More on portable air pump

PJH · Feb 5, 2015

I don't want to hijack Wheatfarmer's post below -

Do any of you remember the gadget that you screwed into an engine in place of the spark plug? You'd snap an air hose on it and that one cylinder would pump air (and fumes) for emergency use. There had to be a check valve built into it (I think).

When I was a kid, an old guy that I worked for had a TO-30 with a leaky rear tire. His farm was way back in the sticks, no electricity, and signed up in the soil bank. He hired me to mow the place. Every morning we'd remove one plug from the slant six engine in his Dodge pickup, and screw this thing in the plug hole. He'd pump that tire full of gasoline fumes and I'd head out to mow. I always figured I'd run for dear life if the old tractor caught fire. The thing might have been home made, been too many years for me to remember, but the idea didn't catch on. That was the only one I've ever seen.

showcrop · Feb 5, 2015

I remeber using one of those. There was a Ford branded one on eBay recently.

Steve@Advance · Feb 5, 2015

I've heard of them, seen them advertised in JC Whitney.

Never actually seen one or used one, sounds like a disaster in the making!

Chris Jones · Feb 5, 2015

I saw my uncle use one on my grandfathers Allis B to pump up a tire on their Ford 600 back in the 70s.

gene bender · Feb 5, 2015

Why disaster there were lots of them used in the old days never did hear of an accident from them sure beat using one of those old hand pumps.

Lazy WP · Feb 5, 2015

That is all Dad had for an air compressor until the mid 70s. Wish I would have kept a couple of them.

glennster · Feb 5, 2015

in theparts manual for my w-9, it shows the air hose as a special attachment. there were two suppliers, enginair pneumatic tire pump, 3 available, one for 7/8 -18 spark plug, one for 18 mm thread, and one for 14mm thread. the other was the schrader, which had 4 available. again for 7/8-18, 18mm, 14mm and the last was a kit that came with 10,14,18mm 1/2 inch and 7/8 spark plug holes. the part number for that one was d-350-r91. the mfr number was 8888-tgk.

John M · Feb 5, 2015

When I bought my I4, it had the remnants of one in the tool box. Hose itself was mostly disintegrated. Still have the ends somewhere.

old-9 · Feb 5, 2015

I have an old Ford branded one but with a larger size adapter so it doesent fit anything I have. It has a check valve gismo that draws in fresh air not gas fumes. Here is a new one you can buy. Mt Ford one has a pressure gauge.
Untitled URL Link

Kerry50 · Feb 5, 2015

My paternal grandfather used one. Took out a spark plug on his Allis WD and aired his tire up.

DelMN · Feb 5, 2015

Remember years ago a guy built a big compressor out of a ford V8. If memory serves me right, this is what he did: Used 4 cyls for running the engine and 4 to compress air. In the 4 for compressor he blocked off the intake by a small plate between head and intake manifold put a weak spring on the exhaust valve and used the spark plug hole for air output. Also removed the rockers. Air would be sucked in past weak exhaust springs and compressed out via the plug holes. It worked great! by using the weak spring exhaust, it was able to compress each revolution.

HenryO · Feb 5, 2015

I remember having one in the 40's. We also had an air compressor that worked off the PTO. Much faster.

Blue Jay · Feb 5, 2015

Used one for several years, late 40's thru the 50's. Don't know what ever happened to it but it worked good, yes the part that screwed into the spark plug hole had a check valve in it.

Brendon Warren · Feb 5, 2015

I've got one here somewhere. I've also got a couple JD ones that go on the PTO. I've never used either.

wjytexas · Feb 5, 2015

Had one in the early '70s

PJH · Feb 5, 2015

That's interesting - I thought it was just pumping a combustible fuel/air mix into the tire. My concerns were unwarranted, ha. Thanks for the link.

Those things were more common than I thought, from all of the responses.

parisspringstom · Feb 5, 2015

I have one out in the shop but the hose needs replaced. Saw dad use one on the pickup to air up tires out in the woods. It was a poor mans air compressor.

Tubacase47 · Feb 5, 2015

One of my friends has one and he uses it regularly. We used it 3 weeks ago to pump up a low tire on my trailer so we could haul tractors.

DeltaRed · Feb 5, 2015

I bought a new one from NAPA(?) 20/25 years ago. It was handy for airing tires in the field,but was slow.Havent used in 15 + years.IIRC,the instructions stated it would only pump fresh clean air,due to the "unique" check ball system.I do remember the finned/slotted body and the clacking sound it made.I guess I need to find it in the shop.Anybody want to buy it?

DeltaRed · Feb 5, 2015

Is that how they worked??An old man I knew(he's dead now) had one of those.I think it was a 302 Ford.Man! It would pump/move a LOT of air!He never told me how...Thanks

farmboy48 · Feb 5, 2015

Dad had one of those connected to plug hole on an old non running Briggs 2-3 horse motor, powered by another Briggs with a belt from pulley to pulley. I used it to air up bicycle tires when I was a kid. I am sure he used it for other things as well, but being a kid I never noticed. It put out enough pressure to explode a bike tire, did that on my sister's bike.

Dick ND

DelMN · Feb 5, 2015

Thanks for the response! Glad to hear that someone else knew about this! Memory coming back a little more since my post, He had an air cleaner on each exhaust manifold. Don't remember how he assembled the 4 rubber hoses out of each cylinder.

Tom in Ga · Feb 5, 2015

My dad use to use one with the old farmalls when I was young. I don't know but I think it may have been a IH tool. Tommy

1948CaseVAI · Feb 5, 2015

My Case VAI parts book lists Case part VT-110 (12 ft hose) or VT-111 (16 ft hose) as available at that time from Case. Also lists plug hole adapters in 7/8", 18mm and 14 mm for this purpose.

oleclint · Feb 5, 2015

Dad had one in the 1940 s. Used it with a Case VAC. It worked very good . Most likey was from Sears & Roebuck.

Jon Hagen · Feb 5, 2015

I always wondered if the gas/ air mixture was damaging the rubber tire tubes, but it sounds like they had that covered by having both an oitside air intake valve as well as an outlet valve in the line to the tire.
Good chance that very little gasoline found it's way into the cylinder at idle.

Leroy · Feb 5, 2015

They were in the Ford 0N-2N books.

ih_bug · Feb 5, 2015

why not buy a new one?

http://www.aerostich.com/engineair-power-pump.html

notjustair · Feb 5, 2015

There used to be a kit to do the same thing with a VW air-cooled engine. You replaced the head on that cylinder bank with the supplied one and they supposedly worked well. I never did it because IIRC it came with a different camshaft. Splitting the block to do it as a novelty was a waste of time for me.

Wheatfarmer · Feb 5, 2015

I have one, but haven't used it for years. need to check it out and see what plugs I have for it. seems like there were three or four different attachment. Crazy but I know right were it is.

NEKS · Feb 5, 2015

The spark plug pump was dad's only air compressor in the 50's, 60's, and 70's.

01gentdc · Feb 5, 2015

same here and I still got it and it is in working condition ,,,often wondered if a 2 pooper john would run those thinhgs

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