Air Tank/Compressor/Train Horn placement

Hey guys and gals... In a bit of a bind... On my previous rig, (ford explorer) had plenty of room below the rear cargo area (where our gas tank is now) to mount all the above.

I kept the train horn cause its just S-I-C-K and goes well with the whole "ill easily run your prius over if you don't move" kinda thing haha.

Anyhow, I used a 3gal tank @ 150psi. I want to go 5gal as the 3gal did not do the justice for pumping air into the tires after trail. (i usually went from 25ish to 34ish) I figure 5gal should get 3 out of 4 tires pretty quickly...

Ehh i sidetracked again! NOW --- where can I put compressor/tank?? the compressor is remote, so if need be, tank can go on the inside. Compressor definitely outside (shes a noisy one) and horns... also no good place. I know the roof is going to be mentioned but no haha. The horns are bundled together (3 of them) in one chunk. They don't come apart, and just wont look all that well up there. Also want to mention that yes, I would like to keep it handy as tire inflation is in mind and MAYBE some cheap "harbor freight" tools??

So... Any ideas? Pics? words of wisdom? Thanks in advance!

Same problem here....I have an air locker in the rear, and I'm still trying to hammer this all out.

The most common location for the compressor is behind the plastic panel in the rear hatch area, either side, but most put it on the passenger side. I think that's because there is less wiring in the way.

I have seen compressors mounted in front of the brake booster under the hood. But it has to be a non-ABS rig with a stock airbox. And some people have mounted them under the rear seat.

As far as tanks go, the most common is in the rear cargo area. You can use as a big of a tank as you want, it's just a compromise as to how much storage space you are willing to lose.

I have also seen guys use bumpers and/or sliders as storage tanks.

I believe it was Eric Zappe who was able to fit a fire extinguisher in front of the gas tank above the rear axle. He modified it to use as a storage tank bout it was only a gallon or 2 in size as I recall.

All of the above have their +'s and -'s, you'll just have to search around and do some brainstorming.

Horns? Well that hasn't been discussed much around here. I seem to recall some one mounted a small set on the passenger side frame rail up front.

4WDlifeform said:

Hey guys and gals... In a bit of a bind... On my previous rig, (ford explorer) had plenty of room below the rear cargo area (where our gas tank is now) to mount all the above.

I kept the train horn cause its just S-I-C-K and goes well with the whole "ill easily run your prius over if you don't move" kinda thing haha.

Anyhow, I used a 3gal tank @ 150psi. I want to go 5gal as the 3gal did not do the justice for pumping air into the tires after trail. (i usually went from 25ish to 34ish) I figure 5gal should get 3 out of 4 tires pretty quickly...

Ehh i sidetracked again! NOW --- where can I put compressor/tank?? the compressor is remote, so if need be, tank can go on the inside. Compressor definitely outside (shes a noisy one) and horns... also no good place. I know the roof is going to be mentioned but no haha. The horns are bundled together (3 of them) in one chunk. They don't come apart, and just wont look all that well up there. Also want to mention that yes, I would like to keep it handy as tire inflation is in mind and MAYBE some cheap "harbor freight" tools??

So... Any ideas? Pics? words of wisdom? Thanks in advance!

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:yelclap: airhorns on XJs are great. Personally I mounted mine at the front center of the roof, sticking out over the windshield. Looks like this: http://gallery.mac.com/lobsterdmb#100279/IMG_7138&bgcolor=black
I don't think it's too bad, but maybe it's just me :dunno: (yes I know you said you didn't want to put it here)

As for the air tank - mine is bouncing around in the trunk right now, as soon as I build myself a bumper with a rear tire carrier I am going to be mounting it and the compressor along with my PDU and fire extinguisher where the spare used to go in the trunk. My compressor is pretty quiet though. Is most of your compressor's sound output from the compressor or via it resonating through the frame and floorboards? I worded that wrong, I know. If it's mostly from conducted sound through the floorboards and frame, look into mounting it using some heavy rubber bushings.

