I need to buy an air compressor, and I'd like to do some porting of an exhaust manifold and turbo. What's the smallest air compressor I can comfortably get away with? An 8 gallon/1.1hp model is what I'm leaning towards right now. Thanks for the input.
chilliwacko
You want something with as big a tank as you care to get. I've tried with a 4 gallon and it runs constantly. You're always waiting for it to refill. I have a Craftsman 26 gallon compressor and you don't have to stop very often for it to repressurize.
From my experience once you start getting into larger size compressors (25gal +) the prices dont jump that much. For the occasional die grinding your should be fine with a nice 25 gal but if there is any chance you may consider doing any sanding, painting, cutting ect it is better to go big the 1st time and not have to worry about it down the road. For around the $400 price range you can get a nice craftsman pro 30 gal that should cover almost anything you will throw at it. It is safer to spend a little more once than buying something that cant handle your possible future needs or one that will burn out quicker by pushing it past what it is designed for.
Honestly I would go with an electric die grinder. The only thing I dont like about the electric is no speed control. But for steel it works great. It works ok for aluminum also, but it is fast and you need to be careful.
Harbor Freight
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=44141
And for some bits
http://www.american-carbide.com/Burs/ESB.aspx?SubCategoryID=12&selection=4&Cat=2
Harbor Freight
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=44141
And for some bits
http://www.american-carbide.com/Burs/ESB.aspx?SubCategoryID=12&selection=4&Cat=2
I have a very old school 20 gallon compressor and it does the job nicely. I wouldn't recommend going for anything less than 20.
I wouldn't bother with the cheap one unless you only plan on using it once or twice. You can get a DeWalt or Makita electric die grinder for $150 but at that price you could get a decent sized air compressor from Harbor Freight.chilliwacko said:Crap, a big compressor is just not in my budget right now. Electric might be the way to go, but can a $30 electric die grinder really work for porting a cast manifold? If so, I'm sold
chilliwacko said:Crap, a big compressor is just not in my budget right now. Electric might be the way to go, but can a $30 electric die grinder really work for porting a cast manifold? If so, I'm sold
They have a two year service contract on them. Break it and bring it back. I have one and have used for three manifolds, two heads and one o2 housing and a bunch of random stuff. NO Issues. You can tell it is cheap but it gets the job done.
Me and my buddy placed a bid on ebay for their 1/4" $20 total with shipping die grinder and couldn't be happier. We thought it was a joke. To our surprise it was more than powerful enough and was able to port like 20 housings before my other friends borrowed it and dropped it hard.
Although if you are looking for an air compressor I would recommend something no less than a 15 gallon tank or you'll be sitting there waiting for the tank to fill every few mintues. The compressor sound gets old fast.
I ported my Evo 3 16G and my Evo manifold with a Dremel. Takes a bit longer but the results are great. I rather grind or port with my dremel over my Air grinder. The grinder is just too fast. I have speed control with a dremel. Just my opinion from my experience.chilliwacko said:Crap, a big compressor is just not in my budget right now. Electric might be the way to go, but can a $30 electric die grinder really work for porting a cast manifold? If so, I'm sold
Oh and I have a 15 gal 1.5hp Craftsman compressor.
I gotta admit the die grinder was way powerful. I once slipped my hands on it and it went flying 15 feettarantula said:
sanded my skin away right by my ears in a matter of of split second.
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