wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Thanks man!
That's been the plan going along the whole time. Keep it practical and no-nonsense. "More TCB than look at me" as someone on ClubFrontier said.
Haha I've done that road in a BMW M3 before, and its phenomenal.
"Lola" - WreckDiver1321's 2005 Frontier CC/SB Nismo Build and Adventure Thread
- Thread starter wreckdiver1321
- Start date
Thanks man!
That's been the plan going along the whole time. Keep it practical and no-nonsense. "More TCB than look at me" as someone on ClubFrontier said.
Haha I've done that road in a BMW M3 before, and its phenomenal.
07BlackSpecV
Adventurer
Are those Warn VR's seriously only 500 bucks? I'll be putting that on the top of the list for our Rubicon and for the ARB Bumper I have to get for the Xterra. I really love your Frontier also, wish I could get my Xterra out and play as much as you do.
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Certainly, I'll snap some tonight.
Yep, they are. They're a decent winch for that price too, covered by Warn's warranty, good quality parts. Also check out the Superwinch Tiger Shark series and the Smittybilt winches. I've heard good things about all of them.
Thanks man, she's been a good truck. Very reliable and very capable. I really like your Xterra, that Gobi rack looks sweet.
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
So, this is one I'm particularly proud of.
A few weeks ago, I ordered the ARB CKMA12 air compressor as a faster, more efficient replacement for my cheap and slow Viair portable compressor. My original plan was to mount it in front of the factory air box under the hood, but once it was delivered, I found that mounting it in that manner would make it so that I'd have to completely remove the assembly to replace any of the bulbs up there. I didn't really like that idea much, so I started thinking about other ideas. I thought about mounting it on top of the wheel arch, but when I did a test fit, it looked really messy. I looked for about an hour for a place to mount it elsewhere, but I was unable to find anywhere that I liked. I sat on it for a few days, trying to think about a good solution. Then, I was walking around my local sporting goods store and found this Pelican-style case on a clearance shelf.
As it turns out, the compressor fits in there perfectly. And I did a test fit of a spot in the bed, and it fits in there really well. So here's what I did...
I gathered up all the necessary parts and started modifying the box. First, I removed the handle and took out the pressure relief valve. Then I put the compressor mounting bracket in the case, lined it up, and drilled the holes.
I had to route an intake hose to the outside of the box, because the box itself is pretty restrictive to air flow. So I drilled out the pressure valve hole with a unibit and pushed a 1/4" female fitting with a hose barb on one end. The ARB compressor has a filter with threads to fit a 1/4" union, so I sealed it with teflon pipe tape and threaded it in. I now had a solid intake from the outside. Then I drilled a large hole on the side to accept the quick release hose connection.
Next step was setting up the fittings on the compressor itself. I installed a 90* elbow on the outlet and screwed the pressure switch adapter to that. Then I had to figure out a good way to route the air from the outlet to the side of the box. I hung around my hardware store for about half an hour trying to come up with a good solution. I was checking out some options on my phone, and found a forum where someone had asked about running an air line. As it turns out, stainless braided hose for a faucet works perfectly well as an air line. I bought a 16" section, some fittings to adapt the hose to 1/4" fittings, and assembled it on the compressor. Then I installed a 90* elbow with a hose barb on the inlet side. Now I was ready for the mounting.
I drilled four holes in the bed just under the Hi-Lift and sent the bolts through the bracket, then the case, and into the bed. I had a friend help me tighten the hardware, and I installed the compressor on the mounting bracket. I ran a piece of 3/8 fuel line hose between the inlet on the compressor and the hose barb attached to the intake filter, securing it with hose clamps.
I then connected the stainless line to the quick release connector through the hole I drilled earlier. Ta-da! I now have a hard mounted air compressor in a good, accessible location that looks really clean. I'm super happy with how it turned out. I still need to wire it, but that's a fairly minor procedure.
Here it is in it's new home.
The intake filter attached to the top of the case.
The compressor all set up.
Super excited to use it fir the first time!
A few weeks ago, I ordered the ARB CKMA12 air compressor as a faster, more efficient replacement for my cheap and slow Viair portable compressor. My original plan was to mount it in front of the factory air box under the hood, but once it was delivered, I found that mounting it in that manner would make it so that I'd have to completely remove the assembly to replace any of the bulbs up there. I didn't really like that idea much, so I started thinking about other ideas. I thought about mounting it on top of the wheel arch, but when I did a test fit, it looked really messy. I looked for about an hour for a place to mount it elsewhere, but I was unable to find anywhere that I liked. I sat on it for a few days, trying to think about a good solution. Then, I was walking around my local sporting goods store and found this Pelican-style case on a clearance shelf.
As it turns out, the compressor fits in there perfectly. And I did a test fit of a spot in the bed, and it fits in there really well. So here's what I did...
I gathered up all the necessary parts and started modifying the box. First, I removed the handle and took out the pressure relief valve. Then I put the compressor mounting bracket in the case, lined it up, and drilled the holes.
I had to route an intake hose to the outside of the box, because the box itself is pretty restrictive to air flow. So I drilled out the pressure valve hole with a unibit and pushed a 1/4" female fitting with a hose barb on one end. The ARB compressor has a filter with threads to fit a 1/4" union, so I sealed it with teflon pipe tape and threaded it in. I now had a solid intake from the outside. Then I drilled a large hole on the side to accept the quick release hose connection.
