WTB: Propane setup

[the_experience03]

Does anyone out there have a complete propane setup they'd be willing to part with for cheap? Obviously the tanks can't be shipped, but I wouldn't mind finding a complete setup for a 4 barrel intake, preferably a spreadbore, for my V-8 Toyota project.

 

[abdabbs]

Hello,

I have a propane carb with a Holley four barrel pattern that I took off my 429 before I swapped it into my bus.

What exactly are you looking for, just that or more...

I will get it out and check what I can find out about it for you sometime this weekend.

abdabbs

 

[the_experience03]

I need the mixer, solenoid, vaporizer, vacuum switch....everything but the tank. It's not a huge deal, but I need to know before I decide which way to go with my small block since there are certain things you need to do to maximize a propane setup (compression, timing, cam, etc). Let me know and thanks for the reply.

 

[the_experience03]

bump

I'm still looking for a regulator/converter, filter/shutoff, and the carb itself (Impco 425 perhaps?) if someone has converted their bus back to gas recently.

 

[Crazy]

I took a propane setup off of a copcar a long time ago. I don't know if I can find the stuff, but if I do, I let you have it for cheap.

 

[the_experience03]

That would be wonderful. Thanks.

 

[Crazy]

Don't get too excited until I find it. I'm a packrat, I just have a hard time finding stuff until months or years after I look for it.

 

[the_experience03]

You too, eh? I can normally never find a 3/8 drive ratchet yet when I cleaned the garage I found no less than 4 Crapsman ratchets alone.

 

[Griff-SKO]

I ALWAYS pack-rat my stuff where I KNOW I will be able to find it next time. . .now, if could just remember where that was. . .

 

[Crazy]

Sorry, I have not been able to get where the stuff is stored. It's about 125 miles away. But I haven't forgotten.

 

[the_experience03]

no rush...the engine is on a stand in the garage anyway.

 

[the_experience03]

ttt

Just giving this a bump in case some of our new members might have an old propane setup laying around that they would like to turn into something more useful.

 

[the_experience03]

I am new to this and don't know what these things you are looking for are.

Can someone tell me what "everything but the tank" is and what they do? (ex:mixer, solenoid, vaporizer, vacuum switch, egulator/converter, filter/shutoff)

or is there an FAQ anywhere?

Mixer=the "carb" where the air and vaporized fuel are mixed
solenoid=electronic means of shutting off the...er...shutoff
vacuum switch=vacuum operated means of actuating the shutoff
regulator/converter=vaporizes liquid fuel using warm coolant and sets the correct pressure
filter/shutoff=commonly one unit...cleans the propane and also shuts it off when the engine is off via a solenoid or vacuum switch.

 

[the_experience03]

Hehe...my plan was to convert my 22re to an L31 Vortec 350...and then convert that to propane. Costwise it's just a matter of finding all the parts. You can get the stuff on eBay, but I'd rather give my money to someone that will reinvest it in a bus. A 22re will require, among other things, a 22r intake and possibly exhaust. The emissions system may or may not matter depending on what specs your particular engine was built to. I know my 1993 would have had a lot of extra stuff hanging off it in terms of emissions, but none of it would have been functional or mattered.

Probably the best solution would be to use a pre-August '84 22R block (non-lazer block), a 20R head and intake, and '84 or older 22R domed pistons to get to about ~10:1 compression. Obviously there is more to the hybrid than just that, but you'd be using mostly stock/junkyard parts to get a decent little propane motor. You just need to take the cash savings and apply them to things like a good head gasket and ARP fasteners to deal with the 200+ psi compression pressures.

 

[the_experience03]

Oh no...I was laughing at 200 psi of cylinder pressure...that's A LOT. Think of all the headgasket issues GM had with the 2.3 and 2.4 overhead cam motors...and they only ran about 170 PSI of cylinder pressure. Any decent backyard mechanic could do the swap. It really is easy and propane is way easy to tune. I wasn't trying to be condescending in the least.

I should point out that natural gas and propane are very much different. Would a propane setup work for natural gas? I really don't know. My guess is a definite maybe. The biggest problem there would be filling it. Propane can be difficult to get filled. Natural gas would be next to impossible.

ARP is a brand of really high quality, high strength fasteners for all things automotive. Stock stuff is good, but ARP is the company all others are compared to. Simply using a set of ARP head bolts (not even studs) and torquing them an extra 15 foot lbs or so makes a Toyota 7MGTE go from a head gasket eating fiend to a snarling boost happy 400 hp capable engine for example. My V-8 uses a host of ARP fasteners in areas typically prone to failure such as the connecting rod caps. Interestingly enough, ARP fasteners tend to be insignificantly more expensive than OEM replacement stuff, especially when you purchase a complete engine set. That might include main studs, head studs, con rod studs, oil pump drive, etc.

*edit* FWIW I'm really toying with building an ultra high compression 22R to run on E-85. I think that may be one of the greatest engines ever built.

 

[SHORTS]

ARP fasteners are the choice of all serious high performance engine builders, even the engine component manufacturers use them in the development/dyno stages when they are changing internal components to compare for performance, by switching from bolts to studs you eliminate the wear on the threaded holes in the engine block and transfer those forces to the top of the stud which a lot easier to replace than it is ti repair the threads in the block.

Onan has a history of using the same engine with different fuels, the biggest difference is the power rating change with fuel used, the gaseous fuels use mire ignition timing and different regulated pressures to compensate for btu's and power ratings.