving it almost invisible unless you know it is there, it was a finished.
Photos:
1) Standard fire extinguisher on PS
2) Kitchen/Electrical fire extinguisher on DS, with winch quick-connect above.
.
I purchased two fire extinguishers for my truck and have been carrying them around in the tool box for some time. It was time to mount them, and with my high-lift up against my tool box, I was relegated to looking for alternate locations. A buddy of mine suggested using the spots on either side of the tail lights, just inside the bed. They were flush which made it easy to mount the threaded rivets for the bracket. I chose 1/4 x 20 threaded rivets, as they were the strongest. We drilled the holes, painted the bare steel, inserted the threaded rivets with the Surebonder tool, and installed the bracket. It was a pretty quick install.
A few weeks ago, in order to power (short-term) a centrifuge for an oil-field project I was working on, and (long-term) to have a rear power point for my receiver mounted winch, I installed a quick-connect coupler in the rear. I am very happy with how it turned out.
With my dual batteries just under the bed, I had only a short run of positive cable through the battery box, up the corner of the bed behind (actually, in front of) the tail light on the DS. I drilled two holes and used continuous grommet to protect the wiring, then was generous with the permatex silicone sealant to keep all vibration isolated. I mounted the quick-connect using some threaded rivets, just like described above, and attached the cover behind one of the bolts under the quick-connect. After a coat of gloss black that blends in nicely with the bed-liner, leaving it almost invisible unless you know it is there, it was a finished.
Photos:
1) Standard fire extinguisher on PS
2) Kitchen/Electrical fire extinguisher on DS, with winch quick-connect above.
.
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jim65wagon
Well-known member
Very nice! I love having OBA, especially with the pressure switch which saves all the shutting off/turning on of the compressor for each tire. Truck is looking good with all the fresh black.
Good to see this thread come to the top again.
I'd like to thank you for the good info I got from your dual battery posts. After much research and work, I am now the proud owner of a good quality setup myself. You pointed me in the right direction to getting all those small parts many of which I didn't even know existed. Thank you.
I'd like to thank you for the good info I got from your dual battery posts. After much research and work, I am now the proud owner of a good quality setup myself. You pointed me in the right direction to getting all those small parts many of which I didn't even know existed. Thank you.
I never made a thread on my setup only because it seems like dual battery threads are the most unloved mod, present company excepted.
I enjoyed it. I seen it as the most challenging mod, which makes the end product all the more satisfying.
Anyways, I went with a battery backup setup. That is, my battery up front gets all the abuse and my battery in the back is there to provide when the cranking gets tough.
With the parallel 4AWG lines coming from the back, I have instant crankability. In fact, I can take my front battery out of the truck and go about my merry way (proven).
In the drawing, the ground in the back is to the frame. If I have time, I' ll run that up to the block as I am dropping nearly 1.5v front battery to inverter.
The only other thing I wish I would have done was spend the money for a 1800W inverter (15A). I got a 1000W. Good enough to make coffee, my original intention.
I enjoyed it. I seen it as the most challenging mod, which makes the end product all the more satisfying.
Anyways, I went with a battery backup setup. That is, my battery up front gets all the abuse and my battery in the back is there to provide when the cranking gets tough.
With the parallel 4AWG lines coming from the back, I have instant crankability. In fact, I can take my front battery out of the truck and go about my merry way (proven).
In the drawing, the ground in the back is to the frame. If I have time, I' ll run that up to the block as I am dropping nearly 1.5v front battery to inverter.
The only other thing I wish I would have done was spend the money for a 1800W inverter (15A). I got a 1000W. Good enough to make coffee, my original intention.
RoundOut
Explorer
OK, time to reciprocate, LOL... What part numbers are the through-wall terminals you used? Those are FINE! I would really like that positive one in a couple places. It would really simplify the wiring in my box, and permanently prevent any chafing of cable through the hole, should the grommets fail.
keezer36 said:
RoundOut
Explorer
Almost factory looking gauge/switch for compressor
Well, I started to give up on getting a factory look for my air pressure gauge and switches. I selected the space just above my right knee, below the ignition switch as an ideal place for the gauge pod and switch that comes with the VIAIR kit. (See picture 1.) After almost drilling into my fuel lines when mounting my Icom head unit under my seat, I decided that I would check where my holes would be drilling into before drilling the mounting screws for the VIAIR switch and gauge pod. I found that there are only four 10mm screws to remove to get the lower dash valence (or whatever it's called) off, so I removed them and pulled it out.
When getting the large plastic part out, I discovered that there is an outline of plastic flash where maybe Toyota had some other parts designed in. It looked like it might be just the answer to that "factory look" of an aftermarket accessory. (See picture 2 for the outline and approximate location of the gauge before cutting the hole.) If you have read this thread through, you will have read my pondering of swapping out the factory radio head unit for a single DIN unit to allow the lower slot for switches and gauges, but the gauges are just too high. I blew off this final step, plugging the hole in the manifold that was set aside for this gauge, just because I didn't want a cheesy, obviously aftermarket look to my interior air pressure gauge. All good things come to those who wait, I guess.
