Why don't more guys use L.P.G ?

[71 Bee Man]

G'day guys,

I'm just wondeing how many of you over in the States have treid - or use - Liquified Petroleum Gas as your fuel ?

Here in Australia L.P.G is widely used in vehicles and the cost is so much cheaper thatn gasoline it's not funny.
Try about $2 per gallon for L.P.G as opposed to about $5.50 for gasoline (petrol).

The impression I get is that it's not really considered over there.....is that the case ? I'm about to get an installation quote on my 71 Superbee.

Peter
Sydney, Australia.

[bull]

Because we're pathetic morons? That or the oil companies have us by the short curlies.

[Jon Smith]

is it easy to find a gas station that sells it in the US?
i never considered it in the past because i would have to go quite a distance to get it, now i've moved house and they sell it across the road, so i'm thinking of converting when i've got a bit of money in the bank

[TruckDriver]

Because we have a government that is more like the old USSR, communistic. And the worst part, everyone pretty much has adjusted to it, or doesnt care.

[Troy]

Because the cost of converting far outweighs the fuel savings. I got gas for $2.59 this week and I pass 10+ gas stations on the way to work. If LPG were $2.00 but I had to drive 10 miles out of my way to get it then it's just too much of an inconvenience. When gas prices get high enough I'm sure more people will consider it. The suppliers won't put in the infrastructure until there's a good chance that they'll actually sell something (imagine that). Of course, it's easier to just blame the government...

Troy

[kab69440]

We have plenty of LPG fillers around Marion, here. However,I do not know of one with a scale large enough to fill a non-removable tank. Grill and forklift tanks are no problem, but weighing an entire vehicle is something else again.

[41husk]

I have never herd of it   I need to get more info.

[chrisII]

We have plenty of LPG fillers around Marion, here. However,I do not know of one with a scale large enough to fill a non-removable tank. Grill and forklift tanks are no problem, but weighing an entire vehicle is something else again.

as a former lift truck mechanic,I have worked on alot of lp systems. ive considered it, and would set up any system i installed with 2 forlkift sized bottles and a selonoid to switch between them when the first got low. it could easly be done with a psi switch. the problem with such a system is that many car engines , is durability.luckly for us mopar people about the only small blcok that lives after runing propane is the mopar.many law enforcement agencys used it in the 1980s alot, but seem to have gotten waya from it when ma mopar stoped making cop cars.  efi for lp is still pretty new and I dont know that it would work really well to convert the new gas systems. we will see more of it in the future im sure. even tho we bitch about gas prices, amreican gas is still waaayy cheaper than in europe or most any other country in the world.

[Todd Wilson]

I have a friend that has an older Ford pickup converted. It runs just fine. At one time it could go between gas and LP.  Now that its been on LP for so long it doesnt seem to run good on gas anymore.  I could see doing this to a pickup truck  but not a car. I wouldnt want a propane tank in the trunk.   You got pop off valves to deal with if the tank is overfilled a little bit and it gets hot outside the pressure will build and pop off. A slight leak could fill the trunk area with fuels. Who knows if a slight spark from brake lights could ignite it. Getting the tank filled could be a problem as there are not that many places that fill propane around my area. The plumbing needed to gt the tank to the motor.  Just a pain to convert in my opinion.  LP at one time was cheaper then gas by a lot.  Anymore I would say the price difference between the 2 wouldnt be worth the pain and expense of converting a vehicle over. If you could buy a bunch of LP in the summer at a low price and then keep it thru the winter there may be a savings. When the cold weather shows up LP prices go up.


Todd

[1970440RT]

I run propane in my Cummins powered Ram, but I mix it with diesel.  Does that count?






Any potential savings are used on new tires...

[Skyview69]

LP gas runs about $2.89 per gallon here and is going up.

[71 Bee Man]

I have never herd of it   I need to get more info.

Here in Australia the Federal Government has just announced it will refund people $2000 toward the cost of installing an LPG system in their cars, because it's more enviromentally friendly, and also to help families cope with high fuel bills. Incidentally, our L.P.G is a mixture of Butane and Propane and autogas is different to normal cooking gas.

Here is a link that might help understand a bit about L.P.G.

http://www.lpgaustralia.com.au/

Peter

[andy74]

I run propane in my Cummins powered Ram, but I mix it with diesel.  Does that count?






