Propane

[j vegas]

http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/infr...e/locator.html

I'm planning on making this conversion also, and I came across this site at some point in my research. It doesn't seem to know about truck stops(Flying J's,etc.).

Hey Mudrat, I'm new to the tidewater area, and unfortunately there does not seem to be many fueling stations, besides pricey U-hauls, anywhere near Va Beach.

Jared

[bigun]

Ok for those of you who havn't followed my build up here it is
http://www.bulltear.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3945

Ok here is the after action report
Propane system preformed well only problems I had were running out with out having transfer hose made before trip. second problem not really prob. but observation Do not buy propane from anywhere but propane supplier if you can avoid it!!!! The highst price I paid at supplier was $1.82 a gallon, gas station in Ouray was $2.53 then to add insult to injury they added sales tax on top of road tax. I got lazy intead of looking for supplier I took the easy wayand went to the station. Never take off on trip with out spending time tuning system Truck was only road worthy the day before I left, What I didn't know was buddie who helped me with the truck had left system on full rich so fuel milage was in the single didgets. With it set like that I was able to maintain 70 MPH with only half throttle on the way back with it leaned out I was able to reach 70 MPH only with foot flat on the floor hard which led to knee hurting pretty bad after a while a hand throttle on stick shift would have helped here. Trail performance unfortunatly because of excessive consuntion on the way up I was only able to do one trail but I only had one weird problem coming down making a hard right turn it died I blamed it on the propane system but I am unsure as after I got it restarted I didn't have anymore problems. The only problem I had coming home is when I stopped to fill up at dealer tank was so hot from combo.of ambit temp. and 3.5 inch exhaust running under tank that I had to use their water hose and the lst of my water jug ice to cool it down so propane would flow in, it was at this time that I found leak at the guage. As of right now I am happy with propane for power in trail rig for a street truck I don't know. If I was driving it as a comuter Ie to work and back I would rent a big propane tank with wet kit for the house and fill my self.

[FSJer]

It's like anything , takes a little while to work. like buying a new TV and trying work out how to tune the bloody thing in & all the buttons.

What system are you running and on what engine sixe , etc ? are you running the popular IMPCO system ? what mixer & convertor do you have??

The warmer your Propane tank gets , the more pressure there is inside the tank.Its like a nitrous bottle , how some people warm them , just to hold a higher pressure in the bottle ( i would'nt try to warm the propane tank. I will find that site all about LPG ( propane ) tonight , keep forgetting .

[bigun]

I am using the top part of a duel fuel! Engine is a 360 with 2 barrel carb. I was going to use an Impco carb I had bought till I found out the air cleaner housing was $120.. My buddies dad had the air cleaner setup so we used it. Like you say it is a learning experince LOL my problem I wasn't worried because my buddie was going to go on the trip so I was counting on him to keep everything working. But at the last minute he backed out and left me with little knowledge on how it worked.

[FSJer]

finally found the site from when i printed it out awhile , heaps of information for people looking to convert.

www.propanecarbs.com/home.html

( Alternative Fuels technology's, Inc )

have fun
Rick

[thigh19]

F.Y.I. Just got back from running Fordyce, Barrett Lake, and the Rubicon. Propane ran flawlessly. Filled my propane tanks at the S. Lake Tahoe KOA for $2.25 a gallon. Gas in S. Lake Tahoe was $3.29 a gallon. Did notice the topend on the freeway was lacking, but attribute that to the throttle body being too small. To see my Cheepster in action go to http://thigh190.tripod.com or www.brush-busters.com Tough trails, but well worth the trip.

[Mudrat]

F.Y.I. Just got back from running Fordyce, Barrett Lake, and the Rubicon. Propane ran flawlessly. Filled my propane tanks at the S. Lake Tahoe KOA for $2.25 a gallon. Gas in S. Lake Tahoe was $3.29 a gallon. Did notice the topend on the freeway was lacking, but attribute that to the throttle body being too small. To see my Cheepster in action go to http://thigh190.tripod.com or www.brush-busters.com Tough trails, but well worth the trip.

So where the total write up???

[thigh19]

How about the Readers Dijest version.
We'll start out on the Barrett Lake trail. I'll start out by saying this should be done as an overnight run. We didn't. Need to have a very capable rig, short wheelbase would be a plus. Not a long trail, but very chalenging through-out. I exploded a Warn Premium hub and one of those Toyota's broke a drive shaft. Both simple trail fixes, mine with wrenches, the toy with an on-board welder.
Fordyce Trail is a different story. We did plan on this as an overnighter, and could have spent 3 or 4 days if we wanted. I blew another Warn Premium hub, on the same corner, this time I replaced it with a slug. no more problems at that corner. On a side note, kudos to Warn Industries, they backed there product and sent me 2 brand new hubs. I broke my frame, twice with-in 1/2 mile of each other. With an on-board welder, and a couple steel plates off a couple Hi-lift jacks parts fisch plated to the side of both breaks, the trip wasn't ruined.
There are 5 mandintory winch hills deamed mandantory by Seira Trek, all rigs made it up them with out using a winch. Did have to winch off a couple bolders not on the hills though. A 12.5 mile trail that truley took 2 days. Between my misfortunes and the other Toyota also breaking another drive shaft.
Rubicon springs is just a day trip, just a playground for the hardcore. The Pirates blew bolders unto Little Sluice, tough for even a rock buggy now. None of us tried that.
Total carnage for me;
Broken frame in 2 places
bent frame
Blown power steering hose,
blown box
2 blown hubs
lost one brake line
Total carnage for everyone else;
2 broken drivelines
a ring and pinion
a u-joint
many busted and/or bent shocks
and alot of body damase.
I preferred Moab, but this was an experience that needs to be done, It was a blast.
On A Side Note: These California trails are virtually garbage free. Probably because Serria Trek was the week before, but very impressive. We always haul out as much extra garbade as we can, but couldn't even fill one garbage bag.

[Mudrat]

Sounds like the motor performed well .... and a great trip!!

[thigh19]

The motor did preform flawless. Got a little concerned when the engine temp got up to 190 degrees, not. The only problem was the throttle linkage. When the frame broke, the body shifted which made the rpm's go up. Fixed it with a zip tie and a little bailing wire, no duct tape though.