Next step was setting up the fittings on the compressor itself. I installed a 90* elbow on the outlet and screwed the pressure switch adapter to that. Then I had to figure out a good way to route the air from the outlet to the side of the box. I hung around my hardware store for about half an hour trying to come up with a good solution. I was checking out some options on my phone, and found a forum where someone had asked about running an air line. As it turns out, stainless braided hose for a faucet works perfectly well as an air line. I bought a 16" section, some fittings to adapt the hose to 1/4" fittings, and assembled it on the compressor. Then I installed a 90* elbow with a hose barb on the inlet side. Now I was ready for the mounting.
I drilled four holes in the bed just under the Hi-Lift and sent the bolts through the bracket, then the case, and into the bed. I had a friend help me tighten the hardware, and I installed the compressor on the mounting bracket. I ran a piece of 3/8 fuel line hose between the inlet on the compressor and the hose barb attached to the intake filter, securing it with hose clamps.
I then connected the stainless line to the quick release connector through the hole I drilled earlier. Ta-da! I now have a hard mounted air compressor in a good, accessible location that looks really clean. I'm super happy with how it turned out. I still need to wire it, but that's a fairly minor procedure.
Here it is in it's new home.
The intake filter attached to the top of the case.
The compressor all set up.
Super excited to use it fir the first time!
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Thanks man, I'm pretty stoked about it. I should be able to get the wiring completed within the next couple days. Once I get it working, I'm going to air down my slowest filling front tire (passenger side) to trail pressure, about 18-20 psi. I'll fill it with my old cheap Viair and time it. Then I'll repeat the process with the ARB unit. I'm expecting a good amount of improvement.
Thanks Jerry! I felt like a genius when I brought that box out to my truck.
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Here you go Coop.
They're just held on with hose clamps for now. Sometime within the next few months I'm planning on shortening the crossbars, so I'll be shortening the mounting brackets and using actual bolts through the crossbars.
Thanks a ton, that is exactly what I was looking for.Here you go Coop.
They're just held on with hose clamps for now. Sometime within the next few months I'm planning on shortening the crossbars, so I'll be shortening the mounting brackets and using actual bolts through the crossbars.
Who makes the rack, if you remember?
Big Coop
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
No problem, glad to help!
The rack is a Van Tech M1000. It's a pretty good rack, but the original coating was pretty bad. When I got it (came with my cap) the powder coat was chipped really badly and rusting out quite a lot. I ended up tearing it apart and painting it myself. Otherwise, I'd recommend it.
MTaco
Adventurer
Wow, mods everywhere! Nice work on the air compressor. I decided that is the one I'm getting after our last trip in the Pryors. My nitrogen tank is so dang heavy and bulky that I decided I need a compressor plus you never run out of air! It would be really nice to run an air line to your front bumper too although it looks like your hose should reach up front.
When you wire it up, are you connecting directly to the battery? I read they will pull about 30 amps so make sure you use a least 6 awg cable. That is a pretty long run.
Nice score on the winch too!
When you wire it up, are you connecting directly to the battery? I read they will pull about 30 amps so make sure you use a least 6 awg cable. That is a pretty long run.
Nice score on the winch too!
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Hey man, thanks! Yeah, you just about covered every reason I decided on a compressor over a tank. Small, light, easy to access, never have to refill it. The ARB is said to be pretty fast for a small compressor, so I'm sure it will handle my 33s without a problem. I did test to see if the hose would reach the passenger front tire, and it is just long enough to reach the valve stem. It's a 20 foot hose I believe. I toyed with the idea of running the stainless line to the front or rear bumper, or under the hood, but this way means I have less routing to do, less stainless line to buy, less zip-tieing to do, fewer holes I have to drill in my truck, etc. Plus, the cool thing about this setup is if I want to remove it and put it in a different truck in several years, all I have to do is set up the wiring on the other truck and drill a few small mounting holes.
If you're planning on getting one, I already recommend it. The build quality is outstanding, and it comes with a wiring harness. But be forewarned, I do recommend you get the Fill Up Kit to make it work for filling tires. That kit includes the quick release fitting, the hose, tire chuck, pressure regulator adapter, and a few other odds and ends to make the whole thing work together. It's like $45 though, and everything is super high quality.
On the wiring, I won't be going directly to the battery. It will go like this:
IN-CAB SWITCH ----- PRESSURE REGULATOR ----- RELAY ----- COMPRESSOR
That's the way the included wiring harness worked, and I cut that up to use with my auxiliary electrical system (fused Blue Sea fuse block, Hella relay box) I already have in place. That's actually all I have to do, since my switch is already there. The original wiring had the switch connected to the relay, but I have to modify that to include the pressure regulator in the circuit. As for the wiring gauge, I just mirrored what the wiring harness already had, which I believe was 8 or 6 awg for the positive and negative cables, and 16 awg for the run between the switch, regulator, and relay.
Thanks! I've used it to move some stuff around a bit, seems to work pretty well!
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bijanjames
Adventurer
Great mods!
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Thanks! I'm pretty happy with some of these smaller upgrades I've done lately. Haven't really decided what's coming next. At this point it's mostly smaller finishing stuff.