4WDlifeform said:

Ehh i sidetracked again! NOW --- where can I put compressor/tank?? the compressor is remote, so if need be, tank can go on the inside. Compressor definitely outside (shes a noisy one) and horns... also no good place.

Click to expand...

What compressor (brand/model) are you using? That will also determine your mounting options.

My horns are above the rear axle. That is about the only place you can put them.



1/2 gal. tank inside, but sliders also hold air.

i mounted my Viair 450 compressor under the drivers side of the rear seat (i chose that side because its not above the muffler) and the tank is in the pass side of the cargo area. IIRC Go Jeep has air horns mounted in the engine bay in what would be our pass side (his driver side). on a similar note, whats a good source for authentic train and/or truck air horns- not the cheap sound like crap imitation ones?

hornblasters.com is a great place. mine are plastic but sound great. Real horns are $1500 easy.

Got my fire truck horn for $30 at the local junkyard. They happened to have an old fire truck parked out back and I got to it first.

Add in $120 for compressor/pressure switch, $25 for air tank, and $30-40 for brass fittings and poly tubing and I was all set.

Compressor in the cargo area pass side. My rear bumper is the tank. Train horns above the rear axle. I haven't went through any water crossing yet. If I do I think I will pull them out. I don't think filling them with water will be to good for them.

Been thru water and mud many of times with mine.

Ok. So I have decided tank will replace the spare tire location. Spare on roof. ill put the horns up on the roof and see how it look... maybe have someone hold them there. The thing with my horns are that they are solid piece, in a triangular shape. Ah! I have a pic of them:


So, roof maybe ehhh. On my previous rig, i had them above the rear axle. Right now, I do not have a lift on my XJ, didnt look like there was enough to safely mount right now.

I will be putting a subwoofer in the passenger side rear storage thing, so thats out. Drivers side rear panel looked busy under there... wire harnesses, gas inlet... might have to do a little fabrication to get that to work. That would actually be a great spot, as the tank would be right there.

As to answer the noise issue, it may have been the resonance through the frame... I Never really traced it down, but you could definately feel vibration in the vehicle when it ran. It is a Viair 380C and has rubber feet things to mount.

Thanks for all the input! Ill keep updated on the install. Any good place to get a tank? Good brand names?

4WDlifeform said:

Any good place to get a tank? Good brand names?

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Tank is a tank. Not like it has any moving parts.... Ebay....

please dont put them on the roof.

i have a friend who sells nathan air chime train horns, the real deal. insanely (and probably illegally) loud!!! pm me if interested in a set. $450 + shipping.

jrowell said:

Compressor in the cargo area pass side. My rear bumper is the tank. Train horns above the rear axle. I haven't went through any water crossing yet. If I do I think I will pull them out. I don't think filling them with water will be to good for them.

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Just toot em a couple times after going through to blow them clear, no big deal. I'm curious about the location over the rear axle, seems to me it'd be a great way to get them smashed flat! I have seen one of the guys in NAC bolt his to the inside of his front skidplate though.

4WDlifeform said:

As to answer the noise issue, it may have been the resonance through the frame... I Never really traced it down, but you could definately feel vibration in the vehicle when it ran. It is a Viair 380C and has rubber feet things to mount.

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If it is a Viair 380C, it should be small enough to mount in the engine compartment like this:



I made this mounting bracket for it so it is still mounted on it's rubber isolators.



The 380C is smaller than my Viair 480C in every dimension so there should be room, if you have eliminated the stock air box. I also have a sub in the passenger rear cargo area and I didn't want it mounted under the seats for both noise and heat reasons. This location is probably not ideal if you're into deep water crossings, but mounting compressors in the engine compartment is pretty common practice regardless. Remote mounting the compressor intake is always a possiblility and if you don't have ABS, you could mount the compressor next to the brake master cylinder as well. A search will bring up lots of pics of that setup on here.

kastein said:

I'm curious about the location over the rear axle, seems to me it'd be a great way to get them smashed flat!

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There is phisically no way the axle can travel up far enough to touch them. They probably have a good 6+ inches of clearence. I have an re 5.5 lift.
Debri on the other hand could take them out...