Re: [ihc] Cheaper fuel for IH's

[Colin M Rush <salmineo@xxxxxxxx>]

        John Donnelly has done extensive research into doing this.  Since
IH actually offered propane on its trucks, he figured the stuff to do it
should still be available, and he was right.  He talked to a fellow
somewhere in the midwest who does propane conversions for a living, and
he verified that.  Everything is available, and almost everything is
cheap.  The most expensive part is the tank.  A tank has to be ASME rated
and certified, and I think it has to be DOT certified too (not certain on
that), so the tanks are very expensive.  He was gung-ho on putting it in
his '67 T'All with the BG motor until he learned about the tanks.  He
still is considering it, though.  If anyone wants to know more about it,
e-mail him about it.  If you need his address, drop me a line and I will
give it to you.

        Regarding the adantages of propane, they are manifold.  Propane
burns cleaner, so it is good for the atmosphere and for your engine. 
Since it is clean burning, it is safe to run a vehicle indoors for longer
periods of time than comparable diesel or gasoline-powered vehicles. 
(There is a reason why forklifts use propane instead of gas or diesel.) 
It also results in longer periods between servicing.  Think of how black
the motor oil in a diesel motor, and then think of how much cleaner the
oil in a gas motor is at a comparable service interval.  Well, the oil in
a propane motor will be that much cleaner than the oil in a gas motor
with similar service intervals.  Spark plugs also last much longer
between servicing.  In the words of the Propane Vehicle Council:    
"Fleet operators do not have to sacrifice performance for environmental
friendliness. The power, acceleration, payload, and cruise speed of
propane-fueled vehicles are comparable to those obtained with equivalent
internal-combustion engines. Compared to gasoline vehicles, propane
vehicles can go longer between fill-ups, oil changes, and overhauls. By
switching to propane, fleet operators can benefit as well as contribute
toward mitigating the nations pollution problems."
        The combustion temperatures are a little higher, so the ring gaps
have to be a little wider (per a friend who used to be the sales guy at
my engine rebuilder), but the expansion of the propane as it is injected
into the motor actually helps the engine run cooler.  The lifespan of a
propane engine is between 2 and 3 times that of a gasoline engine. 
Propane is good for offroaders, because it can be operated at any angle,
just like fuel injection, whereas a carbureted engine has issues with
high-angle operation.  Using propane is good for America, since about 90%
of propane is produced domestically, while our gasoline and diesel
sources tend to be exports.  (Half of our propane comes from natural gas,
and the other half comes from crude oil refining.)  Using propane helps
us wean our dependence on foreign oil.  The gasoline gallon equivalent of
propane is 1.35 gallons, so apply your local pricing to get an idea of
what you can expect to pay per mile if you were to use propane instead of
gas.  Propane is also available just about everywhere.  The fact that
propane fuel is contained in a completely sealed container (unlike
gasoline which is vented or may leak from your gas tank), there is no
continuous degradation of air quality caused by simple evaporation of
fuel like there is with gasoline.

        For more info on propane, read here: 
http://www.propanevehicle.org/mainpages/vehicles/index.php
and here: 
http://www.nafa.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Resource_Center/Alternative_Fu
els/Energy_Equivalents/Energy_Equivalents.htm
and here:  http://www.npga.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=636
-Colin Rush

Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 23:18:42 -0400
From: Rocky Lear <rockylear@domain.elided>
Subject: [ihc] Cheaper fuel for IH's

Due to the insane gas prices, I am thinking about building a truck that
runs on propane. Or, at the very least a dual fuel setup that I can
change back and forth between gas and propane as need be. I have several
propane regulator units we have taken off of trucks we convered back to
gasoline. They take the place of the carb and bolt right to a 4v intake.
I'm thinking about putting one back into service. Does anyone have any
experience with propane as a fuel for their vehicle? I think it burns
cooler and there may be a power loss too but if a gallon of propane goes
twice as far...it would be a lot more economical. I know there has been
some interest in propane in some of the 4x4 mags but probably for a
different reason. 

Rocky