Making the NAPA Flate compressor. Pressure switch and coupler upgrade.

[@colby78hurley]

This is EXACTLY the instructions I’ve been looking for. Thank you!

[@IronsideAdventures801]

I'm glad you found it helpful. I've used it a few times now and couldn't be happier with it.

[@jaybythebae9432]

Love your videos man. Hope you are enjoying making them. I appreciate your time,effort and you explaining why you’re doing each step.

[@IronsideAdventures801]

Thank you. I appreciate that. I'm actually surprised how much I enjoy it. I'll keep it up as long as people stay interested.

[@SamO45]

Thanks for easy down to earth instructions. I’ve done this, but it was so long ago (a year) that I don’t remember tap sizes and drill sizes to do this for my buddy. I found your video, I was just going to skip through and look for the sizes, but I went ahead and watched the whole thing and now I’m sure I can do this for my buddy’s compressor. I like that you took off the heads and used a drill press, much better than what I was going to do. Thank you.

[@IronsideAdventures801]

Thanks. Glad you found it helpful. I've done quite a few of these at this point. If you can get the head off (it happens), you can usually rotate the square manifold with a couple wrenches enough to drill and tap the bottom for the pressure switch.

[@docallaghan4]

I modified the compressor and made a hose set up very similar to the way you showed in your videos - I chanced a few minor things. I made a write up about it on the WranglerTJForum, I saw you had a TJ at the end of the video. I had to mention your channel and how great all your videos are, thank you again.

[@IronsideAdventures801]

Wow. That's awesome. Thank you.

[@LadyToyz]

Hey @bucket909 I'm an IE'r as well. Not a Jeep owner so I don't belong to that forum, but I would love to see your write up. I found a way around the very difficult pressure coupling installation over the hose. I'll post that soon. Can I catch your write up somewhere other than that forum?

[@docallaghan4]

@@LadyToyz If you search “wranglertjforum Budget Air Compressor Setup” on google you will find it. If you’re talking about the 4 tire hose setup I found that the hose linked was ever so slightly too large for the brass fittings (I was able to get it through one fitting after over an hour of trying) and found that the small sanding bits for a dremel were the perfect size to make the hose fit through. Still seals perfectly and I sanded down a few extra fittings to keep in the trunk in case one ever fails

[@docallaghan4]

@@LadyToyz if you search “wranglertjforum Budget Air Compressor Setup” on google you will find it - no need to be a member to view it. if youre talking about the brass fittings for the air hoses i found that i had to use the small sandpaper bit on a dremel to clearance the ID of the fitting for the hose to fit through - it takes away a very small amount of material but makes feeding the hoses through much easier and doesnt negatively impact the fitting in any way

[@jchancalifornia]

Great video! I appreciate the detailed explanation and close ups. I ordered mine this morning $135, with military discount.

[@IronsideAdventures801]

Thanks. Glad you got a good deal and good luck with your build.

[@LadyToyz]

Hey, Well done! Excellent video, no b.s. your instruction methodology is perfect. I'll be watching more. I plan on buying this thing tomorrow (March 9th) and was already contemplating upgrading the hose and lines to something similar to Morflate. Although I planned on building them myself and saving some cash.

[@IronsideAdventures801]

Wow. Thank you. Really appreciate the feedback.

[@LadyToyz]

@@IronsideAdventures801 I went out this weekend with a group to Joshua Tree CA. I made your hose set up, but did not have time to do the hose tap upgrade. I simply chopped off the proprietary connector used a barb fitting and added a swivel whip hose. Wouldn't you know it, after airing up 2 other ladies, that factory hose popped from the heat. I pulled out my leatherman cut it off and reinstalled the whip hose. The boys were a bit impressed :) Long story short. Ill be doing the tap soon. I also need to add a pressure switch.

[@photog1529]

I have the All-Top version of this compressor and in the process of modding. I removed the discharge hose and drilled/tapped the hole for a 1/4 NPT pipe nipple which will have a tee with quick disconnect and pressure switch...may relocate the switch to the manifold. Also plan to cut out the circuit board and replace with a relay and rewire with #2AWG jumper cables for the power leads with Anderson connectors. You can also use 90-degree spade connectors...saves you the trouble of bending the switch connections.

[@IronsideAdventures801]

Check out the part 2 video.

[@photog1529]

Thanks. Just now came across it. Well, that's embarrassing. Thanks for pointing it out. @@IronsideAdventures801

[@Tony-pq3xv]

Very good presentation on doing this modification.

[@IronsideAdventures801]

Thank you

[@TPeaceD]

Fantastic video, thanks for making this!

[@IronsideAdventures801]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@dannydivine7699]

If you let the end of your shrink extend beyond the end of your connector before you shrink it, then you can trim it precisely with the end of the connector with your pocket knife AFTER the shrinking to cover completely to the END

[@IronsideAdventures801]

Great tip. Thanks.

