Onboard Viair compressor and tank

I had a portable Viair compressor that I bolted to the right front fender under the hood and clamped to the battery terminals. I wanted to add the convenience of having the air hose in the rear, where I air up my AirLift suspension helpers. For that I needed an onboard air tank and pressure switch. Here are some photos of the project.

I wanted to keep it simple. Viair makes all the pieces necessary to convert the portable compressor to an onboard unit, including a 1/2 gallon pressure tank, pressure switch, T connectors, check valve and pop-off valve. I added a 12V on-off rocker switch, some barbed brass fittings and rubber air line.

The tank is mounted underneath, bolted through the bed, near the right rear tire. I used oem rubber mounts but substituted stainless steel metric bolts. The 1/4" plastic line and relay wiring run from the compressor back to the tank, zip-tied to various frame parts en route.

In these photos you're looking up from the ground and slightly forward from about the rear bumper. You see the tank and leaf spring. The black background is the underside of the bed. The toolbox (mentioned below) is black with some white markings on it. The tire you see is the spare; the exhaust pipe is visible at bottom.




The close-up shows the rubber air line I used for the shorter distances, hose-clamped over the barbed fitting, and encased in heat shrink to prevent the hose clamp from rusting off (our mountain roads have salt in winter).



From the tank I ran rubber line up into the right rear toolbox, only about a foot away. You can see the red hose leading to it. (I had earlier installed the filler lines for my AirLift air bags in the same toolbox.) I mounted a female quick-disconnect through the back of the box with a 90 degree brass fitting between the box and the truck sidewall. I can keep an 8" air hose in this box, along with an air pressure gauge. The green master switch turns the compressor on/off, but the pressure switch (up front) determines when the compressor runs.





Notes: 2011 TRD short bed. The first photo was taken before I added the pop-off valve. The pop-off valve rating must be greater than or equal to the pressure switch rating (150 psi). The red coating on Viair's brass fittings did not seal them well enough; to prevent air leaks use Teflon tape or liquid pipe sealant.

 

x2 and interested in doing the same thing.

 

effing PIMP!

 

Photos replaced.