1927 Ingersoll-Rand Portable Compressor
(Page 2 of 4)
August/September 2002
Brian C. Ferrence
This illustration, from an original Ingersoll-Rand operating
manual, shows a similar, but larger Model IR compressor on original
trucks. While the engine shown here is obviously of different
manufacture than the one powering Brian's unit, close
examination shows the actual compressor to be almost identical in
appearance. Note also the fuel and compressor tanks, which are
identical to those on Brian's finished unit.
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There were other problems, too. The engine's governor was
broken and the cutout system on the compressor didn't work.
This meant someone had to stay with the compressor and monitor it
whenever they wanted to use it. Frank also found that the cooling
system was clogged, so he simply added an additional radiator and
let cooling water overflow from the clogged old radiator when he
ran it. The gas tank was full of crud, so he hung a gas can on the
side of the unit with a rubber hose leading to the carburetor.
Crude, but it got the job done. Frank had also set the unit on a
great, old steel-wheeled cart. It was not original to the
compressor, but sure made moving it a lot easier.
Well, I stopped on my return trip and Frank had gotten the
compressor loosened up so I could see it wasn't rusted fast. We
closed a deal, and a few weeks later I returned with my trailer and
hauled the ancient thing back to Pennsylvania. It was quite a sight
in my side yard - sitting there under a tarp, people mistook it for
a covered wagon.
Before I started making any repairs I made a few calls to
Ingersoll-Rand to see if they had any old manuals for the unit. I
was directed to a number of divisions at three or four different
plants in a few different states, but everyone I spoke with was
helpful and seemed fascinated by my project. I was finally
connected with Diane Dickens at a plant in North Carolina, and she
was able to track down some information for me.
She found an old manual and parts book of similar vintage to my
unit, and she sent photocopies to me without charge. She also
discovered they had a similar unit in their museum that had been
professionally restored. When I asked if they ran their unit often
she said, 'Oh my, no, it doesn't run. It's just
restored cosmetically for showing in the museum.' She was quite
surprised that I intended to restore my machine to working
condition and actually put it to work. The manuals were a big help
in the restoration and I would like to thank Diane and all the
people at Ingersoll-Rand who were so helpful.
Getting to Work
The first thing I attacked was the cooling system. I stripped
off the extra radiator and plumbing and removed the original
radiator. The good news was I was able to remove about 20 of the
old, rusted bolts that hold the cores in place and keep the tanks
and canopy together. The bad news was that about 15 were so seized
they snapped off when I tried to remove them. It took two evenings
of drilling, chiseling and re-tapping to remove the rest and true
the threads.