Any potential savings are used on new tires...

good call man,i helped a buddy of mine put in a propane injection to his 01 dually,and what a HUGE difference it makes,tons more power,and damn near doubled his empty fuel mileage

[Graham496_SE]

I'll be interested to hear how much the conversion is.. I know its about 4 grand for the newer cars. But on an old car it used to be around 1500 so even if you need better parts to support the super bee power you'd almost be getting it for free with the grant. I hear the waiting lists are pretty long at the moment? The conversion people will surely be cashing in on all this by increasing their prices.

Don't forget the government is adding a tax to lpg in the not so distant future so it's pretty convienient they are getting everyone switched over now

It sounds like a pretty good idea to me, if you can get it taken out at some point and put back to original then why not I guess! You will probably have the only lpg superbee in the world!

Good excuse to drive it more too!

[71 Bee Man]

I'll be interested to hear how much the conversion is.. I know its about 4 grand for the newer cars. But on an old car it used to be around 1500 so even if you need better parts to support the super bee power you'd almost be getting it for free with the grant. I hear the waiting lists are pretty long at the moment? The conversion people will surely be cashing in on all this by increasing their prices.

Don't forget the government is adding a tax to lpg in the not so distant future so it's pretty convienient they are getting everyone switched over now

It sounds like a pretty good idea to me, if you can get it taken out at some point and put back to original then why not I guess! You will probably have the only lpg superbee in the world!

Good excuse to drive it more too!

The conversion on the Bee is closer to $3000. You won't get a conversion done for under about $2,500 Australian. At the moment we're just deciding on the right mixer to use so I can hopefully keep the original air cleaner on the car.

Even at $1000 (after the casheback) it's definitely worth getting done. I like the idea of jumping in her a little more to go for drives, and with the LPG I'll do just that. Waiting lists for kits are up to around 2 months now, and you're right about them raising prices - the LPG manufacturers this week increased parts prices by 7%. The excise in 2011 doesn't worry me, it'll still be a damned site cheaper than Optimax.

How's your car going ? I'm taking the Bee to the American Car Nationals in Canberra next month. Never been bofore - thought I'd have a look.

Peter

[Ghoste]

The 99 Concept Charger was made to run on LPG so even the domestic mfg's have looked at it.  At this time though it still comes down to the points that Troy made.

[Graham496_SE]

Yeah it is worth it for sure. You'll make up that 1000 dollars in no time. And you are doing something for the environment

Will it be LPG only or dual fuel? I remember looking at a display at a car show once with all the performance lpg parts and they had so many different tanks and everything, you could get that would fit up under the car nice and snug in place of the petrol tank and even ones shaped like a spare tire.

My friend had an f150 he used to tow his driftcar out to the track, I was amazed at how cheap that truck was to run on lpg even fully loaded up with wheels and tools aswell as the car trailer.

I've been thinking of getting a coversion on my daily driven falcon, if I had it done 2 years ago when I bought the car it would have surely paid for itself by now. I've done almost 60 thousand k's in it. But now i'm not sure how much longer I will keep it so its probably not worth it now.

My charger cleared customs etc last week, it's still in melbourne and should be up here by the end of next week. Bit of a pain having it down there but I couldn't find anyone suitable up here in brisbane that I could trust with it over in LA. The person I used was actually friends with the prior owner of the car too, so it made it alot easier organising it all over there.

Hope you have fun at the show on the weekend, we have a big mopar meet at willowbank raceway this sunday, i'm taking my dad for fathers day. Hopefully i'll get a few pics to post up here!

Just out of interest who are you using to insure your car? I have mine covered with shannons at the moment, its just a "laid up" cover since its unregistered but will cover it in transit from melbourne and also while its here at home or being trucked between workshops etc. Not even sure if there is much choice either. I emailed just cars insurance for a quote for when I start driving it and they wont insure it on club rego I think they are more into the ricer type cars anyway.

[Telvis]

Because we have a government that is more like the old USSR, communistic. And the worst part, everyone pretty much has adjusted to it, or doesnt care.

Huh?? 

[Dave22443]

We have a truck at work, a Ford F-150 (2004 model I think) that can run on either gasoline or LPG.  It has a big LPG tank in the bed (takes up at least 2 feet of bed space) and a switch on the dash to select between gas or LPG.  It came that way from the factory.  As far as I know, we've never run it on the LP before because the nearest place to fill it is 20 miles away. 

[71 Bee Man]

I'm not going anything too fancy with the conversion - my main hope is that I can have the mixer concealed under the existing twin snorkel air cleaner so it's got an original look to it.

With regards to insurance, I have 4 cars insured with Shannons. I'm very happy with them and they have very good rates.

