Technology is a wonderful thing, and any time that it can benefit the needs of mini-truckers, you can bet that MT will be there to capture it on film. After years of watching mini-truckers continuously fry alternators and burn up air lines and old electric compressors, Air Lift has brought us its Air Commander engine-driven air compressor. With the Air Commander installed on your mini, you bypass all of the headaches associated with running electric air compressors. The Air Commander delivers more than 9 cfm of air when turned at an engine speed of 3,000 rpm; that equates to filling up a 3-gallon air tank in seconds, not minutes. Even at idle, the Air Commander will fill a 3-gallon tank to 145 psi in less than a minute, besting all but the largest of electric air compressors. In this story, we watched as the crew from Traders 2K installed the Air Commander on a '96 Chevy S-10 that was powered by the 2.2L four-cylinder engine. The install took less than an hour, and when Traders finished, we had a limitless supply of compressed air for the suspension system on our S-10. For more information on specific applications, contact the companies listed in the source box.
1.Much like all of Air Lift's...
1.Much like all of Air Lift's products, the Air Commander kit is all-inclusive. Every part needed to complete the install is present, right down to the new serpentine belt and replacement radiator overflow canister.
2.To start, Traders prepped...
2.To start, Traders prepped the compressor by attaching the clutch engagement wire. Whenever 12 volts are supplied to this wire, the compressor's clutch will engage, driving the compressor and supplying the air to the reserve tank.
3.Next, the side mounting...
3.Next, the side mounting bracket is attached to the compressor.
4.The clutch is bolted onto...
4.The clutch is bolted onto the compressor, and then it's time to prep the truck for installation.
5.To gain more access to the...
5.To gain more access to the front of the engine, we decided to remove the radiator shroud. First, though, the air intake had to be removed.
6.To remove the shroud, a...
6.To remove the shroud, a series of 8mm bolts were unbolted from the top of the shroud and four plastic retaining clips were pulled from the front.
7.The stock engine management...
7.The stock engine management computer is unbolted from the passenger side of the S-10.
8.The factory coolant overflow...
8.The factory coolant overflow tank is rather bulky and will be replaced with a smaller unit. Removing the stock tank will make room for the Air Commander compressor.
9.The serpentine belt is removed...
9.The serpentine belt is removed by pulling the tensioner toward the driver side of the truck with a ratchet and 14mm socket.
10.The tensioner is then removed...
10.The tensioner is then removed so that a smaller pulley can be installed onto it.
11.The smaller diameter pulley...
11.The smaller diameter pulley is installed because once the Air Commander is installed, we will be effectively lengthening the serpentine belt. After the new pulley is bolted in, the tensioner is reinstalled onto the front of the engine.
12.To install the compressor,...
12.To install the compressor, the side- and rear-mounting bolts from the alternator were removed and these brackets were installed onto the alternator's mounting points.
13.The alternator also received...
13.The alternator also received a smaller-diameter belt pulley just like the tensioner.
14.The Air Commander compressor...
14.The Air Commander compressor is a tight fit, but after prying a bit on the passenger-side inner fender, it fit neatly into the mounting brackets.
15.This is the Air Commander's...
15.This is the Air Commander's supply line. It runs from the compressor to the reserve air tank. On the left hand side of the photo is the 145psi pressure switch that will engage the clutch on the compressor. In the middle of the photo is the blow-off valve that is designed to relieve excess pressure in the line. On the right hand side of the photo is the air compressor fitting.
16.To install the air compressor...
16.To install the air compressor fitting and supply line, this union and O-ring is inserted into the opening marked exhaust on the top of the compressor.
17.In this photo, the supply...
17.In this photo, the supply line is installed on the left side of the compressor and the air filter is installed on the right side, using the same type of union and O-ring fitting.
18.The bracket on the left...
18.The bracket on the left is provided in the kit to remount the factory engine management computer without the coolant overflow canister beneath it. The bracket on the right is the stock mounting bracket. Depending on what year truck you have, you'll need to reinstall the computer at this point using either one.
19.Air Lift provides this...
19.Air Lift provides this coolant overflow canister in the kit and we installed it on the driver-side inner fender.
20.The installation is nearly...
20.The installation is nearly complete and the only thing left to do is install a water trap at the reserve air tank and connect the supply line from the compressor to it.