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Propane powered DD *Spark Plug, and mounting questions*

clarkjw24 said:
I take mine off the rig and to a propane supplier or in the winter time I can leave it out by my large home propane tank and the guy fills them up. He'll do whatever is out there, grill tanks and fork truck tanks.;) No questions asked and its added the monthly pane bill.
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How much is it per gallon?

What kind of kit are you running for your rig?
 
Its a 425 impco mixer. Model E vaporizer. Also remember that propane is 110 octane. I actually gained power when I did my swap. Years ago I had done a tbi swap but never could get the chip and the engine completely right. It had a stumble and lag between gears and low rpms in each gear, also it would not idle (cam to big). With the propane it actually runs smoother and better.

Never checked the price but I know a couple months ago I filled one fork truck tank for $20.
 
dfl701 said:
did you piece the kit together yourself?
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Kinda. There is only three pieces so its not that complicated.

Shut off
evaporator/vaporizer
mixer


Then you need a tank, propane line, vac line and couple of heater hoses.
 
super10brss said:
I assume this chick is still selling these kits..... http://www.nc4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37438 I asked a question a few weeks ago and have not heard any thing back... I would like to run some sort of unleaded gas and propane set up but I am not sure how you would do that.... good luck....
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Yes, I think thats where mine came from. I think 3rd hand.:doah: Like I said i had to rebuild my Evaporator.
 
clarkjw24 said:
Kinda. There is only three pieces so its not that complicated.

Shut off
evaporator/vaporizer
mixer


Then you need a tank, propane line, vac line and couple of heater hoses.
Click to expand...

Can you run both gas and propane
 
I would do this if...... I have heard that tow motor tanks use "liquid" propane... and gas bar-b-q grills use "vapor" propane... different people off the dirty net say you can't use a tow motor tank for your bar-b-q... they say it will blow up or something... so with that said my local gas station will fill bar-b-q grill bottles but can they fill tow motor tanks? they have a 250 gallon tank with some sort of pump to get the propane in.. the kid that fills my bar-b-q tanks said he all ways puts 4.4 gallons of propane in my bar-b-q tank... I did score two tow motor tanks from a friend of mine but they could only hold say 20 gallons at the most right? So that would be probably two - three weeks of drive time for me.?.?.?.?.... what to do... what to do.....
 
You can do either gas and or propane, my one ton runs on both. If you are starting from scratch I would go one way or the other and build the motor for either one. You lose something for each if you run it dual fuel because each fuel has different bonuses. Like with propane you can run basically a race motor on the street 110 octane has that benefit

The only difference I have ever noticed in switching, is the propane has less throttle response.

For me MPG is about the same.

I have only been charged once for the road tax most places don't do it cuz they don't know they should. The last time I bought propane it was 2.65 when gas was 4.00 or so.
 
Good info from an old thread I posted in for anyone considering running a propane engine.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tom4
It seems like everyone who is actually running propane loves it and would recommend it. On the other hand, those who arnt running it seem to hate it. So would someone who is actually running propane give me a little more info on it. What does it sound like? What is the best way to go to get the best power?........

Posted this a few times now.....

Quote:
From a previous post, might be applicable.....

Quote:
Ive run propane engines for years and recently built another engine up (my third for LPG). If you build it specifically for LPG you wont see any power loss over a petrol engine (92-96 octane).
They run and sound just like a petrol engine.
Cold starts are a breeze because of the homogenous nature of the fuel and the top end is only restricted by the size of the mixer, same as a under carbed pertol engine.
You will see power loss if you run a dual fuel setup because of the mixer having to be placed (usually) above the carb causing a constriction. I wont run a dual fuel set-up, I have in the past and recomend them to very few people.

Some standard setup points for a straight propane engine:

Compression: up to 10.5:1 (depends on the application and heads ie alloy heads vs iron and trail truck vs heavy hauler)

Timing: 10 deg at crank, Full adv by 2250 - 2500, If you tow max total adv should not exceed 30 deg.

Ignition: GM HEI considered a minimum standard, good leads and plugs also required.

Plugs: at range colder, maybe 2 depending on where and how you drive

Heat: Get rid of any heat risers etc that transfer heat to the fuel, LPG is gas and does not need it. This is a big thing, cool the intake charge and you will see a good change in power and economy.

Intake: Any single plane manifold with raised runners will give good service. It will idle like petrol factory manifold and run to what ever RPM you want. The raised runners help reduce intake charge temps.

Heads and Valves: Hardend seats and a good valve job, concentric seats, 45 deg face angles, no interference angle. Valve seats between 1/16 - 3/32 depending on the application

Rings and pistons: Whatever pistons you want for your application and if you want chrome rings break them in on petrol for a 1000 miles first otherwise it will take anywhere up to 60K to bed them on propane.

Cam: whatever suits you application really, you can get LPG specific cams here but they cost $$$ and the gains are almost negligible.

My K20 gives 11mpg on the highway with 4.56 and no OD. Unleaded is $1.30 AUD a litre at the moment and LPG is 42c....

HTH If you want any specific questions answered I'm more than happy to advise.

Jason

__________________
I'm actually building another propane engine for my latest truck right now, a 350 using rebuilt 041's. I pick up the block, crank and pistons from the machinist today. :D

Jas
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What if you have a bone stock 350? How will it run? I do t have the money to invest in all that but could start with the propane. Any advice?
 
Conversions to stock engines are done here in the tens of thousands every year. All the taxis run LPG on stock motors....you can do it, its just not as good as building the engine specifically to take it.