Hopefully I'll catch up with you one day when your cars on the road. I'd love to see it. As I've mentioned in a post somewhere else, I have pictures of it when it was in L.A.

Peter

[Chryco Psycho]

LPG is tied to gas prices & is still a byproduct
I hate the crap .......................sure it si 1/2 the price but you use 2x as much & it is so dry it will Eat the heads & valves alive , meanwhile the block will live forever as there is Zero Fuerl wash so the cylinders stay lubed & the oil stay clean 
the fuel tanks are fun to fit as well

[Graham496_SE]

Hey Peter,

Thats good you are happy with shannons, that is probably who I will use. Be nice to see your 71 some day too.  I reckon it looks especially cool since you put the white top on there!

I hope the lpg conversion goes well. You are going to be able to drive that thing anywhere now and not give fuel prices a second thought!

Graham

[6pkrunner]

Availability. There just aren't enough stations selling it. And while people complain and fuss over high gasoline prices, all we do is complain. The big oil companies are in business to make money and as long as the gasoline tree bears fruit, it will be picked.

[71 Bee Man]

LPG is tied to gas prices & is still a byproduct
I hate the crap .......................sure it si 1/2 the price but you use 2x as much & it is so dry it will Eat the heads & valves alive , meanwhile the block will live forever as there is Zero Fuerl wash so the cylinders stay lubed & the oil stay clean 
the fuel tanks are fun to fit as well

I've had 2 old V8's with LPG and they both ran great. They used a fraction more fuel than normal gasoline, but certainly nowhere near twice as much. The heads can be redone to accomodate the LPG or you can use upper cylinder head lubricants which negate any effects caused by the dry running of the LPG. I ran an old 318 for 6 years on LPG with no side effects whatsoever and I didn't use any additives.

Peter

[mikesbbody]

pete, dont covert a car as cool as a 71 super bee to run on that lpg shit from what ive heard its nothing but a pain in th ass! if the price of gas worries you that much imo you shouldnt own a car like a charger because lets face it they use alot of gas the price of gas shouldnt be a factor but wrecking a classic charger...thats another thing. 

[OttawaCharger]

Canada was pushing it as a good alternative in the 80's and the government was giving rebates to those that installed it then.  Never really seemed to take off?
If you do switch, make sure you advance your timing a bit to take advantage of the resistance to pinging propane has.   

[71 Bee Man]

pete, dont covert a car as cool as a 71 super bee to run on that lpg shit from what ive heard its nothing but a pain in th ass! if the price of gas worries you that much imo you shouldnt own a car like a charger because lets face it they use alot of gas the price of gas shouldnt be a factor but wrecking a classic charger...thats another thing. 

I want to drive my Charger more. I want to be able to take it out without thinking "Can we really afford it this week".

At the moment, Premium gasoline down here costs about $1.30 per litre ( what's that.....about $4.00 per gallon...more???)
L.P.G is 45 cents per litre. The V8's I've had in the past which have run LPG have run fine. I reckon there is a slight power drop, but I'm not racing my ride - I want it for cruising. Even with the gas....you tune them right and they run pretty good times.

What I find is that generally the people who don't like LPG have never used it. The system I'm getting is so integrated into the engine compartment that the only way you can tell LPG is fitted will be by the regulator which will be mounted next to the radiiator on the inner guard......where the horns currently sit. I'm keeping it dual fuel, so if I want to run it on petrol I can.

Due to the huge demand down here with the Government payback for LPG installations, I'm still waiting on components. The cylinder is in and fits snugly under the rear parcel shelf. The LPG fuel filler can be positioned next to the xisting fuel filler behind the rear plate.

Talking to a mate of mine in the States, I can see why more of you DON'T use LPG. The cost was ridiculous, especially when considered how cheaply it can be produced. I think you are getting ripped off to keep you using gasoline.

Peter

[arrow]

pete, dont covert a car as cool as a 71 super bee to run on that lpg shit from what ive heard its nothing but a pain in th ass! if the price of gas worries you that much imo you shouldnt own a car like a charger because lets face it they use alot of gas the price of gas shouldnt be a factor but wrecking a classic charger...thats another thing. 

Thats pretty good advice , Ive run it it off and on for 20 years- only way Id use it is if its free ( as in working at a LPG processing plant ) its a way lower BTU fuel . An LPG tank belongs in the bed of of a PU - not in the trunk of a car , thats a pressurized bomb if something goes wrong !!!!!!! bad enough in a PU and with you fuel tax its not cheaper .