1987 - Volume #11, Issue #5, Page #6

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Volkswagen air compressor

Volkswagen air compressor MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 11-5-6 "A mechanic friend of mine had all sorts of VW engines lying around. I decided to try to turn one of them into an air compressor," says Glen Hornseth, Kelowna, B.C. "I first took the motor apart and put new rings and bearings in it. I built up the exhaust lifters with brass on the sides to keep them from moving in the block when the motor was running. I then reassembled the motor, minus a few parts. I took the heads apart and put lightweight springs on the exhaust valves and left out the exhaust push rods. Then I installed the heads, reattached the motor to the bell housing, and mounted the motor and bellhousing on a steel plate that hangs on the 3-pt. behind the tractor. "I hooked the tractor pto to the motor. It turns the motor in the direction it would go if it were running normally. I then took out the spark plugs and put one-way valves in each plug hole. I hooked all these valves to a larger main line that runs to a storage tank made from an old propane tank. It has a safety valve set at 120 psi. I capped the exhaust ports with copper pipe that runs to the intake manifold, because they now work as intake valves. I removed all parts from inside the carburetor and installed an air filter to keep the air clean.The motor never seems to get very warm but the air lines get hot from the compressed air, resulting in condensation. "The compressor works great. I use it all the time to run impact wrenches and for other general use. I plan to mount a generator on the motor to provide electricity for lights and I may also try to double the input shaft speed to see if I can get even more air out of it." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Glen Hornseth, Rt. 3, Site 10, Comp 6, Kelowna, B.C. V1Y 7R2 Canada.