Welcome to Classic Cars and Tools!
Champion 5hp/60 gallon compressor
Hi, welcome again to another exciting blog! Well, not like watching “Raiders of the Lost Arc!” but exciting to me! Most probably wonder about the name of my site, Classic Cars and Tools? Like hey, where’s the tools Dne’? When looking for a name, anything with Classic Cars was taken, so I added the “Tools” and vwala! there you have it, “Classic Cars and Tools! 😉
For years I’d been struggling with an inadequate compressor! omg! I have a professional series 25 gallon sears 2 stage compressor, but it never could keep up with painting and especially sandblasting!
So, always looking for stuff on Craigslist and come across a couple compressors for sale.
I went just south of Dallas (from Cypress) to get the one on the right, but a guy showed up before I did and bought it~ I was a little sad to be honest, so I took home the 60 gallon.
Well gee Dne’, how did you get that behemoth thing off your trailer?? A good question indeed you curious on looking classic car enthusiast like myself!;) I used my super duper home-made Gantry crane!
To honest, crap, I’m always honest! lol I don’t think I could have handled the 80 gallon, this beast weighs right at 550 lbs.
http://axd.qfc.mybluehost.me/2019/03/06/gantry-crane-taller-is-better/
below: I used my Mini shop crane, or My Little Mule II to do the lifting. The pump is about 200lbs! Shazzam!! That’s a lot! I had to remove the pump and motor to be able to handle it all.
http://axd.qfc.mybluehost.me/2012/09/07/mini-shop-crane/
Even the motor was too heavy for me to lift! Mini shop crane to the rescue!!
Below: Trying to figure out where to put it was fun~ not! I really had only two places to put it, and again, My Little Mule II lifted it with no problem so I could roll it where I wanted it;)
I just could not stand that gray color! It just does not become me at all! So I called the fella I bought the compressor from asking what color can I use. Detroit Diesel Alpine Green Engine Enamel with Ceramic
So, I bought 6 cans of it (only used 2), I cut the cans open and poured one can at a time into my HF purple spray gun and sprayed the tank, and it came out super!! Love it!!
Now just where am I going to put this thing?
Pardon me, but I don’t usually look glamorous in the shop, I’m kind of grungy and right now with Houston humidity! oh, you can see my original compressor beside me! Poor little thing turned upside down during the Harvey Hurricane! It looked so peculiar that way:(
OK the story gets more complicated. A guy on the Garagejournal helped me, through email, informing of things I should do; such as mounting compressor on rubber isolator pads for starters, and anchors in the floor, as we don’t want the compressor to fall over!
For goodness sake, his name is Tom;) he doesn’t want to let people know who he is, but he is incredible! and darn, I’ll never get to meet him:( very sad.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=422883
see that red floor, I did that just for my compressor! Not everyone would do that~ I just wanted it to feel at home!
Tom made shims for me (for my compressor) as my garage floor is terribly un-level. It is unlevel! goodness!
The shims he made for me~! Dang!!
It’s not actually bolted down, it’s kind of “floating”, isn’t that nice looking, I could just stare at that for a few seconds!;
The original compressor I had my sights on had an after cooler, mine did not:(Â Â So, again, Tom suggested this cooler below: It may look small, but it’s pretty darned heavy and larger than it appears.
In this pic, you can just make out the Aftercooler that I bought from Zoro.com. It was right at 200.oo, of course then there’s fitting, brass pipe, a 3/4″ tubing bender. I did have some left over steel to fabricate a bracket for it.
But Dne’, what is an After cooler? Well my dear inquisitive onlooker with a super intelligent question! Air coming out of this large of a pump, the air will be incredibly HOT, I’m talking about hotter than hell and damnation! ! Needless to say, so hot you can’t touch the tubing, so this air goes through an aftercooler, cooling the air, hopefully condensating the moisture into droplets to settle at the bottom of the tank, less likely to exit out the main line you’re using to say, Paint a car! 😉
This is a 3/4″ horizontal or vertical air compressor check valve, betcha didn’t know that;)
This short piece of 3/4 copper tubing was a pain in the buttocks! Didn’t think I’d ever get it to work, but I did;)
Finishing touches:
AS for the cool factory Champion Decals, Ken at airfloinc.com helped me with that, otherwise I would have had a bland no-named compressor! They can help with parts and even brand new compressors! It’s a family ran business, so I appreciate that! There’s Ken and David! Thanks guys for your help!! 😉
Finished product, and “almost” ready for service! OMG that’s nice!!! sigh;)
I owe many thanks to “Tom” for making this task much easier, but more importantly a more efficient compressor, no wait, Tom is more important! is that right? 😉
I hope you’ve enjoyed my little write-up! Be sure to sign on for updates, I try to make it fun, and educational to some degree, maybe even bring a smile to your face, where else would you smile!
