Vehicle Description
This beautifully restored Smith Motor Compressor is one of the
earliest examples known to exist. These were produced by Smith
Motor Compressor Co. of Nashville Tennessee. They purchased the
front end, cowl, frame engine and radiator from Ford's Model A and
constructed a portable air compressor unit for use on construction
sites. These were completely self contained units. The 4 cylinder
Model A engine was modified with a special cylinder head and
governor. The head would allow the engine to run on the outer 2
cylinders while using the inner 2 cylinders to compress air into
the holding tank. The compressed air was used to power jack hammers
and other pneumatic devices. It was genius and worked very well.
Not many of these special automotive derived units remain. This
example was restored in 2011 and was stored away for several years.
It was recently recommissioned and now runs and pumps air like it
did in the 1930s. This is a must have for any early Ford collector.
