This year's must-have hot rod accessory.
This is a project that I have been excitedly working on for a while now. I have reproduced the original RS Air Bottle using modern components. For those of you unaware, original air bottles generally will not pass modern hydrostatic testing which would allow them to be filled. Because I felt that if a bottle like this was to be produced it should also be functional, this design makes some compromises from original aesthetics. They are details, but they are important. The end result however is an air bottle which should fill a standard tire twice from completely flat, while at the same time the bottle itself can be filled for less than $10 at any Paintball or Brewing supply store (these bottles are shipped to you empty).
I wanted these bottles to be functional because I abhor using the Fix-A-Flat cans of green slime in any tire, let alone a valuable aluminum Fuch. I carry a $5 plug kit in the car at all times, and most tire damage can be repaired easily roadside with this kit. Now instead of relying on my rarely used electric compressor, I can use this bottle to complete a roadside repair.
What is an RS Bottle actually? The original RS Air Bottle was supplied by Porsche to inflate the 'space saver' spare tire on the Carrera RS. The bottle was later replaced by an electric compressor, which does not look nearly as cool.These types of bottles were used extensively throughout the '60's and early 70's by many European manufacturers. Naturally, I've chosen to focus on the one supplied by Porsche. Here is a picture of an NOS RS Air Bottle (photo credit: John Audette):
And here's a picture (photo credit: Dave Conklin) of an original RS bottle safely tucked away in Jeff Smith's '73 E Weapon of Mass Destruction:
These bottles are filled with liquid CO2 at 800psi. If you look closely at the original bottle you will see that there is no regulator. As a result, you would effectively screw the hose on your tire and unleash 800psi into the tire. Not particularly safe, nor an effective way to make sure you have the correct tire pressure. Another problem with these early bottles is that they lack any pressure safety on the valve itself. Without an overfill safety, these bottles cannot be legally (or safely) filled in most states.
The bottles that I have reproduced have an integrated safety valve, and an inline regulator which can be screwed on when you're ready to use the bottle. The regulator steps the air pressure down to 80psi, which is the correct (and safe) way to fill a tire. By making the regulator and hose removable, this preserves the correct vintage look but gives all of the safety of the modern design.
Here's the modern air line and chuck, which is much safer than the original 'all or nothing' screw on type.
Here are the new bottles.
Although the labels have been reproduced for some time, my research shows that they are actually incorrect. As a result, I have taken the time to carefully reproduce new, correct two part labels (thanks to Jules Dielen and Mike Moore):
As I mentioned, the bottles don't look totally period correct when the regulator and hose are attached, but they still look pretty cool if you want to assemble everything and leave it just as is in your car (or just stash the regulator and hose in your tool kit).
These are in final production and should start shipping by the end of next week or the beginning of the following week. The initial run isn't large, and I'll do these in batches. If they prove to be popular and more are needed there may be delays.
The bottles are shipped empty and with regulator and hose included (basically everything you see here).
Cheers,
-Mike
All Sold. Thanks everyone and enjoy!
Reply With Quote
Effectively it is the equivalent of purchasing a Scuba tank from the US. Whatever your local laws are would apply to importing and filling these tanks as well. Best bet is to call a local Scuba shop and ask.