m37 Propane conversion

[tbone1004]

random fun fact regarding the 455, those are the engines they used to start the turbines on the SR-71 Blackbird since they couldn't put an APU on the plane

[RMS]

RMS, do you have a writeup on your 2" receiver on the back of your truck? Great thread though and looking forward to seeing the operating cost differences.

not my truck but terry said he has drawings I will post them soon. Im looking forward to seeing the differences too. I hope the extra stroke will give it the bottom end most v8 37s are lacking

Olds 455? it should certainly have enough torque!

hes going nuts on it picked up an aluminum air gap and some aluminum heads for it....I see a 14bolt in his future

random fun fact regarding the 455, those are the engines they used to start the turbines on the SR-71 Blackbird since they couldn't put an APU on the plane

thats nuts....at least the 455 has been field tested

[chris olson]

modify the tubes and switch the axleshafts side to side and you wind up with a side drive 14 bolt

[JimC]

I haven't noticed a lack of bottom end torque in the BBC installation in my 37.

[Master Yota]

Nor have I noticed a lack of torque with the 428CJ (on propane) in the Green Gummy either.

As was noted earlier, propane does have fewer btu's; but the higher octane allowed me to advance the timing almost 30* in my 428. This was due to the timing being retarded to such a degree to allow the 11:1 compression ratio to function on regular gas. Now I can take full advantage of that higher compression ratio, and make every bit as much ooooomph as any typical gas BB running at 8.5-10:!

I love propane, and I'm getting great mileage to, averaging around 14mpg. Not bad for no 1100:16's and a 4spd with 4.56's...

[JimC]

Ray, what does propane cost?

[Master Yota]

Ray, what does propane cost?

For the last few years around here its been hovering around $0.69 per liter. Lately though its been up around $0.85 per liter. It was as high as a dollar per liter at one point this spring, but has since come down. Given the cost of gas right now is $1.34 per liter and Diesel is $1.49 per liter, its still a cheap and affordable fuel, even at a mileage and/or performance loss of 10% on average, its still a better deal than any other fuel right now.


(4.6 liters = 1 Imperial gallon - and a liter is slightly more volume than a quart)...

4.6x1.349= $6.20 per Imp. Gallon for Regular Gas
4.6x1.499= $6.89 per Imp. Gallon for Diesel
4.6x0.859= $3.95 per Imp. Gallon for Propane

[JimC]

US gallon is smaller than an imperial gallon, but it is still pretty expensive.

[Master Yota]

US gallon is smaller than an imperial gallon, but it is still pretty expensive.

The difference is about 2 pints - not that much, but enough. It really hurts at the pumps, especially when there is a serious lack of realistic public transportation in my city, leaving me with no other viable option but to drive wherever and whenever I need to go somewhere. Couple the unsustainable cost of fuel with the ever rising cost of living, and we're discovering that the dollar just can't be stretched far enough anymore to keep ahead in the game.

Rant over.

I still really like propane, and its a worthwhile conversion. The only downside is that longer road trips require a little more planning around fuel stops as propane isn't available at every station...

[JimC]

I'm not knockin' propane.
Aviation fuel eats my lunch, and I live in an area where it's still relatively cheap.

[Master Yota]

Propane is far to expensive, considering it was once considered a waste product during the production of gasoline, and was vented to atmosphere and just burned off... A realistic price would be about $0.20 cents per gallon - but that'll never happen...

[RMS]

lots of work over the last 4years

[Kaegi]

random fun fact regarding the 455, those are the engines they used to start the turbines on the SR-71 Blackbird since they couldn't put an APU on the plane

actually I have seen them in person and they used nail head buicks back to back on a rolling stand to start the blackbird. later on I saw one that was SBCs