[@lowen74s]

Interesting that the seals in the top caps look like that of the Range Rover P38's air compressor

[@IronsideAdventures801]

Interesting. I'm sure pretty much every part of these things is copied from something else so you could be right.

[@Dennis_is_Outside]

Instead of drilling and tapping, can you just add another 2 to 1 manifold to the air outlet port?

[@IronsideAdventures801]

You can. The problem is that the threads for the hose are BSP (I think) and not standard NPT, so finding a fitting that will screw in is much harder. For me, it was easier to drill and tap to a known thread size and go from there.

[@Z71X4]

Is it possible to cut the alligator clips and put o ring terminals on them and mount the compressor on the truck or would you need some type of fuse?

[@IronsideAdventures801]

You certainly could do it that way. I would definitely use a fuse or breaker of some kind like in the link below. a.co/d/33k9ckP

[@WooleySwampAdventures]

The factory unit has a pressure relief switch built into the inline gauge which you deleted, I'm not sure if I just missed it, but where did you put it on yours as it's a very important safety item required by UL and NFPA? Thanks

[@IronsideAdventures801]

The factory guage doesn't have a pressure switch. At best, the push button pressure release valve on the back of the guage may provide a fuse of sorts but the pressure actually pushes it closed so its not really a pressure relief valve. I'm guess I'm just not worried about that type of malfunction. For it to be a problem, the pressure switch I added would have to fail while running with all 4 chucks disconnected or with the ball valve closed. The way I use the compressor, it's never running with all the chucks disconnected and I really only briefly close the ball valve. I also don't leave it running unattended.

[@docallaghan4]

@@IronsideAdventures801 I followed the modifications for the compressor and hoses but wired it to the battery with a 125A fuse and 4 gauge wire (alongside the anderson connectors). I’m not really understanding the possible failure of this comment thread - is there something I should be aware of?

[@IronsideAdventures801]

​@bucket909 it sounds to me like you have a great set up. What he is referring to isn't a safety feature. While it might blow off if the pressure switch malfunctioned, it really isn't designed to do that. I like your idea of the breaker inline. Great idea.

[@6226superhurricane]

it's a thumper max compressor. the thumper (single) has been around close to 20yrs the max (twin) probably close to 15yrs. this napa one is another one in a long list of rebranded compressors. they cost equivalent of $77 us dollars in australia and they do have a cutoff switch at 125psi and restart at 90psi. the air fitting is a standard male nitto fitting no real reason to change it the nitto fittings are superior, if it has the screw on tyre chuck then that is worth changing for convenience. lock your hubs 4wdriving did some modifications and testing that would be valuable for anyone modifying a thumper max.

[@IronsideAdventures801]

Yup. This is the same Chinese compressor that's been on the market for years. In the states, there are at least 3 companies branding it and selling for about $240. The NAPA version is the cheapest non-Amazon version we have. I'm aware that it is a standard Nitto coupler. However, Nitto couplers are pretty much non-existent in the states. The Milton style are the standard here. Makes more sense to switch to the Milton style that everyone is familiar with rather than find a nearly non-existent style that won't be compatible with anything we already have. Thanks for watching all the way in Australia. That's really cool to me.

[@schlomoshekelstein908]

is this an oillress compressor so i can mount it upside down?

[@IronsideAdventures801]

Yes it's oil less. You can mount it any way you want.

[@Moondoggy1941]

12:23 Big Foot size, never around when you want ti.

[@IronsideAdventures801]

Elusive buggers aren't they? And Bigfoot is pretty hard to find too.

[@Moondoggy1941]

@@IronsideAdventures801 Yeah it is always the 10 mm that wants to do a walk about. They are like socks.

[@IronMountainPlumbing]

Where can I find said coupon?

[@IronsideAdventures801]

Go to their website. At the top of the page is a banner with a coupon code for online orders. It changes frequently but as of today it's 20% off on orders over $125

[@aperson1181]

Why are you modifying it, can't you use it as is?

[@IronsideAdventures801]

You could use it as-is if you want but there are a couple reasons I wouldn't. This compressor puts out 10.6 cfm. A standard Schraeder valve in a tire only flows around 2 to 3 cfm. This means the compressor is putting out way more air than you can use on one tire. This causes extra strain on the motor and even more heat to build up. Both are bad for the compressor. Using a 4 tire inflator system maximizes the efficiency and speed of the compressor. The pressure switch allows you to turn shut the valve on your tire inflator and check the pressure with the guage while inflating. Without the pressure switch, the compressor would "dead head" against the closed valve. This overworks the motor and builds excess pressure. Switching the fittings from the Japanese style Nitto to the US style Milton just makes sense to match existing fittings. If you are looking for a compressor to do one tire at a time, I'd recommend a Viair in the 3 cfm range. They are sized perfectly for single tire use.