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Here is the new kid in Town.
The reason I'm here is because I recently bought an 1969 Cutlass Supreme.
It's an 350 4bbl with an Impco propane installation.
automatic and 12 bolt rearend.
Needs a little TLC but overall its in decent shape.
First things to do.
Steeringpump is making an noise(knock) have an refurbished part.
Lower it on the back because it's a bit too high.
Bought some parts In the USA but it's a bit expensive to get it over here.
Last edited by Jelmoer; November 1st, 2021 at 12:04 AM.
Thanks,
Here in the Netherlands drive al lot of old cars on propane.
you can buy parts/kits everywhere.
The main reason is high cost of gasoline.
1 liter gasoline is about 2 euro($2,30)
1 liter of propane is 0,85 euro($0,98)
1 gallon is 3,8 liter.
I think 1 gallon of propane is about 5 dollar cheaper than gasoline.
Hi would be nice with some pics and links of propane mod , have not heard of that here.
We have also high gas price in Sweden , filled up the 88 yesterday = 8.33 $ / gallon.
Here are some pics of my setup.
you need some piping and waterhoses.
One or two propane tanks.
a vaporizer I have an impco model E
A mixer I have an CA 300.
That's it.
My setup is for dual fuel because its on the Carb.
You ride on propane or gasoline.
If you don't want to loose some power than build it single fuel.
Take of the carb and put on a 425 mixer.
If you gave an empty tank then you got a bigger problem because you can't get a jerrycan of propane😉
Very interesting, I'll bet the engine runs nice and clean on LP also. I sure can see why you would do that what with the big price difference! Looks like the engine just sucks a mixture of air and Lp thru down the carb? I'm guessing there is a safety setup of some kind so if engine stops running, propane doesn't continue to flow? Nice car !! I like the Dart also, Is that yours?
And yes this setup is like sucking air thru te mixer.
more air is also more propane.
The engine oil is always look like it is new.
it's very clean on the inside en also cleaner what's coming out of the exhaust.
There is an safety relais(induction from the tach/ignition).
ignition on then there will be gasflow for a few seconds.
start the car and it runs.
if there are no rpms then it will shut the system down Induction relais
If you want you can also turbocharge it with an Impco vaporizer.
If you want a cheaper kit look for OMVL.
more for up to 5liter engines.
But in my opinion is Impco one of the better systems on a V8.
The Dart is also mine.
Slant 225 with supersix intake and propane only.
But I have to sell it.
I'm almost moving and then I have only room for one car.
This tiny one is also looking for a new home😉
Last edited by Jelmoer; November 1st, 2021 at 05:57 AM.
The Schwans Ice Cream trucks were , until recently , all powered by propane .
I used to service and repair some of them .
Mostly Chevys and GMCs with 366 or 427 big blocks .
They were converted to propane by a company in Janesville WI .
Presumably , soon after being built at the GM assembly plant there .
Thanks for your information.
And is it difficult to get parts in the states?
and what's your opinion about driving on propane?
Less trouble or more then on gasoline?
sometimes it's better to recurve the ignition for better power.
or smaller gap in sparkplug
Propane (aka liquid petroleum gas in the UK) is quite popular on American trucks in the UK. Not so much on passenger cars as there is less room put the tank. There are several sytems on sale over here, basically boiling down to a "fogger" system which works much like a TBI, and a system that injects directly into the ports. The pros and cons with the two systems are much the same as gasoline fuel injection. Also LPG systems are exempt from emission testing over here.
I remember maybe ten years ago Honest Dave bought a 65 442 in Vancouver with a tunnel ram and two propane mixers, it actually ran, but nothing special as i recall
My '83 Regency was converted to propane from almost new (400 km). Had about 150k when I bought it. Huge tank inside the trunk. No gas tank underneath. Many airline limo's run on propane. Met one limo about three hours from Toronto airport, asked me about location for fuel but I didn't know of any around that area..
