Air compressor with tank

thecobra · May 9, 2015

Has anyone put an onboard air system on their truck yet? I have a couple air horns with compressor and 2 gallon tank I'm mounting to my truck and would like to see how it's been done by anyone else before.

I wanted to avoid using the bed, but after crawling around under my truck it doesn't look like i can fit the air tank anywhere else

Rik2014SilveradoZ71 · May 9, 2015

I too would like to see how this is done. Im planning on putting in a FOG HORN ( I tailgate at the 49er games and the FOG HORN is a 49er ritual) . And not to hijack this thread but anyone know where I can purchase the loudest foghorn on the planet that would fit underneath the hood of my 2014?

Mike1220 · May 9, 2015

Has anyone put an onboard air system on their truck yet? I have a couple air horns with compressor and 2 gallon tank I'm mounting to my truck and would like to see how it's been done by anyone else before.

I wanted to avoid using the bed, but after crawling around under my truck it doesn't look like i can fit the air tank anywhere else

Ive been thinking of this for about a month now, I plan to do a custom air system that'll allow me to fill air springs, use an air horn, and use an AUX hose for tools or tires if needed.

One mounting location for a tank and compressor that I have thought of it in the center, right behind the front bumper. Either that or mount it somehow underneath the bed on either side, both places will leave the tank out of sight and out of mind

I'd say try the front bumper location first (and if you put it somewhere else, mind trying the front bumper to let me know if one will fit there?(:

thecobra · May 9, 2015

I'd say try the front bumper location first (and if you put it somewhere else, mind trying the front bumper to let me know if one will fit there?(:

Just went out and checked... My tank fits perfectly in that front area behind the bumper. I may even be able to use the bumper for mounting if I put some extra bracing on there. Luckily I have a spare bumper to fab something up without being under there

Mike1220 · May 10, 2015

Just went out and checked... My tank fits perfectly in that front area behind the bumper. I may even be able to use the bumper for mounting if I put some extra bracing on there. Luckily I have a spare bumper to fab something up without being under there

Awesome! Is there space for the compressor to fit? If there is, is there also some extra room for a slightly larger tank? And is your tank a short and fat design or long and skinny? I've been looking around and have seen both. Can't decide which will work better in the spot

thecobra · May 10, 2015

Awesome! Is there space for the compressor to fit? If there is, is there also some extra room for a slightly larger tank? And is your tank a short and fat design or long and skinny? I've been looking around and have seen both. Can't decide which will work better in the spot

Mine is a long and skinny kind of design. I could see a 3 gallon tank fitting if it was the same style, but anything much larger will likely be difficult to fit. You said you'd want to run air tools...there's no way a tank with that kind of capacity would fit anywhere but the bed. This tank is made for air horns and load leveling only, not even suitable to gas up tires.

I am going to mount my compressor in the extra battery tray at the front on the driver side. I will run the line down to the tank and the tank lines back underneath the bed. My horns are 3ft long so i need some extra space for those. I think I need the solenoid back there as well so that the delivery is close to the horns. Then I have to figure out where to put the switches inside. This is going to be a pain in the ass but I'm looking forward to having some super loud **** horns on my truck

Mike1220 · May 10, 2015

Mine is a long and skinny kind of design. I could see a 3 gallon tank fitting if it was the same style, but anything much larger will likely be difficult to fit. You said you'd want to run air tools...there's no way a tank with that kind of capacity would fit anywhere but the bed. This tank is made for air horns and load leveling only, not even suitable to gas up tires.

I am going to mount my compressor in the extra battery tray at the front on the driver side. I will run the line down to the tank and the tank lines back underneath the bed. My horns are 3ft long so i need some extra space for those. I think I need the solenoid back there as well so that the delivery is close to the horns. Then I have to figure out where to put the switches inside. This is going to be a pain in the ass but I'm looking forward to having some super loud **** horns on my truck

Thanks for the info.[emoji106] can't wait to see the finished product

When I say air tools I should clarify, I mean the simpler things like to fill up a football or to burst some air to help cool yourself while working without having to run the AC. Just simpler things, nothing major. If I need any major tools I'll just bring my air compressor from home haha.

I have seen those small tanks used to fill tires, not from a dead flat but to help top them off if you have a slow leak or just need a few PSI.