It all comes down to why you want to convert, does the price differential (gas vs lpg) warrant the drop in economy (mileage), or are you chasing the off-road extreme camber benefits of lpg.... etc etc

If you can see a clear advantage to running lpg over gas then by all means convert the engine. A stock motor with unleaded heads can run lpg (dual system) with almost no modifications, you'll just see a drop in mileage 10-20% (hopefully offset by the fact lpg is 50-70% cheaper) and a massive increase in service intervals. Gaseous fuels (propane) don't wash the cylinder walls down like gas does with each intake charge, you'll find very little contaminents in your oil as opposed to a gas motor.

Really, you have to elect to either go dual or single fuel early on in the process.

If you run dual fuel you really not need do too much to your engine as the more you tune it to lpg the worse it will run on gas, actually an engine tuned soley for lpg will be very unhappy about running gas.

You must upgrade the ignition system to an GM HEI system (or eqivilent), this is cheaply done by using the correct plugs (colder, 1-2 steps), 8mm leads, and depending whether you elect to run a dual fuel system or straight lpg, a compromise on timing. Jacobs electronics sell units that a made to work with lpg engines allowing you to run dual ignition curves that can be selected at the flick of a switch.

With regard to compression ratios and raising then to suit the lpg requirements its not a deal breaker if you can't, hundreds of thousands of engines in this country run stock gas compression ratios with lpg.

Its accepted (and legislated) is Australia that any fitting and repairs on propane systems be undertaken by an authorised shop. Be very, very careful if you fit a system yourself, I do ALL the work on my trucks myself except for fitting lpg, I might take it off and put it back during an engine swap, however I gladly fork over few dollars to an experienced lpg fitter at an authorised shop to go over anything I've done and certify it for use. Fitted correctly the systems are as safe, or safer, than gas systems.

Basically work out if its economical to make the change and decide if it fits in with your intended use of the vehicle.

HTH
Jas
 
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AussieK5 said:
Conversions to stock engines are done here in the tens of thousands every year. All the taxis run LPG on stock motors....you can do it, its just not as good as building the engine specifically to take it.

It all comes down to why you want to convert, does the price differential (gas vs lpg) warrant the drop in economy (mileage), or are you chasing the off-road extreme camber benefits of lpg.... etc etc

If you can see a clear advantage to running lpg over gas then by all means convert the engine. A stock motor with unleaded heads can run lpg (dual system) with almost no modifications, you'll just see a drop in mileage 10-20% (hopefully offset by the fact lpg is 50-70% cheaper) and a massive increase in service intervals. Gaseous fuels (propane) don't wash the cylinder walls down like gas does with each intake charge, you'll find very little contaminents in your oil as opposed to a gas motor.

Really, you have to elect to either go dual or single fuel early on in the process.

If you run dual fuel you really not need do too much to your engine as the more you tune it to lpg the worse it will run on gas, actually an engine tuned soley for lpg will be very unhappy about running gas.

You must upgrade the ignition system to an GM HEI system (or eqivilent), this is cheaply done by using the correct plugs (colder, 1-2 steps), 8mm leads, and depending whether you elect to run a dual fuel system or straight lpg, a compromise on timing. Jacobs electronics sell units that a made to work with lpg engines allowing you to run dual ignition curves that can be selected at the flick of a switch.

With regard to compression ratios and raising then to suit the lpg requirements its not a deal breaker if you can't, hundreds of thousands of engines in this country run stock gas compression ratios with lpg.

Its accepted (and legislated) is Australia that any fitting and repairs on propane systems be undertaken by an authorised shop. Be very, very careful if you fit a system yourself, I do ALL the work on my trucks myself except for fitting lpg, I might take it off and put it back during an engine swap, however I gladly fork over few dollars to an experienced lpg fitter at an authorsied shop to go over anything I've done and certify it for use. Fitted correctly the systems are as safe, or safer, than gas systems.

Basically work out if its economical to make the change and decide if it fits in with your intended use of the vehicle.

HTH
Jas
Click to expand...

i know i want to run propane because of a couple or reasons but im not sure where to start. i have read on gotpropane.com but i want to piece my own together. not sure if i want to run dual fuel or just propane but i just need ideas. how much would it cost to piece it together and what all would be needed?
 
Someone with local expertise will have to answer the costs and gear question, I'm unsure of what you can specifically purchase in your part of the world. You'll need a tank, evaporator and mixer, plus sundry items like solenoids and switches.

You need to make a decision on whether you can go straight gas or need the ultimate flexibility provided by a dual system, set-up costs will be similiar. I like my propane only systems to have 40-60 gallons (usable), if you've got a K5 you will struggle to carry that much fuel.

I don't like having tanks mounted in the cargo area of a K5 (need to do this for a dual fuel set-up), I've done it before and they are a PITA for a DD. For a single fuel system any decent sized tank either hangs low under the frame rails or you need a custom tank that fits between them ($$$). A 20" tank between the frame rails is still only about 26 gallons usable (lpg tanks are only filled to 80% of water capacity), thats not much lpg when you wheeling on a weekend.

Spend a few bucks on Amazon and buy a book on propane conversions, it will probably save you hundreds in the long run and possibly avoid any dramas from installing a system yourself.
 
Yea I might call some propane shops and go ahead and start researching. It's definitely something I would love to do especially when gas goes back up to 4$. I really don't know if I would want a dual fuel. I'm not sure yet where I would mount tanks and such.
 
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