Propane conversion on F-134

Hey there all,

I'm considering converting my gas fed Jeep to run on propane. It's the F-134 (1953). I have some contacts in the propane business that can intall a fill station off my house tank. Has anyone done this conversion and if so, how has it worked out for you? Climate isn't an issue here so cold weather won't be a factor. Several people in my area have done this conversion on older pickups and farm equipment and they seem to like the convienence and have offered thier help with the conversion. They contract with proane company for less than it costs to use gas. Thanks for any input.

 

Never done on a Jeep, but we had several farm pickups that ran on propane. The engines ran forever- probably because the propane was such a clean fuel. Just expect slightly less power than on gas, but not a whole lot less.

 

I've done a good bit of searching on doing this, but not to a F head. Overall its a great set up. Downsides are it burns hotter/longer than gas does, which is harder on the valves. So stainless valves and hardend seats are a must for any longetivity out of the engine (talking thousands of miles) Also since propane is a higher octane like 110 IIRC to get the most out of it you need a higer compression 11-12:1 or higher. But it will run at lower compressions, just not the most efficently. As for the powerloss its a toss up. From a number of guys that have switched from a carb they have noticed an increase in seat of the pants power, mostly due to having a poorly tuned carb. When you put 'pane on a SBC you need to change the ign. advance curve, so that might also be something to think about. All these things listed are for it to be most efficent, but it will run if you put the right size regulator/mixer on it. I think the smallest mixer is a 225 series and thats what is most recommended for 4cyls. If your lucky and have a forklift junkyward locally see if you can get the whole set up off one and you'll be good to go.

 

I have propane on my f-head, I work on fork lifts so parts come easy. the problem that I had was that there is no lead in propane, so burning the seat of the exaust valve is what happened to me. If you have hardend seats your ok it will work fine, I like the propane it runs very good even when your on your side.

 

Propane conversion is for girlie-boys. I'm building a wood-gas generator. Gonna run one of my CJ's on firewood!!!

;-)

Pete

 

About a year ago I did a bit of reading on wood gasification (just out of curiosity really). Lot of machines from tractors to boats to cars were run on firewood in Europe during the later stages of WWII because of gasoline shortages. Not the most practical setup, but if you're up in the woods at least you won't run out of gas (har har). There's a surprising amount of information on the internet about it. I found one guy that chopped wood, then used a solar drying machine to dry the wood, then used a gasifier to run a generator. Pretty smart . Seriously though, if you actually do hook it up post some pics. After reading about it I'd love to see one on a car.

 

Wood-Gas isn't real practical as long as oil and gasoline are available. BUT it is one of the only practical ways of running an internal combustion engine in the absence of fossil fuel.

As for propane, I don't see where the advantage lies, since propane supply (and price) is directly tied to the oil market.

Wood-Gas is about 40% less powerful, and the equipment is bulky. But remarkably "backyard" simple - FEMA publishes a set of plans for a generator based on a garbage can and a stainless steel kitchen colander! And as one million units in WWII proved, it really works.

It will be a while before I'm up and running, but I think it will be a great goof to run in parades and so on. What is old is new; Nothing stops a Jeep!

Pete

 

I had an FC 170 dually that ran on propane but never got it to run.