Also, what horns do you have that are 3ft long?!

thecobra · May 22, 2015

Thanks for the info.[emoji106] can't wait to see the finished product

When I say air tools I should clarify, I mean the simpler things like to fill up a football or to burst some air to help cool yourself while working without having to run the AC. Just simpler things, nothing major. If I need any major tools I'll just bring my air compressor from home haha.

I have seen those small tanks used to fill tires, not from a dead flat but to help top them off if you have a slow leak or just need a few PSI.

Also, what horns do you have that are 3ft long?!

The horns are Hadley brand, which looks like it's a good name anyway. I travel a lot for work and came home after a bad day on the road determined to buy some, and they were the first ones I saw on Kijiji so I picked them up. I haven't been able to nail down the model, but they are something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce5NYkX7gAk

Obviously that guy has much larger air tanks, but I'm hoping I get a few good toots off mine before it kicks back on.

Anyway, for anyone following... I finally got a day to start working on this and made a bit of progress. I mounted the tank and wired up the relay today, tested the system and everything is working as it should. I was mostly nervous about drilling through the firewall, but I found a decent spot above the E-Brake grommet that gives me easy access inside and keeps the hole away from all the dirt and salt it will see.

The system I have uses a pressure switch which kicks on at 90psi and off at 120psi. The instructions that came with suggest wiring to an ignition power source, but I am going to add in an override as well. I am using a "spare" fuse slot in the driver side panel right now, but it seems to be always on. If anyone knows a good ignition one to tap into, please let me know.

I had to stop today because I was tired, it's COLD OUT, I need a lot more connectors, and the truck needed a wash

Still to be done:

Mount air comp - Going to go in spare battery tray using self tapping screws

Wire the override switch

Wire pushbutton switch for solenoid

Mount solenoid

Mount horns

Anyone else working on one of these?

05cyclone · May 23, 2015

I really want a set of horns on my truck. Keep us updated with your progress. Post up some pics if you have some

Mike1220 · May 23, 2015

The horns are Hadley brand, which looks like it's a good name anyway. I travel a lot for work and came home after a bad day on the road determined to buy some, and they were the first ones I saw on Kijiji so I picked them up. I haven't been able to nail down the model, but they are something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce5NYkX7gAk

Obviously that guy has much larger air tanks, but I'm hoping I get a few good toots off mine before it kicks back on.

Anyway, for anyone following... I finally got a day to start working on this and made a bit of progress. I mounted the tank and wired up the relay today, tested the system and everything is working as it should. I was mostly nervous about drilling through the firewall, but I found a decent spot above the E-Brake grommet that gives me easy access inside and keeps the hole away from all the dirt and salt it will see.

The system I have uses a pressure switch which kicks on at 90psi and off at 120psi. The instructions that came with suggest wiring to an ignition power source, but I am going to add in an override as well. I am using a "spare" fuse slot in the driver side panel right now, but it seems to be always on. If anyone knows a good ignition one to tap into, please let me know.

I had to stop today because I was tired, it's COLD OUT, I need a lot more connectors, and the truck needed a wash

Still to be done:

Mount air comp - Going to go in spare battery tray using self tapping screws

Wire the override switch

Wire pushbutton switch for solenoid

Mount solenoid

Mount horns

Anyone else working on one of these?

Maybe even try a switch for the compressor. That way if you are sitting in the truck with the key turned but engine not running then the compressor can't turn on and drain the battery

bkeith5050 · April 24, 2020

Don't put it under the grill where the picture above it. When you mount anything in there don't let it be over 5 lbs, because the metal there is not really strong and if you put a 10-15 lbs compressor and tank in there, you're just asking for it to fall off and hit break something under your truck driving or have it go through a windshield at someone on the highway. DO IT THE RIGHT WAY by putting the combo on the passenger side frame rails with the Firestone mounting kit. It makes it convenient to access and makes it SECURE so it won't come off driving down the road.

Link to Kit: https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Firestone/F2530.html?feed=npn&gclid=CjwKCAjw-YT1BRAFEiwAd2WRtgFdH1I_aToEbefZEmPlYgU0yewJr1tw69Q1WlOvLoUeta-s1fHOrRoC0hEQAvD_BwE

I found the kit on ebay for $90 bucks so look around and see if you can find it cheaper. Highly recommend it and its heavy duty so rest assured your onboard air system won't come off. I also had a 2.5 Viair air tank and built some custom rap brackets to rap around the tank and bolt to the kit components. I paired it with a Viair 380C compressor and it works awesome. Do it the right way the first time and cheap out when doing something like this.