Gordon Smith Compressor

nostalgicford

Senior Member
Do any of you Barners know of a Gordon Smith Compressor club??? I have had ad several compressors and now have Parts list, plans, blue prints and catalog...If any interest let me know...her's a pic of mine...
 

Attachments

  • compressor    side.jpg
    compressor side.jpg
    11.2 KB · Views: 641
  • compressor.jpg
    compressor.jpg
    80 KB · Views: 214
  • ccompressor rad.jpg
    ccompressor rad.jpg
    1.4 KB · Views: 610
  • compressor  tags.jpg
    compressor tags.jpg
    1.1 KB · Views: 607
I have a few. I will send some pictures. The Person I bought one from said they would drive the "A" up to the mine on two cylinders and drill. Then they would drive it home at night.

With gold at $1400.00 an troy ounce there should be some old mines starting up. I could get by with a 1/4 ounce a day.

I would be interested in your information.
 
Interesting compressor, can we have more details on how it works and rated capacity.

Over 3 decades ago, I began my sandblasting career with a Holman compressor.

It was built around a VW motor with a special flapper valve head on one side cylinder bank.

Chopped off inlet manifold to that side and those 2 plug leads earthed out.

It was rated at 60 CFM.

10 years ago, I bought a 250 cubic inch ford 6 cylinder engine with the intention of chopping the head in half and making a compressor head for the remaining 3 cylinders.

I worked out that it would produce 150 CFM on 3 cylinders driving and 3 cylinders compressing.

153624 was even firing when one half of the engine was chopped off.

I thought about a V8, but both our common eights here, GM and ford have uneven firing for each bank, so to use one side as power and the other as compressor could not be done.

Never got around to it tho.
 
I thought about a V8, but both our common eights here, GM and ford have uneven firing for each bank, so to use one side as power and the other as compressor could not be done.

Never got around to it tho.
I have used many compressors here that use the 289 Ford engine to compress. I never looked at the setup but did see it was a 289 so, it will work. Most are Ingersoll Rand brand.We have lots of compressors that are made out of diesel motors.
 
Yes there is a national Smith Motor Compressor Club that has been chartered by both MAFCA and MARC. Membership is just $10 per year. We publish a quality quarterly newsletter. Also we have a national Smith serial number registry. For more information contact club President Stan Johnson at fordyhorses@aol.com. Nice compressor in your pictures.
 
I have used many compressors here that use the 289 Ford engine to compress. I never looked at the setup but did see it was a 289 so, it will work. Most are Ingersoll Rand brand.We have lots of compressors that are made out of diesel motors.

I think you may have misunderstood me.

I did not mean just a V8 driving a compressor air end.

I was going to remove one V8 head completely, and fit a very thick piece of angle to make a hybrid.

The upright of the angle would bolt against the manifold to block that side off.

Fit 4 inlet and outlet flapper valves to each chamber .

Somehow keep that side hydraulic lifters in place or have zero oil pressure.

One bank is 4 cylinder power, the other bank is 4 cylinder compressor.

But a 289 firing order is 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8, so it can't be done.

Would not run too good.
 
Years ago there was a house painter in Oroville, CA. ; he owned a 29 Coupe that he had installed a Smith-Gordon head, a 50 gallon tank in the trunk; he would drive the A to the job on 2 cylinders then run the A compressor to paint the house.

Don't know what ever happened to the A ?

Ron
 
Here are some pictures of my gordon smith air squeezer. I pull it behind an emico 401 air locomotive. They failed to load again
 
Last edited:
I think you may have misunderstood me.

I did not mean just a V8 driving a compressor air end.

I was going to remove one V8 head completely, and fit a very thick piece of angle to make a hybrid.

The upright of the angle would bolt against the manifold to block that side off.

Fit 4 inlet and outlet flapper valves to each chamber .

Somehow keep that side hydraulic lifters in place or have zero oil pressure.

One bank is 4 cylinder power, the other bank is 4 cylinder compressor.

But a 289 firing order is 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8, so it can't be done.

Would not run too good.

Someone over here figured out a way - many utility contractors have little "tag-along" compressors (two-wheel sulky trailer, blue tub, white lid; kind of looks like a turtle on wheels) that employ an automotive V-8: one bank is the conventional engine, the other bank is fitted with a special compressor head and plumbing. I think these are Ingersoll-Rand... don't know if they made internal changes to the crank / cam / ignition. All I know is the engine /compressor share the same V-8 Block. I remember being quite impressed the first time I saw one.

Sorry I don't know more about them...
 
Maybe they found an engine that have even firing on one bank, dunno.

I am a bit past making a hybrid now.

But a 250 6cyl would have been easier and only a few cubic inches less than the 289.
 
:rolleyes:
Here are some pictures of my Gordon Smith air squeezer. I pull it behind an Eimco 401 air locomotive. They failed to load again

about the tenth try I uploaded the model 'T' BY MISTAKE
 

Attachments

  • 100_0223.jpg
    100_0223.jpg
    86.2 KB · Views: 89
  • 100_0125.jpg
    100_0125.jpg
    102.2 KB · Views: 85
Last edited:
:rolleyes:

about the tenth try I uploaded the model 'T' BY MISTAKE
Here are some pictures of my Gordon Smith air squeezer. Iposted them on the other Gorden Smith thread too.
 

Attachments

  • 100_0242.jpg
    100_0242.jpg
    78.8 KB · Views: 55
  • 100_0243.jpg
    100_0243.jpg
    80.7 KB · Views: 51
  • 100_0244.jpg
    100_0244.jpg
    79.9 KB · Views: 49
  • 100_0245.jpg
    100_0245.jpg
    93.1 KB · Views: 46
  • 100_0246.jpg
    100_0246.jpg
    85.5 KB · Views: 51
  • 100_0247.jpg
    100_0247.jpg
    83.5 KB · Views: 50
Back
Top