ARB Dual Compressor stealth install - UPDATED.

[Theherofails]

I found the switch after looking closer. Thats really nice work you've done! Love the wiring! A little box for water protection, you say . . . .so all the wiring is between the pump and the storage hatch, except the 12v current feed? Is that 8awg feed wire wired to the two installed wiring blocks, or directly to the battery? I'm going to have to investigate your idea . . . Only downside is operational, id have to remove everything from the cargo floor to air up the tires . . .

I thought of that as well. I was already doing that anyways to get my gloves and stuff. I just pulled the lid up with the item still on it usually. For me it's usually bags of gear, but I could see an ice chest being a little more difficult. Mine goes up front though.

As a solution, I'm going to 3d print a little kickstand to hold the lid open even with items on top of it. I'll be printing carbon fiber here soon, so the part should be able to hold quite a lot - hundreds of pounds.

I modified the loom it came with and cut out all the stuff I didnt need (switches for lockers) and made it shorter since I only had 1.5 feet to cover. That way the only exposed points are the back of the switch (working on 3d print for that) and the plug on the compressor for the loom, which is water resistant.

I kept the 2 40amp fuses in line but used these:

The 8awg runs a majority of the truck now with a small stub of 10awg as part of the harness for the connector.

I did some research to make sure it wouldn't be a problem stepping up gauges like that, but everything says it's ok as long as the amp load doesn't go over the rating of your smallest wire.

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[VoltageDrop]

I agree with this. I have mounted under jeep hood with 3.6 motor and later LS3. There are many places to do it there. I dont know I would mount under body with holes drilled and just above exhaust?? I look forward to your 2.7 option. Have my arb, bronco build supposed to be tomorrow. Cant wait

Confined in an engine bay near a turbo probably isn't any better than the OP's spot. I like it!

 

[Theherofails]

Plan on picking up a Dual ARB - do you have approximate dimensions?

 

[lakesinai]

Confined in an engine bay near a turbo probably isn't any better than the OP's spot. I like it!

Agreed.

 

[Theherofails]

I agree with this. I have mounted under jeep hood with 3.6 motor and later LS3. There are many places to do it there. I dont know I would mount under body with holes drilled and just above exhaust?? I look forward to your 2.7 option. Have my arb, bronco build supposed to be tomorrow. Cant wait

I get the holes thing. I was trepidatious about it at first. To each their own there.

But the exhaust? Your rubber brake hoses are practically rubbing the exhaust near the muffler. There is a good 8-12" of space between the exhaust and the compressor here. Don't let the perspective fool you.

This spot is an empty void for your axle to flex into if your bumpstops fail catastrophically while you're landing that sweet 50 foot jump, plus some.

The closest the exhaust comes is the hump to get it around and above the axle and even that is a good distance away, plus it's heat shielded.

The entire muffler is 1" below that plastic tray with the same heat shielding. Quite a feate of engineering.. seems like something that would cause issues, but I haven't seen any.

I think you could probably stick a reserve fuel tank up in this area, as the fuel filler line runs between the exhaust and the compressor, to the fuel tank which is right next to the compressor. Wouldn't be huge.. maybe an extra 5 gallons.

 

[Theherofails]

So you’re saying this is fake news?

Just noticed this..

No screws in that mount for the control module. It's literally just sitting on the compressor. I took whole module off - it's held on by those two screws and a trim screw in your carpet wheel liner, that's it.

 

[MrGreen55]

Just noticed this..

No screws in that mount for the control module. It's literally just sitting on the compressor. I took whole module off - it's held on by those two screws and a trim screw in your carpet wheel liner, that's it.

so your saying that spot would work now ????

 

[Theherofails]

so your saying that spot would work now ????

I prefer to have my control modules connected to the vehicle, @4x4TruckLEDs.com has a solution coming for that very spot basically.

 

[2Jeeps&PatriotX1]

On my jeep, I have 2 hose connections (mounted in the grill & tucked up behind the rear bumper).

just an FYI- my single ARB in the jeep sits below the brake booster and is somewhat exposed to the elements due to the metalcloak fender side vents (enough to where snow builds up during heavy snow storms) and Ive had issues w/ the electrical connections. So I would highly recommend sealing up those connectors.

i would say no to miunting to the inner liner of the hood. The dual arb is a heavy beast and wouldnt want to be slamming the hood and having that thing destroy the hood, let alone, lifting the hood without gas strut assistance would get old fast.

my concern about underneath, is for those who live in areas where they use mag chloride on the roads during winter, it will take a toll. This is why I coat everything (minus tires, brakes & exhaust) from tub down on all my vehicles with fluid film going into winter and run them through the carwash w/ underbody spray multiple times a week during winter and still find crap in places when I inspect come spring time.

 

[lakesinai]

Thats pretty heavy!

 

[dbeyers]

Install done! Took me 3 days.

This isn't a full tutorial, that would really need to be in video format. LOTS of work to get it this way but totally worth it. I was looking for a 'factory' like solution and this is pretty solid.

Unit is turned on and off at that switch, no upfitter needed. The two round objects are the filtered intakes. I remoted them into the cabin to avoid dust and moisture.


Absolutely zero room under the hood with the 2.7. The mounting location ARB showed is fake, it was resting on the wheel well carpeting. They also really had to risk cracking their coolant overflow tank because the compressor doesn't even fit where they showed it.

After 3 hours of hunting, I found the absolute best spot for it.

I had to drill a bunch of holes through the Bronco, which hurt. These are concealed under the rear floor, so no harm, no foul.

Where is it?

Safest place it can be. Above the drive shaft and exhaust, under the rear cargo area. 36" above the deck, which just keeps it out of fording depth. Compressor is fully submersible, but I'll never go that deep. There are factory wiring connectors much lower on the frame, so you'll run into issues before this compressor does.

