Can I install an air compressor to the roof?

I was thinking about mounting my Smitty 5.65 to the roof of my camper shell. I installed my roof rack rails on the camper shell so the holes are there, ha!

I just don't know if running the unit upside down is a bad idea or not.....what do you all think?

 

Might shake a hole in your shells roof, I dunno. Should be able to physically run in that position.

 

That's a really good point.

 

As long as the compressor isn't oil-lubricated and the manual doesn't advise otherwise, you can mount it in any position. Like Gearhead pointed out, you'll have to come up with some kind of vibration dampening setup so you don't wear into that shell. Maybe mount on a 1/4" or thicker neoprene pad? I like the idea of using the ceiling for more mounting points.

 

I installed my anytime power box to the Driver's side cubby so I don't want to redo all that. I was using the compressor on a trip once and thought man I'd like this to be somewhere that works better. I held it up to the roof and it didn't obstruct my view or anything.

The 5.65 is oil free so I'm good there. The pdf instructions don't mention not to operate it upside down but I found a forum that seemed split on it. One guy said he ran his on his jeep and used it daily for 6 years without issue. The heat dissipation seems to be the concern here. I'm leaning towards just doing it.

Here's the link to the discussion on it from Jeep guys:
any reason not to mount a viair compressor upside down? | JKOwners Forum

 

Should work fine in that orientation. I'd probably use a backing plate between it and the camper shell to spread the load. Think 14 gauge sheet metal extending a couple inches around the perimeter.

What about the other cubby?

 

Any progress, looking to see what you come up with.......