The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop LPG conversion!?

Awright - any of you guys done an LPG conversion to your inliners? Mine's a Chevy 250 in a '55 1st series.

My '68 Chevy pickup ran both LPG and gas back in high school. Had a convenient LPG/GAS/OFF switch for accidentally "running out of gas" when out on a date. Beyond that, started great on cold mornings (unlike gas!) and didn't notice any power difference between the two.

Thoughts? Part sources? Thanks!

-Boyo

I've been contemplating that option myself. Here is a site with a good overview, including cost breakdown. There are lots of these conversions detailed on UK sites, just Google it.

This is interesting. My long term goal is to explore LPG as a stop gap and then perhaps an electric conversion. This assumes that I will still work 9 miles from home, but it is on my wish list. Tilting bed with batteries between the frame rails, electric motor coupled to the SM420, 60 miles of range would take care of my daily needs easily, still be able to haul a load a short distance, and not feed into the escalting petroleuim prices. Still thinking about it while I chug along on the frame-off. for now.

That's a great site, spent a few hours reading it...

Looks like a pretty straightforward swap. The one interesting thing I read was that propane likes (and can handle without problem) a much higher compression. No problem with 10:1 (if you want to run gas+propane) or even 12:1 compression (for a propane only). So besides a new carb and the LPG equipment, new pistons might help but are probably not required.

-Boyo

I looked into LPG a while ago but I found that CNG would be a much less expensive choice for fuel costs. You can get a home compressor system that compresses the natural gas from your house system and fills the vehicle overnight. You also get a tax credit for it. CNG costs about 75 cents per gge (gallon gasoline equivalent) depending on your gas rate. The tank is more expensive than a propane tank but the mixer (carb) cost is about the same. CNG has an equivalent octane of about 144. You can run really high compression and get a very efficient engine that burns so clean you hardly ever have to change the oil. The only downside is the lack of refueling stations, but a lot of cities are converting their fleets to CNG so if you live in one of those progressive cities you might be able to buy pump gas.

Have you read Glenn Woods' brief article under the Tech Tips on this website. He has a cool 66 Chevy with a 327 running dual fuel propane and gasoline. He really does not get as technical as I wish he did. I read the entire Tom Jenning's article that Hedgehog sited in his reply. I remember when my Grandpa had his farm truck, a 62 F O R D C-600 cabover with a 292/4-speed/2-speed converted to LPG. The folks that lived across the street from me owned a LPG company and they ran their whole fleet, personal cars and all on propane. I find it interesting and would like some good, hard tech data that relates to a Stovebolt 6, but I guess not many other 'bolters on this site do, given that this thread died out a month ago. It's not for everyone. Does anyone else out there have a LPG powered vehicle? :p Decreased power offset by better tailpipe gases and a cleaner engine sounds good to me. Thanks, Frank50

Just call ACME Carburetion/Alt. Fuels Co. in Mankato,Minnesota,they will set you right up with the IMPCO system tailored to your needs.

my 4 bangr ricer forklift is on propane, and I've never had a complaint w/ it, as long as there isn't real freezing weather for days on end, when it helps to take a kettle of hot water along to use on the preheat valve!

the 'mileage' is good, and does seem to run clean, but exhaust stills stinks like propane.

Bill

As the kids say: "been there, done that, WON'T do it again!" Ours was a factory dual-fuel.

Do some serious homework before considering a propane conversion.

Jon.

Dual fuels have some problems with efficiency... Either got to go all the way or not at all.

-Boyo