Anyone here have install tips? I will be adding the gotpropane kit to my 360 in the next week or so.
Anyone here have install tips? I will be adding the gotpropane kit to my 360 in the next week or so.
Hi Dan
We have a whole thread on propane ... <click
" “It is said that men go mad in herds, and only come to their senses slowly, and one by one.." -Charles MacKay
"'The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.' "
-Ronald Reagan
VOTE
Very good. Thanks.Originally Posted by Mudrat
Let us know how you come out.. I know a couple guys who run propane.. the only complaint I have ever heard is the regulator freezing in extreme cold?? (I know less than bupkis on this so beats me..)
"A man's got to know his limitation's"
Dirty Harry.
I'm planning to take quite a few pics. My Jeep thing? has no top, no doors, no windshield, and zero heat. If it's THAT cold, I'm staying home!
After the first trail ride, I knew the carb had to go (anyone want a MC2100 with a 4 barrel adapter plate?). I did a bit of research on just about every option out there. I toyed with the idea of different fuel injection routes. Everyone has their own take on it, whether it be Howell, MOPAR, Affordable FI, etc. They all use a modified Chevy TBI for the most part. These kits range from $900-$2500. For those mechanically inclined, you can hit up the local p-n-p and pillage a TBI Chevy for the important parts. The results are fairly obvious. The downside of these kits are the installation, wiring, and the ability to fix something on the trail.
Otterdog and Scott both made the case to run propane. (search “propane” on Pirate4x4 and see how many people use it on trail pigs) I have seen the Kermit CJ with it, and it runs quite well. Scott is also a big fan, so I thought a little research might be in order. Running propane is NOT a new idea. If you’ve been around a forklift, you’ve probably seen propane in action. (Toyota guys, you are fortunate because many propane-fueled forklifts run a 22R.)
Piecing together a propane kit is a very viable option. With a few hoses and rebuild kits, you can spend $300 or less for everything but the tank. Two other very good options have surfaced. www.propaneguy.com is out of Canada. I checked his sight, but he wasn’t taking orders until April. A kit for my application runs about $600. I believe many of his parts may be reman, but I didn’t do my homework on his kits. Otter suggested www.gotpropane.com because it’s the kit used by Kermit. I spoke with Cary several times to set my expectations, learn the nuances of propane, and to get a feel for his kits. Yes, they are expensive. However, they are very complete, down to the last hose clamp. Everything is brandy spankin’ new in his kit. I pulled the trigger and bought his V8 kit for my pile.
I have to give credit where credit is due. Mike at Appalachian Offroad, Inc did some very nice work on the bag of bolts and steel. He had it for some cage work, and I talked him into installing the propane kit. Johnny abused me all day about the time to install it. It took a bit longer than anticipated, mostly due to AOI’s popularity. I asked tons of questions, took a few pictures, and was generally a pain in Mike’s ass. If it’s going to need a trail repair, I’m going to know how it all works.
The first step is securely installing the tank. These are the typical 8-gallon propane tanks for a forklift. The install is fairly simple. I will likely be paranoid and make an additional safety latch, but I think it will be overkill.
The next step is to route the fuel line to the front of the vehicle. You are typically supposed to run the lines under the tub, away from hot components. I have a relatively flat belly skid and dual exhaust. I just didn’t have the room for it. A quick call to Cary and he reassured me that I’d have no issues with running the line inside the tub. The line is run on the passenger side, to a hole in the firewall.
The next step is to mount the safety switch and vaporizer. Mike bent some tube from my grill hoop to the A-pillar. This made a great place to weld a 6x6 mounting plate and attached the vaporizer. The safety switch is connected to the vaporizer. It’s a small solenoid the opens when the ignition is turned on. It’s pretty simple in function and is a nice little safety device.
Propane is stored in the tank as a liquid. When the vaporizer turns the liquid propane into gas, the unit gets extremely cold (just like a frozen CO2 regulator). To remedy this, coolant lines are run from the radiator, through the vaporizer, and back to the engine (normally, they’d be tapped on the way to the heater core).
Finally, the mixer is placed on the manifold. The unused vac lines are sealed, and the line from the vaporizer is hooked to the mixer.
Voila! Mike checked all the lines for leaks and found only one. After checking all the lines and two electrical connections, we attempted to fire up the old pile. Two hours of head scratching, and we just had no answers. At 10:00, we called Cary. Thank God he’s on Arizona time. He called back and gave Mike a little rundown. Mike turned the rich/lean adjustment screw a bit. Cary gave it his blessed and crossed his fingers.
Cary assured us it will work, but the first fire is a little rough. Mike put down the phone and gave the starter a little love. It fired right up and idled pretty well. Woohoo! The old beast lives again.
It’s heading to Pennsylvania with me for the finishing touches, paint, and some tires.
Again, big thanks to Mike, Johnny, Clint, and all the other AOI shop bitches. <<applause>>
COOL BEANS!!!!
Need some pics and sources for parts and such (like the tank??). And especially post up the web site for Appalachian Offroad, Inc !!! Give kudu's where they're due
" “It is said that men go mad in herds, and only come to their senses slowly, and one by one.." -Charles MacKay
"'The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.' "
-Ronald Reagan
VOTE
Propane kit = www.gotpropane.comCOOL BEANS!!!!
Need some pics and sources for parts and such (like the tank??). And especially post up the web site for Appalachian Offroad, Inc !!! Give kudu's where they're due
Tanks = posted on a wanted forum
Mike owns www.appalachianoffroad.com in Westminster, MD.
Come over to www.marylandcreepers.com I'm on the BOD there, and Mike is a sponsoring vendor (and a heckuva good guy).
Cool, When I get through playing PM in FLPropane kit = www.gotpropane.comCOOL BEANS!!!!
Need some pics and sources for parts and such (like the tank??). And especially post up the web site for Appalachian Offroad, Inc !!! Give kudu's where they're due
Tanks = posted on a wanted forum
Mike owns www.appalachianoffroad.com in Westminster, MD.
Come over to www.marylandcreepers.com I'm on the BOD there, and Mike is a sponsoring vendor (and a heckuva good guy).
" “It is said that men go mad in herds, and only come to their senses slowly, and one by one.." -Charles MacKay
"'The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.' "
-Ronald Reagan
VOTE
Im in the planning stages for a propane conversion on my 401, after reading up and doing a bunch of research it sounds like a viable solution to expensive computer-controlled fuel injection systems.
plus i just like to mess around with new stuff
401cid, T18a/D300 twinsticked.
Lifted, locked, and Swampered
"Its flat here...real flat. And the locals smell like potatoes."
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