After thinking about how I transported the compressor, on its side, I became concerned that crankcase oil may have migrated past the piston rings and up into the head.  Oil resting on top of the piston could break a connecting rod upon start-up and oil contamination on the reed valves inside the head would not be good either.  I decided I should probably break down the compressor itself, check the condition of the piston bore, crankcase, the reed valves inside the head and replace the gaskets. 

I did some research on my compressor and found that the manufacturer, Coleman Powermate, acquired the Sanborn Compressor company in the mid - 90's.  MAT Industries bought Coleman in 2008.  My tank is stamped 1995.  The compressor itself is  the old Sanborn B-4900 model which has been in manufacture for years and is still being produced today.  The B-4900 pump can be found on Dewalt, Kobalt and other compressor brands.  Lowe's big compressor has a B-4900 pump on it.  The compressor Don retired last year, a Devilbiss, had a B-4900 pump on it.  Parts for it are readily available. 

I disassembled the compressor and found the cylinder bore to be in great condition, it still retained the cross-hatch honing pattern from the factory.  No oil had migrated past the rings.  The crankcase was clean, the oil looked clean and clear.  The reed valves had a little carbon buildup which I cleaned off carefully with a razor blade and WD-40.  I also found that there was a blown gasket on the tube that connects the primary cylinder to the secondary cylinder.  This failed gasket would cause poor pressure build in the tank, forcing the motor and compressor to run continuously (and hot).  This would explain the carbon buildup that I found on the reed valves which was scorched oil vapor. 

This also explained why the motor windings had a hole burned through them...

Forcing me to purchase a new motor.     

The radiator repair took all of 5 minutes. I cleaned up he area with a brass brush, then cleaned the penny, then just soldered it into place...Simple

All Fixed:

So that penny that was soldered to the radiator, What vintage was it?  The reason I ask is that the newer pennies are actually copper-plated zinc, not copper through and through.  I know that it won't give you any problems in the future, but it might give me some...

Next on the list?  Disassembly and cleaning of course! Then take the motor to a local repair shop to see if I was lucky in regards to my start capacitor hunch...

I have an early '90's vintage Craftsman compressor. Its the loud, oil-less type.  It has served me well since my days at Fort Campbell.  With some major projects coming up that will require die-grinding, sand-blasting, painting and other high-air-demand tasks its time to upgrade and retire the Craftsman compressor to the woodworking shop. 

this will come in handy when I tackle the rebuild of my Dana 60 front end for the crew cab. Thanks!

Hey, anyone know where that piece is I wrote describing Duane??
Could you post it here to start off right and DOT up his thread right from inception?

Payback, Eh, Don?  Considering the DOT havoc wreaked by myself and others on your D-Max thread, I figure I have it coming...