I am restoring my 1967 vw squareback and am looking for a reliable air compressor to run air tools and maybe the ocassional spray gun as im going to do my own body work and interior. Im not planning on painting my own car so dont need an industrial air compressor. Just looking for a bit of guidance. I dont want to go out and buy one and it not be able to take off a bolt. Thanks!!!

 

i've used my husky 20gallon air compressor for ever 5 years and it has yet to fail on me. you can also look into craftmans 20gallon air compressor. make sure to buy the proper quick connects for the air hose.

 

The spray-gun will be your problem.

Smaller compressors work well with impact devices that don't consume much air (nail guns, impact wrenches etc.). To run tools such as spray guns, drills, polishers etc. you need a compressor that can supply a continuous high-pressure air supply. Also, with a spray gun, I think you'd need a decent regulator and definitely a water trap to avoid getting blemishes and sputtering in your paint.

I bought a small 6 gallon cylinder type compressor ($80ish) for inflating tires, running impact wrenches, air chisel etc. and it works great. However, if I attach it to a air wrench, it runs out of puff pretty quickly, and then I have to wait for it to recharge.

Look for scfm ratings on the devides for a guide.

 

Am I correct that I should stay away from the harbor freight ones? Some one at my work mentioned harbor freight but I just kringed and said uh ok.

 

Heck even one from harbor freight will do the job. Look for one with a big tank so the thing wont cycle everytime you squeeze the trigger on the air gun.

Look for one with high numbers of cfm at 90 psi.

 

Yeah, my brother in-law has one and he helped me do my coilover conversion and that **** kept kicking on almost continuously. I have heard of the water in the line with the spray gun, thats why Im not planning on painting much. Mainly rust inhibitor and primer. Im leaning toward the 20 gallon husky due to the fact that im planning on buying a house as well. It can help out around the house for any remodling.