[DeTomaso] While off topic - Propane

Thu Feb 11 09:43:31 EST 2010

Yes, you have a point, in my  C- sports racer cars, I sat between the two 5
gallon gas tanks, one on each side of the driver's cockpit, fillers directly
on top. Besides a roll bar and frame rail, there was a 1/32" piece of AL. Of
course they were foam filled and that would have keep me from burning like a
dropped marshmallow in a campfire ....NOT.

Michael Shortt

On Thu, Feb 11, 2010 at 9:35 AM, <gow2 at rc-tech.net> wrote:

> I do think it's funny talking of how dangerous Propane is when we put a
> gas tank in a side of a Pantera just waiting for a side impact 6" from
> exhaust headers. Gas is so safe you know.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > 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
> >
>
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> > 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 s
> >  torage 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
> >
> >
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-- 

Michael L. Shortt
Savannah, Georgia
www.michaelshortt.com
michael at michaelshortt.com
912-232-9390

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