1927 Ingersoll-Rand Portable Compressor

(Page 4 of 4)

August/September 2002
Brian C. Ferrence 
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A trip to the auto junkyard produced a set of wheel spindles and wheels from a Dodge Caravan to use on the cart. Front-wheel-drive Chrysler products still use bolt-on spindles for the rear axle, and these are great for building a road-worthy trailer. Another trip to the scrap metal outfit produced channel iron to frame the cart I had in mind. For the suspension I used one set of leaf springs from the old steel wheeled cart. Once the trailer was complete, it was time to reassemble and mount everything back in place.

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There were quite a few other small headaches: gaskets to cut, an exhaust to fabricate, air valves and fittings to track down, painting and endless adjustments. But one by one I resolved them until it was time to put the unit back into service.

Finally Working

After a few trial runs I was feeling confident about the operation of the unit. It would come up to 100 pounds of pressure in about 40 seconds and cutout and hold the pressure very nicely. About the time I started to feel good about completing the project, I noticed water gushing from the packing around the air compressor crankshaft! It was quite a challenge to pull the head and replace the blown head gasket without major disassembly, but I managed to get it done.

By August 2001 the unit was finally ready for service. It was put to work at the local fairgrounds, providing the necessary air volume to start our club's 40 HP Bessemer engine, and also powering a steam whistle manifold during fair week and during our club's fall engine and tractor show.

This wasn't an easy project, but, as always, it was rewarding and I learned a lot in the process. I would love to hear from anyone else who has a similar unit or who needs help in a restoration.

Contact engine enthusiast Brian C. Ferrence at: Box 78, Summit Station, PA 17979, (570) 754-7249, or e-mail: Bferenc@hotmail.com

'After a few trial runs I was feeling confident about the operation of the unit. It would come up to 100 pounds of pressure in about 40 seconds and cutout and hold the pressure very nicely.'

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