Air Compressor/tools?

[SilentRacer]

So does anyone have an air compressor?

Thinking of getting a small one because the shop charges an arm and a leg to remove those rusted subaru bolts and it might be a worthwhile investment.

So how much hp for the motor? tank size? PSI for air wrench? any advice?

[ivwarrior]

Advice? Figure out what air tools you plan you use. (Brand and model, not just type) Look at the CFM requirements of those tools. Get a compressor with a CFM output higher than the highest requirement of the tools you currently think you need. That way, you have some reserve capacity when you realize you need something else, and it needs more CFM than the stuff you originally thought you needed.

I like my Ingersol-Rand. Haven't had any problems with it (other than the fact it needs more power than the crappy wiring going to my carport can supply, and I have to leave the compressor at the house) and I've had other Ingersol stuff (like a garage supplied impact) that I beat the crap out of and it just kept going and going.

[dodik]

ok i just realized you are doing your brakes i guess. if so just get can of penetrating oil and a breaker bar take your wheel off and spray everything with oil that has to come apart and then with braker bar loosen your nuts and bolts and they should come out more or less freely

[Huffer]

ok i just realized you are doing your brakes i guess. if so just get can of penetrating oil and a breaker bar take your wheel off and spray everything with oil that has to come apart and then with braker bar loosen your nuts and bolts and they should come out more or less freely

STAY ON TOPIC.

[Hocrest]

I've bought all of my air tools from Harbor Freight. Most have been in use for about two years with no problems. I put everything through occasional hard use i.e. a full day or two every few weeks. If I had a garage where I used every thing hard on a daily basis, they may not still be running, but it sounds like you'll be using the things fairly infrequently.

I have a mid sized 21 gallon upright compressor, it stays in the corner of my basement and I have hoses running to the work areas. If you're going to move the compressor to the job, I'd suggest a smaller one.

Get one of their middle duty impact wrenches, around $50-$60. The cheaper ones don't do squat and the higher priced ones are for folks using hem daily. There are still times I need to use a breaker bar and long cheater, but for convenience, this thing is great.

I have one of the $20 air ratchets. It has saved me at times, in situations where there is no room to swing a standard ratchet. But for general use it is too loud and annoying to replace a standard ratchet.

Their $20 air hammer set with 8 chisels is a life saver at times, but other times a BFH is the way to go.

Make sure you have decent hoses, using one of those coil hoses chokes the power, and your impacts will be useless.

[Huffer]

My advice is to get the impact wrench with the most lb/ft torque you can afford and then match the compressor CFM to the tool.

As with anything, you may not always use the additional power, but it's nice to know it's there. Case in point is transmission mount nuts and bolts.

I have an electric impact wrench and it's really only good for taking wheels off.

[miatapaul]

I had a portable double hot dog tank that I got at one of the Homier tool sales. I think the unit was called "Magnum" brand. It is really meant for the nail gun type tools that do not require a lot of air flow. It worked well with a impact wrench but you could only use a few hits on the trigger before the air ran out and you had to let it run for a while to catch up. Not good for everyday use, but not bad. My "super" at my apartment needed a portable unit and so he bought a bigger floor standing unit that he billed the landlord for and traded me for the portable one. The small one I had was about $79 and worth every penny.