I had a 75 Cutlass on propane. I parted the car but kept the propane tank; very heavy. I now use it for an auxiliary air tank for when I'm sandblasting
A gallon of propane yields 91500 BTU when burned .
A gallon of gasoline yields 114100 BTU when burned .
So a gallon of gasoline will take you 1 and 1/4 times further than a gallon of propane .
You have to figure that into fuel costs .
Propane parts are , for the most part , readily available in the USA .
Probably not as much as gasoline fuel system parts , but usually reasonably available .
Propane fueling stations are another story . They are often hard to find , especially in rural areas .
For fleet operators like Schwans Ice Cream , this is no problem .
Their trucks leave the warehouse each morning and run a route all day .
Then they return to the warehouse each evening where they are refueled from a large propane tank on the property .
For an ordinary motorist , however , finding propane and someone willing to sell it to a motorist can be hard .
Propane must be taxed if used in a highway vehicle .
I totally agree with the OP's comment about ignition .
Propane engines had to have the ignition system in top notch condition .
Yeah that's true.
But that's with the older type of fuel.
Now with the greener type of gasoline I'm not sure.
I think nowadays the difference is more like 15% less energy from propane.
And over here gasoline is more then double the prize of propane.
You also need to know that because of safety rules.
A propanetank can filled up to 80%.
The propane needs room for expanding when parked in the sun.
So you need or a bigger tank or go sooner to the gasstation.
Where I live you used to get propane almost everywhere.
And it's a small country.
You drive from the upper North to the deepest south in about 4hrs🤣
But because the government try to get everybody in an electrical car.
I noticed that the smaller stations sell less fuel so they stopped selling propane(lpg)
Last edited by Jelmoer; November 2nd, 2021 at 01:25 AM.
That's a bummer that propane fueling stations are so rare. I wouldn't even know how to get large quantities of propane for a vehicle. You can buy 5 gallon cylinders at most hardware stores in the U.S., buying it by the gallon for a vehicle is another thing. FWIW, CNG fueling stations are pretty common in Oklahoma so I imagine the propane fueling stations are out there, I've just never noticed them. I'll stick to using propane to brew beer on my turkey fryer outside. BTW, propane grills are devious, charcoal all the way baby!
I just bought gasoline last night for $ 3.34 per gallon .
If you figure in the BTU conversion factor of 1.25 to the price of the propane , that makes it $ 3.28 per gallon .
A saving of only 6 cents per gallon . Not really worth it to me .
Wow 6 cents per gallon
that's really not worth it.
with an propane kit the car become heavier and uses more fuel/propane.
You've to buy the installation so I you will never get that money back.
Maybe things change in the future but for now the 🇺🇸 is not the best place for propane cars.
Last edited by Jelmoer; May 6th, 2024 at 03:54 AM.
Wow 6 cents per gallon
that's really not worth it.
with an propane kit the car become heavier and uses more fuel/propane.
You've to by the installation so I you will never get that money back.
Maybe things change in the future but for now the 🇺🇸 is not the best place for propane cars.
Several US cars here have 6.2 diesel and also Mercedes diesel engines instead because of gas price.
Farmers have cheaper diesel (lower tax) but this diesel is not allowed in cars. But many farmers still use
it in their cars .
Several US cars here have 6.2 diesel and also Mercedes diesel engines instead...
I wouldn't say several. The 6.2l and 6.5l were GM's attempt to make IDI diesels after the 5.7l Oldsmobile diesel crashed and burned. They were never as refined and durable as Ford's 6.9l and 7.3l IDIs.
I wouldn't say several. The 6.2l and 6.5l were GM's attempt to make IDI diesels after the 5.7l Oldsmobile diesel crashed and burned. They were never as refined and durable as Ford's 6.9l and 7.3l IDIs.
You donīt se many Ford trucks with 6,9 or 7,3 here so itīs more common to put an 6,2 in an Impala early sixties.
But i like the Ford trucks
And welcome to CO Jelmoer
Last edited by GCH; November 4th, 2021 at 01:02 AM.
October 31st, 2021, 11:47 AM
