The H3T ExtremeAire Outback Onboard Air System by Scorpworks

[Bigunit]

After going back & forth trying to figure out whether to go with a portable air tank vs. an onboard air compressor, Dwaine from Preferred Chassis convinced me to let him design, put togther and install a Scorpworks onboard air system on my H3T. As some of you may know, Dwaine is very familiar and has a lot of experience with onboard air sytems on offroad rigs based on the fact that they are an integral component of the Scorpions that he manufactures, so I took him up on his offer to see what he would come up with. At the heart of Dwiane's design was an ExtremeAire Outback compressor and a 4 gal. air tank like this:

 

[Bigunit]

After I dropped the T off at Preferred Chassis, Dwaine found out that the T's engine compartment did not have enough "real estate" to install the ExtremeAire Outback compressor under the hood - it's a lot larger than the Viar, Wolo and ARB compressors that some have installed in their H3s between the air box and the fluid reservoirs, so he had to search elsewhere to find enough space for the compressor...time to go to work...more info & pics will have to wait until later!

 

[3Hummers]

That was kind of cruel.......

 

[ArtHummer]

When will know about the updates? :corn:

 

[cgalpha08]

That was kind of cruel.......

I agree. I was totally looking forward to the install!!

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

 

[Hans3T]

:corn:

Sent with Tapacrack

 

[Bigunit]

Once Dwaine figured out where to mount the compressor, he fabbed up a custom skid plate to mount the compressor to - Dwaine calls it the "compressor module" - the entire module comes out as 1 piece in case you need to get to the compressor for any reason...oops, sorry...gotta go again...it's dinner time!

 

[poncho1965]

I would love to have an onboard air system!

 

[Portager]

You've such a tease!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[LagunaH1]

oops, sorry...gotta go again...it's dinner time!

That's cruel AND unusual!

I don't like you any more

 

[JGBB04]

:ban:

 

[alrock]

I agree!

 

[bebe]

pffft!

 

[Bigunit]

Bebe, did you just pass some gas?

 

[bebe]

Women don't pass gas.....silly.

 

[3Hummers]

Well I don't know what they call it but I know women "leak" sometimes and it ain't pleasant.

 

[cgalpha08]

Andddd back to the air compressor

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[Expendable]

looking forward to seeing the install . . .



























. . . Whenever the pics arrive . . .






:huh:

 

[Expendable]

Been four months and no update . . .

interested to see it installed. I would like to install that unit to replace the factory unit in my truck. down the road of course.

 

[RamRod]

I as well am interested!!!
I no long have a spare that fits under the box, I thought this would be a perfect place for me to install a system!!

 

[Bigunit]

Expendable, thanks for the kick in the butt...man, time flies. So here's more of this mod.


Figuring out where to mount the "compressor module" and the air tank really posed a challenge - one that Dwaine was more than happy to take on.


The air tank mount took a while to figure out but Dwaine saw that there was a lot of unused space directly under the truck bed between the muffler and the gas tank, directly above the rear drive shaft. So that's where he installed it. He had to remove the the braided wire cable that you see in the second photo below that holds the bed to the cab in the event of a catastrophic separation of the bed from the cab. He also had to remove the muffler and the drive shaft to get to this vast expanse of unused space under the T's bed. He then fabricated a a custom air tank mount bracket to align with the bolts that hold the bed to the frame....and voila, there it sits, completely out of harm's way & out of site. It's a 4 gal. ExtremeAir tank that is more than sufficient to run any air tool that you may need on the trail. Here's a pic of the passenger side of the tank (showing the air lines out) and one of the driver side of the tank. The advantage of mounting the tank in this location is that you can still keep your spare under the bed. Now, if you were to remove your spare too, you would have a ton of space for whatever else you can think of mounting under the bed...maybe a pony keg of beer and a/c compressor to cool it down, with the tap mounted in one of the side bed compartments ...:huh: hmmm, may just have to challenge Dwaine again to make that happen! :cheers:

The next issue was where to mount the the compressor. He figured that another great piece of unused real estate on the T was between the rear transfer case support crossmember and the gas tank support crossmember. So, he welded on a bracket to each of the crossmembers with predrilled holes to align with the holes in the compressor skid plate.

...having trouble with the "new" Photobucket...sorry, I'll have to figure out what the problem is and post more pics later...sorry.

 

[Zach]

Luis' system is awesome. Dwaine is amazing with everything he does. Time to air up was very impressive

 

[Expendable]

Awesome. thanks for the update. can't wait for more pics.

I hate the new photobucket too.

do you have any plans to be able to run air tools off the compressor/tank?

 

[Bigunit]

Here's a pic of the compressor and skid plate mounted to the custom crossmember welded brackets (the one on the right is under the skid plate and the one one the left, towards the rear/gas tank, is above)... any guesses why? This fabricator really knows his stuff!

Very clean install and very unique UCP concept for the H3...now Dwaine has started to design a full underbelly UCP to fit like this piece to replace not only the OEM UCP pieces but to completely cover the underbelly without compromising clearance because his UCP will be tucked up and fit between (not below) the crossmembers. This will be an improvement over any existing H3 UCP designed to date but this gives you an idea of what he has in mind.

 

[Bigunit]

I know that some will ask, what about mud, dust and water getting in the compressor due to the location where it's mounted? The Outback ExtremeAir compressor is very well-made and tested in some pretty extreme condtions. the compressor uses a 3/4 horsepower fan cooled motor making overheating a non-issue. This unit can fill tires continuously (100% continuous duty cycle) without motor burnout or overheating. With a 150psi working pressure, it can fill air tanks and run impact wrenches. For clean air in the dirtiest environments, the ExtremeAire uses an oversize UNI-Filter that is crush proof, washable and reusable. All major motorcycle teams use UNI-Filters for Baja and motocross racing. In addition, the fan shaft has a sweeper filter to keep dirt and debris out of the motor and brushes, at the same time, allowing moisture and condensation to escape. It also is permanently lubed with sealed bearings so it can be mounted in any position making installation a lot easier. It also utilizes stainless steel fasteners Loctited for long and trouble-free life in the highest vibration applications. the manufacturer (who happens to be a friend of Dwaine's) backs up his product and confidently states that no other 12-volt compressor has the speed, continuous duty cycle, output, pressure rating, and reliability that the ExtremeAire can deliver.