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Mr. T
Tony Andrews
Kent Island, Maryland
(153 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 03:59PM

Main British Car:
'75 mgb, '74 grille, morspeed bumpers Rover 3.9

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engine stand/air compressor?
Posted by: Mr. T
Date: December 07, 2009 08:04PM

Hey folks.

The wife and kids want the xmas list. Any recommendations for an engine stand for the rover 4.6 and an electric air compressor? What do you'll recommend for psi? Does Harbor Freight have best deals on this type of stuff?

Thanks, Tony


Bill Young
Bill Young
Kansas City, MO
(1337 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 09:23AM

Main British Car:
'73 MG Midget V6 , '59 MGA I6 2.8 GM, 4.0 Jeep

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Re: engine stand/air compressor?
Posted by: Bill Young
Date: December 08, 2009 08:04AM

Hi Tony, yes HF has a pretty good engine stand for a low price but I don't recommend their compressors. They may be fine but I'm a little unsure of the support in parts later on. From what I"ve seen some of the home improvement stores such as Home Depot or Lowes usually have good deals on air compressors about this time of year and I'd think that long term parts support would be better through them.
As for the type of compressor, it depends on what you want to use it for. If you plan on running air tools or painting then I'd say nothing smaller than about a 3hp model *(and more likely a 5 hp) 220v unit would be what you need. PSI isn't nearly as important as cubic feet per minute of flow. Here's one example. [www.lowes.com]
The compresssor might cost a lot more but you'll get many times more use from it than the engine stand in the long run.
HF has several different engine stands, but I have one like this, I like it because of the extra stability offered by the dual front casters. [www.harborfreight.com]


rficalora
Rob Ficalora
Willis, TX
(2764 posts)

Registered:
10/24/2007 02:46PM

Main British Car:
'76 MGB w/CB front, Sebring rear, early metal dash Ford 302

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Re: engine stand/air compressor?
Posted by: rficalora
Date: December 08, 2009 09:22AM

Good advice from Bill. with compressors, bigger is better; even a 5hp w/20gal tank will have trouble keeping up if you're sandblasting or using inexpensive air tools (cheap air tools tend to cosume more air). Note that if you'll be painting with the compressor you'll want an in-line drier & the further from the compressor the better -- the air cools so water condenses out better.


Mr. T
Tony Andrews
Kent Island, Maryland
(153 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 03:59PM

Main British Car:
'75 mgb, '74 grille, morspeed bumpers Rover 3.9

authors avatar
Re: engine stand/air compressor?
Posted by: Mr. T
Date: December 08, 2009 06:26PM

Yep, good advise Gents!

Looks like the stand will take priority since I need sooner rather than later. Based on the price of that compressor that I "need", looks like I'll be doing some Craigslist surfing at some point.

No problem turning wrenches on the engine stand - it's only when you have the car jacked-up to swap-out motor mounts while lying on your back on cold concrete, contorting your body, crink in your neck, dry grease and dirt falling in your eyes and your mouth because you're huffing and puffing to contort your body, trying to get a wrench to fit in place it wasn't made to fit along with your hand, can't see bolt because you no longer have 20/20 vision and your wearing sunglasses in a garage with poor lighting because you can't find your protective glasses - the same protective glasses that are kinda fuzzy because of all the scratches and fog up anyway.....it's during these good times that I thinks to me self - maybe I'll drop my car off at my local mechanic on Friday - catch a movie and dinner with family on Saturday - watch football and have pepperoni and sausage pizza, beer and rolaids on Sunday - and pick-up my car from the local mechanic on Monday!!!


rficalora
Rob Ficalora
Willis, TX
(2764 posts)

Registered:
10/24/2007 02:46PM

Main British Car:
'76 MGB w/CB front, Sebring rear, early metal dash Ford 302

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Re: engine stand/air compressor?
Posted by: rficalora
Date: December 08, 2009 06:53PM

Be careful with used compressors. A lot of folks don't change the oil or filter -- until they're ready to sell it so it looks like they've properly maintained it all along. Hard to know what you're really getting.