The compressor was mounted with a quarter inch of rubber between the mount and the body of the Bronco, and this DRASTICALLY cuts down on noise and vibration.

If anyone needs help, let me know. I can do a quick pointers video is the demand is there.

Mounting the compressor here means you don't need ~40-60 feet of braided airhose, which is astronomically expensive. You need 2 runs at a half inch for the filter relocation, and 1 run for the air hose outlet.

I did have to run wire from the front to rear via the frame, but that was easy. I went with 8AWG to account for the longer distance. Factory is 10 AWG.


I almost forgot - was it worth it upgrading from the ARB single compressor?

15 to 37 psi took ~1:45 with dual and 3:40 with the single. Substantial time savings when you consider I usually air up others in my convoy as well. Once I add the manifold for airing up 4 tires at once, I'll consider this done.

I respect your efforts and expertise - had you thought of under the driver or passenger seat? I guess having a power seat could impact the choice - I don’t have a compressor or Bronco so I’d thought to ask.

 

[Theherofails]

I respect your efforts and expertise - had you thought of under the driver or passenger seat? I guess having a power seat could impact the choice - I don’t have a compressor or Bronco so I’d thought to ask.

I tried there before formulating the entire plan and I could see it being made to work with a lot of effort. It's quite cramped under there already, and you still need to account for access to route air hose for an access point. If you removed the seat for the install? Maybe. Tight fit.

These compressors also get CRAZY hot, if you aren't familiar. I would worry about that.

 

[BrentC]

Install done! Took me 3 days.

This isn't a full tutorial, that would really need to be in video format. LOTS of work to get it this way but totally worth it. I was looking for a 'factory' like solution and this is pretty solid.

Unit is turned on and off at that switch, no upfitter needed. The two round objects are the filtered intakes. I remoted them into the cabin to avoid dust and moisture.


Absolutely zero room under the hood with the 2.7. The mounting location ARB showed is fake, it was resting on the wheel well carpeting. They also really had to risk cracking their coolant overflow tank because the compressor doesn't even fit where they showed it.

After 3 hours of hunting, I found the absolute best spot for it.

I had to drill a bunch of holes through the Bronco, which hurt. These are concealed under the rear floor, so no harm, no foul.

Where is it?

Safest place it can be. Above the drive shaft and exhaust, under the rear cargo area. 36" above the deck, which just keeps it out of fording depth. Compressor is fully submersible, but I'll never go that deep. There are factory wiring connectors much lower on the frame, so you'll run into issues before this compressor does.

The compressor was mounted with a quarter inch of rubber between the mount and the body of the Bronco, and this DRASTICALLY cuts down on noise and vibration.

If anyone needs help, let me know. I can do a quick pointers video is the demand is there.

Mounting the compressor here means you don't need ~40-60 feet of braided airhose, which is astronomically expensive. You need 2 runs at a half inch for the filter relocation, and 1 run for the air hose outlet.

I did have to run wire from the front to rear via the frame, but that was easy. I went with 8AWG to account for the longer distance. Factory is 10 AWG.


I almost forgot - was it worth it upgrading from the ARB single compressor?

15 to 37 psi took ~1:45 with dual and 3:40 with the single. Substantial time savings when you consider I usually air up others in my convoy as well. Once I add the manifold for airing up 4 tires at once, I'll consider this done.

Well done, sir! I applaud your efforts.

Still can’t get over how clean the bottom of your truck is…

Question of the pic of the holes you drilled: are the 6 holes for the mounting bolts/studs? If so, did you need to drill or core bigger holes for the air intake and air outlet connections? And did you use a backing plate inside the Bronco as reinforcement? I would be concerned about fatigue cracking at the drill holes given the weight of the compressor.

 

[dbeyers]

I tried there before formulating the entire plan and I could see it being made to work with a lot of effort. It's quite cramped under there already, and you still need to account for access to route air hose for an access point. If you removed the seat for the install? Maybe. Tight fit.

These compressors also get CRAZY hot, if you aren't familiar. I would worry about that.

I was thinking of having a quick connect right under the seat and attaching the hose only when airing up. I’ll be aware of the heat concern now - thanks!

 

[Theherofails]

Well done, sir! I applaud your efforts.

Still can’t get over how clean the bottom of your truck is…

Question of the pic of the holes you drilled: are the 6 holes for the mounting bolts/studs? If so, did you need to drill or core bigger holes for the air intake and air outlet connections? And did you use a backing plate inside the Bronco as reinforcement? I would be concerned about fatigue cracking at the drill holes given the weight of the compressor.

The only holes in the Bronco are those small .25" holes for the mounting bolts. You only need 4 bolts, but I ended up doing 8 just for peace of mind. The kit only comes with 4, but I purchased 4 more bolts from Home Depot.

When you remove your rear floor by taking out the tie down points, you are left with 4 bolts holding down the plastic storage bin. Once you remove that, you are left with a giant hole through the floor pan, and you can see the frame and muffler from inside the Bronco. I used that to my advantage by installing all of the air compressor stuff in the plastic bin. Easy access and I can replace the bin down the road when I move this stuff to a different spot.

So the only permanent modification to the Bronco is 4 small quarter inch holes under the rear floor. I'm not worried about water or moisture getting in the cabin, because the rear pan (cargo floor) already has a huge hole in it for the cargo storage bin.

You could also pull up the rear seat flooring and mount it more in the center of the Bronco. I was happy with the location I chose because you only need three 1' sections of air hose and a few 90 degree fittings to make it all work. I always try to keep costs in check when I can, and I saved a substantial amount of money by doing it this way. Braided air hose is quite $$$ and adds up quick.

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