CL compressor purchase this morning

[trav848]

Curtis Compressor I bought. Questions

I went and picked up the compressors I had found on CL this morning. They are quite old and I don't know much about them yet aside from the black one does run and hold pressure just fine. The PO said the green compressor works as the motor was rebuilt but it needs a pressure switch. Paid $300 for the both of them. Do any of the masters here know anything about either of these? I hope I didn't just buy these for the cool old tool factor.

 

[PSYKO_Inc]

That's a lot of big iron in the back of that lil' pickup. Don't know much about those specific models, but I do know that Curtis makes great compressors, if it's in good working condition it should last a lifetime. Hopefully the motors are single phase if you're planning on running them in a home shop. For the one with a bad pressure switch, you could run power directly to the motor to test it, just make sure you watch the tank pressure and kill power before you overpressure the tank.

 

[QwikKotaTx]

Restore them and keep whichever works the best. Sell the other one for $300. Free compressor.

 

[trav848]

Ohh yes... I regretted not taking the bigger truck when I realized I was going home with both of them. It was a slow ride home... Both motors are single phase. The Curtis does have some wobble to it when it runs, the pulley on the compressor has some wobble to it, not sure if its bent or what yet. I'll post more when I get them in the garage.

 

[md21722]

On that PAR you might have some better luck searching or over on the Vintage Tools thread. It's likely from the 1950's. Here's a link to Practical Machinest

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/general/anyone-heard-par-air-compressor-138717/

If they work then great, otherwise unless you are into a restoration you may want to sell or scrap them and go new or wait longer. You'll need to go through them an evaluate the pump, motor, and tank condition. Old tanks were built very thick and heavy - much beefier than ones made today. Old pumps that are marginal may not have parts available any longer. If you decide to swap in a new pump or motor, keep in mind standard frame sizes in use today weren't formalized until around 1962 so you may need an adapter plate for the motor and if the flywheel is small by today's standards you may need to raise the pump. Standard flywheel's today run about 16-1/2" diameter. First and foremost evaluate current condition and go from there.

 

[PSYKO_Inc]

Ohh yes... I regretted not taking the bigger truck when I realized I was going home with both of them. It was a slow ride home... Both motors are single phase. The Curtis does have some wobble to it when it runs, the pulley on the compressor has some wobble to it, not sure if its bent or what yet. I'll post more when I get them in the garage.

Flywheel could just be sitting crooked on the shaft, I got a pump a couple weeks ago with the same issue. Pulled the flywheel off and reseated the keyway and tightened it back down, runs straight and true now.

 

[DSLTRK]

That's a lot of big iron in the back of that lil' pickup.

Thats a ranger for ya. Tough littlr trucks.

Op looks like you must have gotten a great deal if you bought two of them.

 

[trav848]

The ranger is a tough little work truck, it has some helper springs under the back though. I guess I forgot to post what I paid... I'm thinking it might have been a bit much now. $300 for the pair.

 

[trav848]

So after inspection them more the PAR compressor looks like the tank was repaired on the bottom so I plan to put that one back up for sale. I can see the motor has been recently rebuilt. I plan to keep the Curtis to restore as that seems to be in better condition. For anyone who has done a Curtis, I cant seem to find info from the serial number anywhere, does anyone have any pointers on this? Also, there is no drain at all on the bottom of the tank, only mid way up on the side, was that normal on these older units? This is my first old compressor so i'm sorry if any of this is ignorant... I'm learning.

 

[md21722]

I have a 1957 Beaird tank. It had a drain and I've never gotten rust out of it. Look again. If it's got a solid plug the odds are against you.

 

[jrsulo]

So after inspection them more the PAR compressor looks like the tank was repaired on the bottom so I plan to put that one back up for sale. I can see the motor has been recently rebuilt. I plan to keep the Curtis to restore as that seems to be in better condition. For anyone who has done a Curtis, I cant seem to find info from the serial number anywhere, does anyone have any pointers on this? Also, there is no drain at all on the bottom of the tank, only mid way up on the side, was that normal on these older units? This is my first old compressor so i'm sorry if any of this is ignorant... I'm learning.

Should have a tube running to the bottom of tank,,,,,,but probably long gone,,,,,ive got a 1959 Curtis,,,,,unloaders at this age are most the time shot and no new available

 

[trav848]

Yeah, I double checked, there is no drain on the bottom of the tank at all. The only one is on the end. The guy I bought it from ran the tank up to 150 PSI for me so I know it works. I can hear a good amount of water in the tank. Not sure if I should bother with this one. Bummer.

 

[md21722]

You can try shopping around another tank. Whether or not its worth it to you is another matter. Sometimes the local compressor shops have used tanks available at good prices. Other times you can find good tanks with bad pumps on CL, but not usually for something like this. You could consider cutting off the top plate and then finding any suitable tank 200 psi for this dual stage pump. There is absolutely no requirement that the motor & pump be bolted to a tank. If the other tank is better you could swap the parts. Motors are generally interchangeable and pumps only require 4 new bolts be drilled in the top plate. Aligning the pulleys isn't "that hard". I've done it a few times. If the unloader doesn't unload but doesn't leak, you can use a pressure switch version plumbed into the check valve port. It may require a check valve with an unloader port. Meanwhile I'll continue to scratch my head over how they could've built an air compressor without a condensate drain. I've seen them without safety pop off valves, but never without a condensate drain. Sometimes its just easier to pay once and cry once (and buy new).

 

[PSYKO_Inc]

Wow that's weird that it doesn't have a drain. I've got a tank built in 1946 with a drain on it. Can you remove a fitting and look inside? Maybe there is a tube inside the tank so water can drain from a side port? No idea if anyone has ever done this, just something that popped into my head.

 

[PSYKO_Inc]

Also if the tank is shot, you could build a sweet BBQ smoker out of it. You could part out the rest of the parts on the forum and probably make your money back. I might be interested in a motor if the price is right.