air compressor from a small engine?

Remove whatever opens and closes the valves, and lock the exhaust valve closed and install a light spring under the intake , makes it act like a poppet valve. Remove spark plug, install check valve, install hose to tank. JC Whitney used to sell them I think. And then you've got to power it somehow.

It won't be as efficient as a regular air compressor with the same size piston however as the combustion chamber is non existent on an air compressor.

Lane

It works both ways ... I turn commpressors into engines... Check out this link...

"JAIR" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com:

You may be able to just mill the some off the head so it becomes a smaller chamber, note that the valve opens UP so retain clearance for the valve. In absence of that, you could make a flat plate with a reed valve for the intake.

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| |Remove whatever opens and closes the valves, and lock the exhaust valve |closed and install a light spring under the intake , makes it act like a |poppet valve. Remove spark plug, install check valve, install hose to tank. |JC Whitney used to sell them I think. And then you've got to power it |somehow.

Milton still offers them. Camel does too Part# 41-488 Amflo Rex in Fort Worth

Hi, Compressors made out of flat four engines from VW beetles used to be common here once, two cylinders powering, two compressing, mounted on a little trailer you could tow behind your car. Made a hell of a racket but seemed to work pretty well.

regards,

I tried this once with an old B & S mower engine and it would only go to about 15-20 psi with the original head. Real compressors don't like a lot of clearance between the piston & head, and rather than fool around making a replacement head I decided to use an auto AC compressor from a junkyard. Mike

I woulda said screw a plug into where the muffler goes -- half inch pipe thread. If he's mechanically minded, pull the exhaust valve out and grind the end way down, so that the camshaft doesn't lift it.

I'd leave the camshaft in. I don't know all the details, but the Briggs guys did a LOT of work to make things balance correctly.

JC Whitney did used to sell a hose that threads into a spark plug hole, and provides air for emergency flat repair, and so on. Dunno if they still have them. Wonder what's the next largest pipe thread? Ah, well. Something to play with.

Be sure to keep the crankcase at the proper level of oil, you'll still need the splash lubrication of the piston.

I made one in high school from a Tecumseh engine. 30 years ago. Still got. I pulled the camshaft out. Put a light spring in one valve and think I welded the other closed but I'm not sure. I used a stainless steel beer keg for a tank. I fired it up. Blew the cork out. Welded the cork hole. Fired it up and it was working. Shut it off and it keep working, backwards, like a steam engine. Chipped out a sparkplug porcelain (still remember that was a bitch), threaded over the OD, made a cap with a barb that screwed over it, added a ball and light spring to fit inside. Problem solved.

Anytime you want to remove a spark plug porcelain, simply grind or machine off the crimp ring at the base of the porcelain, and it will then remove easily. This is how I make adaptors for my compression and leakdown testers.

RJ

Sure, now you tell me. Where were you 30 years ago when I needed advice?

Thanks, good tip.

Mark Rand RTFM

At one time, you could just unscrew the two metal parts, but then again, that was a couple years back; or more. Gerry :-)} London, Canada