I had to trim the light socket a bit because it was too deep for the air duct that is behind the spot I chose to mount this. It looked like it only needed about a half inch, so out came the rotary tool. In order to keep debris out of the gauge, I rolled up a paper towel. The tool made short work of it. No pun intended. (See picture 3.)
When lining up the 2" hole on the back it looked like I might need to trim some of the metal support backing. I cut a piece that looked about the size of a 1.5" x .5" right triangle. In the fourth picture, you can see my left index finger is touching the area that was eventually removed. In Picture 5, see the test fit.
In the next picture, I had another accessory that needed a good switch home, so the place to the right of the gauge would be an ideal spot. I drilled two 7/16 holes and mounted the switches there. In this picture, you can also see the air duct that necessitated shortening the light socket behind the gauge.
All that was left was hooking it all up, so I fished the air line and positive switch wire through the firewall and hooked them up to the appropriate locations. I used the fuse block in the "secret compartment" of the console to supply power to the compressor switch. Then, I re-wired the auxilliary backup lights from the switch that was just wadded up in the "secret compartment", to the top switch in picture six.
Picture 7 shows the final mounting locations. I chose the lower switch to power the compressor relay/pressure switch, and the upper switch to power the auxilliary rear lights. I took this picture well after dark, at about 9:45 p.m., and realized that in looking for a "clean install", one should first clean the dust and mud from the work area, LOL. Oh well, so what, I use my truck.
After getting it all hooked up, I realized that the gauge light is on all the time, so rather than splice into a gauge wire from the factory fuse panel, which may have taken another couple hours to find, I just threw a switch inline so I can turn that little light off. It is just never finished, is it?
I hope you guys enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed getting it 99.5% finished. All that remaines is to get my positive power lead from the switch to the relay/pressure switch in split loom, and splice into gauge power for the illumination of the air pressure gauge.
.
Well, I started to give up on getting a factory look for my air pressure gauge and switches. I selected the space just above my right knee, below the ignition switch as an ideal place for the gauge pod and switch that comes with the VIAIR kit. (See picture 1.) After almost drilling into my fuel lines when mounting my Icom head unit under my seat, I decided that I would check where my holes would be drilling into before drilling the mounting screws for the VIAIR switch and gauge pod. I found that there are only four 10mm screws to remove to get the lower dash valence (or whatever it's called) off, so I removed them and pulled it out.
When getting the large plastic part out, I discovered that there is an outline of plastic flash where maybe Toyota had some other parts designed in. It looked like it might be just the answer to that "factory look" of an aftermarket accessory. (See picture 2 for the outline and approximate location of the gauge before cutting the hole.) If you have read this thread through, you will have read my pondering of swapping out the factory radio head unit for a single DIN unit to allow the lower slot for switches and gauges, but the gauges are just too high. I blew off this final step, plugging the hole in the manifold that was set aside for this gauge, just because I didn't want a cheesy, obviously aftermarket look to my interior air pressure gauge. All good things come to those who wait, I guess.
I had to trim the light socket a bit because it was too deep for the air duct that is behind the spot I chose to mount this. It looked like it only needed about a half inch, so out came the rotary tool. In order to keep debris out of the gauge, I rolled up a paper towel. The tool made short work of it. No pun intended. (See picture 3.)
When lining up the 2" hole on the back it looked like I might need to trim some of the metal support backing. I cut a piece that looked about the size of a 1.5" x .5" right triangle. In the fourth picture, you can see my left index finger is touching the area that was eventually removed. In Picture 5, see the test fit.
In the next picture, I had another accessory that needed a good switch home, so the place to the right of the gauge would be an ideal spot. I drilled two 7/16 holes and mounted the switches there. In this picture, you can also see the air duct that necessitated shortening the light socket behind the gauge.
All that was left was hooking it all up, so I fished the air line and positive switch wire through the firewall and hooked them up to the appropriate locations. I used the fuse block in the "secret compartment" of the console to supply power to the compressor switch. Then, I re-wired the auxilliary backup lights from the switch that was just wadded up in the "secret compartment", to the top switch in picture six.
Picture 7 shows the final mounting locations. I chose the lower switch to power the compressor relay/pressure switch, and the upper switch to power the auxilliary rear lights. I took this picture well after dark, at about 9:45 p.m., and realized that in looking for a "clean install", one should first clean the dust and mud from the work area, LOL. Oh well, so what, I use my truck.
After getting it all hooked up, I realized that the gauge light is on all the time, so rather than splice into a gauge wire from the factory fuse panel, which may have taken another couple hours to find, I just threw a switch inline so I can turn that little light off. It is just never finished, is it?
I hope you guys enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed getting it 99.5% finished. All that remaines is to get my positive power lead from the switch to the relay/pressure switch in split loom, and splice into gauge power for the illumination of the air pressure gauge.
.
Attachments
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