[DeTomaso] While off topic - Propane

[David_Bell at oxy.com]

Sorry, I didn't list all the details and to be honest, this was early 80's so my memory is somewhat fuzzy on exactly how all the pieces fit together. There was a regulator that reduced the high pressure in the tank (propane is a gas at atmospheric conditions forced to remain in liquid state by extreme pressure) to something more manageable for the fuel line running forward to the engine.  There was also a mechanical linkage between the carb throttle lever and a second regulator in the engine compartment, which controlled flow through the propane nozzle depending on throttle position.  Basic screw-type adjustments were initially required to set idle speed and to get max propane flow when the gas pedal was on the floor - nothing that required gauges or instruments though.
This was an 80's vintage, standard American V-8 bubba truck with no computer anything (well it did have cruise control, and the radio and AC worked most of the time) and the propane storage tank was mounted outside the passenger compartment.  Given that, the propane delivery system was pretty simple and uncomplicated - and reliable.  It would be a lot more difficult (and even scary) if the propane tank were riding inside the vehicle with the driver and passengers (even in the trunk) and/or with a modern ecu driven fuel/ignition system.  Personally, I don't think I'd go that route, especially as a do-it-yourself project.
And I'd still rather have a BMW850csi.

Dave Bell

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Wait a minute. The propane flow has to be regulated some way. Simply spraying it into the air cleaner through a nozzle sounds dubious to me.
Tomas
-----Original Message-----
In another life, when my brother and I owned a custom grain harvesting business, I converted our work truck to propane inexpensively using a bunch of second hand equipment. The main downside is that the propane tank is very heavy and takes up a large chunk of the bed, plus fuel milage and power were poor compared to gasoline. The propane plumbing was pretty simple though, mount the tank and run a line under the cab to the engine compartment. The propane nozzle was attached to the top of the air filter which turned the carb into a throttle body of sorts. I installed a solonoid that switched the fuel from propane to gasoline from inside the cab so going back and forth was easy when one tank was empty. As I mentioned, here was a noticable power (and fuel milage) drop when using propane though so when we needed to tow something heavy we generally switched to gasoline. The propane was a fair amount less expensive, due in no small part to the fact that we had our own bulk propane storage tank and we didn't have to pay road tax on the fuel. There were plenty of places to refill an auto propane tank in east and south Texas as most rural homes use it for heating. Refills just weren't available at the typical gasoline service station - you got to go to the propane sales store. One other downside is that propane is significantly heavier than air so if the tank or line springs a leak, you can end up driving around with a pickup bed full of loose propane just waiting for a spark to turn into bananas foster. Don't ask how I know this. But, if I had a pickup with plenty of unused space in the bed, I'd definitely consider propane. No, actually I'd rather have a BMW850csi.
Dave Bell