vallions on board air writeup

so I splurged and got myself a nice little oba setup from north shore offroad for $450. its pricy and i know i could have gotten it cheaper elsewhere but i'm off work right now and wanted a project. i went into this without a guide or how to but its a pretty easy mod. this write up is mainly for ideas on where to mount stuff and how it all fits together

tools used:
assorted wrenches varying from 7/16" to 3/4"
side cutters
drill
assorted drill bits
assorted screw drivers
wire strippers
wire crimpers
utility knife
2" hole saw
an old bicycle tube
beer

materials used:
viair medium duty oba kit 10003
viair tire inflation gun 00041
viair 30 ft extension hose 00030
ty wraps
additional 1/4" fittings
1/4" nylon hose
automotive wire
1/4" x 2" bolts
1/4" nuts, washers, lock washers
teflon tape

here we have the victim truck, looking terrified


and of course the kit skewn out in an organized fashion


i started with the compressor. looking into the engine bay from the front, there is a large empty space on the left side with 3 bolts sticking up off a plate. im not sure what is intended to go here, but its going to be the new home of my compressor. i started out by marking out the front 2 holes. the rear holes dont line up very well, do i drilled a new hole in the mounting plate of the compressor accordingly. my compressor is mounted with 3 bolts instead of the original 4.


i cut up an old bike tube to use as a new rubber pad under the hole i made in the base plate of the compressor. after that i bolted it in with a combination of the original bolts and a longer 1/4" bolt i had.


next i ran the intake hose. it comes with enough to reach the top of a snorkel. i dont have a snorkel but i do plan on getting wet once i get a lift.i chose to put my intake filter in the top corner of the engine bay. the hose doesnt fit on without a fight.


the dish soap is all the way upstairs and im lazy. a closer alternative was found


heres my intake filter and hose ty wrapped into place


i dont have an auxiliary fuse box yet so for now the compressor runs straight from the battery. theres an inline fuse included on a long piece of wire supplied in the kit which i ran around the engine bay


you can also see the combination relay / pressure switch box mounted beside the compressor.


i dont like the stock mounting plate for the gauge and power switch for the compressor. it looks home made. i chose to mount my switch and gauge separately in the center console.


the gauge has a light in the back which i didnt install. i didnt feel like hooking it up to the dash lighting. if i really need to i can use the map lights to see the gauge in the dark. a 2" hole saw provides a nice snug fit for the gauge assembly.


its important to keep a clean and organized work area


i finished off the engine bay area by adding 2 T connectors off the main output line of the compressor; one for the pressure switch / relay and one for the hose that runs into the cab for the gauge. i entered into the cab via the hole in the firewall on the drivers side. theres already a big bundle of wires there so a couple more and an air hose couldnt hurt.


after running the ouput hose to the rear of the truck on the drivers side it was time for the tank. i installed all my fittings ahead of time as most of them wont be easily accessable once its mounted.

and yes, toe shoes are awesomely comfy

mounting the tank.
i found a nice cozy spot under the rear driver side corner of the box. it sticks into the cavity behind the bumper a bit, so if you have an aftermarket rear bumper this might not work for you. i drilled 2 holes for bolts in the bed snd one in a plate attached to the frame. sorry no pics but its a little plate next to where the hitch mounts to the frame. i cannot stress just how much of a pita it was to bolt the tank up. i had some one drop the 1/4" x 2" bolts in through the bed as i attached the nuts, washers and spring nuts and held the tank in place from underneath. to make it easier i mounted my 2 hoses(airline in and out) to the tank before bolting it in place. it sits very close to the shackle for the rear leaf spring but i think i left enough room for it to flex without contacting the tank.


according to the measurements on their website, the smittybuilt 2.5 gallon tank will fit in there a lot better due to its shorter overall length but they were on backorder and i wouldnt get one till june. this tank fits like a glove. but tighter. it sits just above the hitch and on an angle which is nice for draining any moisture out. i replaced the drain valve in the pic with one that is a little more low profile.


to finish it off i installed the included quick connect in the longer of the 2 storage pockets in the rear of the bed. you can see the 2 bolts that hold the tank in place in the bottom of the picture.


it fits a 30ft extention hose perfectly. its almost like toyota designed it for air hose storage


thats it thats all! drink a beer and go blow some stuff up! i mean tires of course

 

Saving this for later when I'm on my pc and not phone

 

Nice job! Were you using the windshield washer fluid for leak detection? I don't think it will work like soapy water i.e. dish detergent.

Nice job overall though! clean gauge/quick disconnect install too.

 

Went to install the same kit yesterday afternoon, realized we needed to remote mount everything to make it fit, no way I could get the compressor, pressure switch and tank in the same place.

I checked the tank spot you chose as well and it was a tight fit, but once I remote mount the pressure switch I could put it there. Not nearly as much space under the truck as I thought there would be, especially when sliders are going to go where I wanted to put the tank..

I think were just going to go with a better compressor and no tank instead for ease of mounting, or I could get fittings and lines, etc and do it like yours.

Slick gauge mounting BTW, looks very nice, good job.

 

Thanks guys! I'm stoked on how it turned out.
@majorhavoc
I used washer fluid as lubricant to help the hose slide on easier

 

How quick can you fill up your tires?

 

I've never had to use it on my own tires, but when filling up a 32" tire from empty the compressor kicked in at about 3/4 of the way through. It takes about 10 minutes to fill up a queen size air mattress.

 

Where did you end up tapping into the power for the switch? did you use an add-a-fuse. The wiring schematics on the website says hook up to a "keyed power source". Its the last thing I need to do to get it running. Just want to know what you did to get power to it.

 

subbed, great write up!

 

1 question. Did you spell your username wrong in the title