I’m Dne’ and this is my Classic Cars and Tools! ooooorah!
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Jul, 18, 2019
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What did you make the rubber “feet” out of? They look too thick to have been cut out of a tire unless stacked. I would have used rubber hockey pucks. They also work well for SUV and truck body lifts. $2.00 each at the local ice rink but they give away used ones (in very good condition) for free. I have one on my floor jack pad and a stack of 3 (center drilled) on a 3/4″ long bolt where the ball on my trailer hitch used to sit. Sort of like a bumper guard or rear end protector. Very easy to swap out for the hitch ball when needed.
A VERY nice looking compressor! Now you can sell compressed air to passing tourists. Mine is a 20 gallon oilless Coleman brand that I found abandoned next to a dumpster. It just needed cleaning, a new power cord, air filter and the water emptied out. “Free” is always within my price range.
Hey Bruce!!! Those pads, I think I ordered them off of Amazon. They are really tough, cheap, and have a hole in the middle already. I tell you this, I’d hate to know I’d have to lift this compressor to do anything to it. It’s crazy heavy! I hope it works for a long time. I’d like to think I’m going to paint another car, or something;) However, my little sear compressor is still working and good for “little” jobs. I’ll keep it. Amazing to find a compressor as you did, that’s neat!
Thanks Bruce, always nice to see you write in, you’ve been with me for quite some time!!
dne’ 😉
Hi Dne’ I may not have read closely enough. Is your new compressor oil or oilless? I know that mine is oilless but I don’t know much about them. I have heard that oilless is best for paint spraying and the oil bearing ones last longer and are best for air tools. I’m sure that an expert mechanic and body girl like you would know? Maybe it makes no difference at all?
Good morning Bruce!;) I’m no authority on compressors either, but I believe the oilless would be ideal for painting, but I don’t know if they have a commercial grade one that would put out enough volume to paint/sandblast. Even my oilless Craftsman Professional 2 stage could never keep up. I’d have to wait for it to catch up. So, on the ones with a crankcase, like my new one, I suppose as rings wear, oil can make it past the rings and make it’s way into the air line. That’s where in line oil filters come in to play to catch the “blo-by, then of course having to have a water separator is necessary here in Hot/Humid Houston!omg I’m just hoping the day I start to paint an entire project car, I’ll have a continuous supply of air pressure! Especially when using my blast cabinet! Imagine having a blow gun and just open it wide open for several minutes, your air tank would be depleted in a matter of minutes if not seconds;)
Bruce, heading to the shop to bleed the brakes on the Mustang, I’d really like to make some good progress on the poor thing! 😉
Have a super day!
dne’;)
hey d’ne,
two things i’d recommend for your new compressor….
1) if possible, put it outside your shop. you can get a little concrete pad from lowe’s like might be under your air conditioner behind your house, put a little shed around it built from r-panel, this could be done for $100 i think. it’s an unbelievable luxury to not have to hear your compressor running while you’re working (ask me how i know).
2) get an electronic drain valve. i have one on mine that every forty minutes will open for 1/4 second. i hear it sometimes when i’m going out to the truck to get more of the load. sounds just like the compressor is sneezing. i’ve had one on my compressor for about 10 years now.
https://www.autobodytoolmart.com/rti-electronic-drain-ed-2-4-p-47099.aspx for a new one, or get a knockoff from ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Electronic-Drain-Valve-Timed-Air-Compressor-Automatic-1-2-5mm-LED-Hot-2018/273917249579?hash=item3fc6bd882b:g:xrEAAOSwP5JdHwh5
really good job on restoring your compressor. it will serve you well.
Gee Cliff (Thank you!), that would have been a nice idea, but it’s where it going to stay where it is right now. I cannot imagine having to relocate it! It’s crazy heavy~ ooo, I could use a fork lift in my tool arsenal (wouldn’t that be cool!)!!! However, I will look into that electronic drain valve!! Thank you for the links! I’m kind of focusing on what kind of pressure regulator, coalescent filter, water separator~ dang, this is getting expensive! lol 😉