ARCHIVE On Board Air Kits ala Wits' End...still working out da bugs

[NLXTACY]

After enough pestering I've finally taken out some time to devote to alternative tank placements. This version is to put the tank between the front frame horms and mount it to the underside of the frame. It fits there perfectly if you have a Delare power steering cooler, JDM fan and winch that is mounted no deeper than 7.5". Measured from the back of the mounting face of an ARB bumper. I haven't decided if its just going to be one flat plate or a bent plate.

 

[NLXTACY]

The RATS is out of machining and heading to the powder coater.

 

[NLXTACY]

Just added NITTO hi-flow coupler pacifiers you the growing list of air coupler plugs.

Quick Connect Air Coupler Pacifier- NITTO Hi-Flow Couplers

Quick Connect Air Coupler Pacifier- NITTO Hi-Flow Couplers (ACP-NITTO)

absolute-wits-end.com

 

[NLXTACY]

Let’s talk corrosion…

The Parker couplers I sell are standard fare Brass universal air couplers. Stainless are available but they are fairly spendy although I’m thinking about bringing them in

On the Pacifiers you have the option of brass, aluminum and Delrin. Brass on brass action won’t see electrolysis thru dissimilar metals. Delrin is plastic so no exchange of electrons. Which leaves aluminum. The moment aluminum is cut and sees oxygen it’ll form an oxidizer layer. That’s the whitish looking stuff you’ll see on aluminum. This is actually a protective oxidation layer. Now if you really want to crank up it’s anti-corrosion effectiveness then it gets anodized. Problem solved right? Well mostly. Case in point:

Just texted back and forth with @backroad 4WD training
and he noticed that his blue anodized aluminum pacifier was seeing flowering corrosion on the nipple and the coupler. My initial thought was there was something upstream likely bringing corroded salts from condensation in whatever his air compressor of choice was. I’ve posted a few times about seeing this in ARB Twin compressors due to a poor manifold design. That’s still a possibility but I didn’t actually mention that. It’s just in the back of my head.

It really comes down to three things in this particular instance: location of the coupler (low and rear), living in a chloride salt de-icing state of WA, and the fact it’s been there for two years preventing the coupler from being destroyed.

Although this is by no means a design flaw it does show the limitations for certain applications. The solution? I’m sending him a free Delrin replacement because I don’t want something with the Wits’ End on it out in the wild looking like this.