Mr. T
Tony Andrews
Kent Island, Maryland
(153 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 03:59PM

Main British Car:
'75 mgb, '74 grille, morspeed bumpers Rover 3.9

authors avatar
Re: engine stand/air compressor?
Posted by: Mr. T
Date: December 08, 2009 10:40PM

Yeah Rob - with only occasional use maybe I'll get lucky - even the lowly lawnmower gets more attention than the corner compressor.


rficalora
Rob Ficalora
Willis, TX
(2764 posts)

Registered:
10/24/2007 02:46PM

Main British Car:
'76 MGB w/CB front, Sebring rear, early metal dash Ford 302

authors avatar
Re: engine stand/air compressor?
Posted by: rficalora
Date: December 08, 2009 10:56PM

probably depends what you'll be doing with it. with all the mods I made mine got a work out. I bought a 2nd hand 80 gallon unit from a shop that used to prep marble counter tops... ended up having to replace the pump after about 6 months. in the end I could have bought a new one for what I paid for the used one & then the replacement pump. For what it's worth, i would recommend Eaton Compressor (www.eatoncompressor.com). Good customer service & good value. The advertise made in USA, but from what I gather, like most they really assemble in USA to avoid import taxes but the components are still made overseas. They do seem to use more cast iron parts so should last longer than most imports.


BlownMGB-V8
Jim Blackwood
9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042
(6468 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 12:59PM

Main British Car:
1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS

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Re: engine stand/air compressor?
Posted by: BlownMGB-V8
Date: December 09, 2009 12:12PM

If you can swing it, an old 2 stage Champion compressor is still a pretty safe bet. Made of cast iron and all parts should still be available. They run slower than the modern compressors but last a long time. Those are the ones you see on top of welding trucks and such. Also check out what the semi tire service trucks are now using. Those would be good units also.

Jim


Mr. T
Tony Andrews
Kent Island, Maryland
(153 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 03:59PM

Main British Car:
'75 mgb, '74 grille, morspeed bumpers Rover 3.9

authors avatar
Re: engine stand/air compressor?
Posted by: Mr. T
Date: December 09, 2009 04:14PM

Will do!

Thanks


rficalora
Rob Ficalora
Willis, TX
(2764 posts)

Registered:
10/24/2007 02:46PM

Main British Car:
'76 MGB w/CB front, Sebring rear, early metal dash Ford 302

authors avatar
Re: engine stand/air compressor?
Posted by: rficalora
Date: December 09, 2009 07:01PM

Good point from Jim about slower... a lot of companies -- including a lot of the big names -- are now spinning the pumps faster so they can claim more CFM. But that wears the pump a lot faster. One of the reasons I picked Eaton for my replacement pump was that their specs are based on slower speeds. I'm running mine at about 750 RPM's if I recall.


BlownMGB-V8
Jim Blackwood
9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042
(6468 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 12:59PM

Main British Car:
1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS

authors avatar
Re: engine stand/air compressor?
Posted by: BlownMGB-V8
Date: December 09, 2009 09:19PM

I once worked for a guy who used a compressor that was oversized for his shop. He put a smaller pulley on the motor so that the pump would turn slower and last longer.


Jim


britcars
Phil Ossinger
New Brunswick, Canada
(346 posts)

Registered:
02/02/2009 07:58PM

Main British Car:
1977 MGB Roadster, Rover 3.5 ADVENTURE BEFORE DEMENTIA!

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Re: engine stand/air compressor?
Posted by: britcars
Date: December 30, 2009 10:30PM

Another thing to remember is to have a good high capacity filter for your intake air. Particularly important if your shop is very dusty. A friend adapted an old air filter system off a big block Chev. As well, drain any moisture from your tank often.


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