Has anyone converted a small block chevy ( carberated ) to propane?
I find very little info on the net. With gas prices so high it might be worth looking at.
Any help would be great.

Thanks
John

 

LPG/NG/propane ain't much cheaper to buy than gas. And the equipment needed (tank, lines, fuel air mixer) will cost you. Just some food for thought.

 

Plus the performance and stink from the tailpipe is worse than you can imagine....

Have you ever driven a propane converted vehicle?

 

I have. One was a Dodge 2500 with a 318 converted, two were delivery trucks for propane. The pick up was the worst. I could not even keep up with an empty transport from a dead stop with it. Not much power and they don't get good economy either.
Tom

 

As far as costs, propane is $1.45 and gas is $2.55. Smell is not a factor. Performance loss is maybe 5% and milage drop is same. With the computer controled units the performance is much better than the old units. I think the stereotype is the same as old diesels, slow and stinky.

John

 

mmmm i love the smell of diesel in the morning.....
some people still say they are stinky.....
Newer diesels... Slow.... I think not.

I know Cinergy, the electric and natural gas supplier runs some of their smaller vehicles (S10 type) on compressed natural gas. They dont seem to smell bad, but from what I understand they arent very quick. You had better be sure to have the phone number of your local wrecker company if you happen to run out of fuel while driving around after 5:00 - same with propane around here anyway......

I'm inclined to agree somewhat with JR about the cost of conversion, but they are cool when you get done, mainly because its one of those modifications that most people dont do.

--Trey

 

Mileage drop is way more than 5%, it's more like 25%. The power loss can be offset by raising the compression ratio to 11:1, this will also help with the mileage.

If you put a lot of miles on locally I agree that it's worth looking into, especially if propane heating is not common in your area. Where I am, most homes are on heating oil (diesel) or propane. Only Philly and the close suburbs have natural gas. This means that propane and diesel prices are sky high in the winter.

 

we used to run our 454's on lp then when they started changeing the motors to the vortec the kits weren't worth the money.we woul lose a little power but they would still pull. kits usedto run about 800 with the tank. talk to a propane place they might have a used kit for sale real cheap

 

My father had an Itasca motorhome that came from the factory as a dual fuel unit, it had a Chev 454. I drove it quite a bit and I could never tell a performance difference from a "seat of the pants" standpoint between unleaded and propane. Propane is less than gas if you purchase it from a wholesaler rather than the corner gas station. When you run on propane, your oil never seems to get dirty.

 

Napoleon, err Nevada, I have noticed the same thing on the oil with propane powererd generators. From what i understand, you are supposed to be able to run a lot longer on the synthetics.

 

I think the performance loss is a fair bit greater than 5 %

When I worked for the gas company, we had Natural gas (NGV) powered vehicles And they were a LOT worse (powerwise) than propane. I used to curse that truck on a daily basis.

 

I converted a 1977 GMC V8 to propane in 1980. Put 0ver 200k miles on it. With the head shaved, stainless steel valves, bronze valve guides and a modifed cam it was a screamer. It would peg the speedometer. Good pickup and pulling power. Went thru Montana once where they had radar on the to read your speeeeeeed wheeee, and it came up "too fast."
Also added a leaf to the rear springs and heavy shocks all around. It handed OK for a GMC 2500 VANDURA.
Ran on synthetic oil and ran clean. Smell aint that bad from the tailpipe.
Problem is now with fuel prices, gas, diesel and propane is about the same cost for MGP.
Also using propane in WA state King county did not have to go thru emission testing.
Just things to consider.

Davey

 

Propane purchased for road use needs to have fuel tax paid on it. Some propane suppliers automatically tack on the tax if they fill a tank on a on-road vehicle.

Taxes are a big reason why Propane seems to be less expensive.

On a side note, I was at a Flying J last Sunday and they had a line 10 deep of people wanting propane tanks filled. Their price is less than most and they only charge for propane used, not a fixed charge for a 20 or 30 pound tank.

Brian Elfert

 

i have a small block lpg power landcruiser for rockcrawling. dotn have any milage numbers as i trailer it everywhere, i would think an hour gauge would be better for lpg setups.

you need tanks/lines/fuel lock(12v or vacume)/vaporizer/and a mixer (impco425 is popular on small blocks)

if you goto pirate4x4.com there is a tech article on this and if you search that BBS there are all kinds of link and write ups on what and where to buy.

jiMMy