1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

PROPANE conversion... LPG carburetor bolt on kit...

Discussion in 'Performance' started by draggbody, Apr 1, 2010.

  1. draggbody

    draggbody Member

    well i have been talking about this for some time and its here.. all of the bugs are worked out and i am super pleased w/ the results... we had a autozam, same as suzuki for those that are unfamiliar, that ran AWFUL... rebuilt the carb, put fuel filters, plugs, wires, caps, rotors, adjusted timing, chokes, idle, you name it, we fiddled w/ it... bottom line, the carb sucked and there was no way to figure out why... so, i converted it to something that i know about, could buy parts for and had the ability to adjust all parameters... so, here it is, a bolt on kit for dd51t/dk51t...

    the performance is phenominal, im talking night and day difference, i have several of these trucks and this one is by far the most driveable, perfect low idle, perfect performance at all rpm's and i havent even set the air/ fuel mixture yet or bumped up the timing... its just out of the box and bolted on...

    here is the install...

    stock engine compartment, from the drivers seat area...

    [​IMG]

    from the driver side bed access...

    [​IMG]

    with the carb removed, hook these lines together using the stock hose and clamp...

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    rear shot w/o carb...

    [​IMG]

    more pics tommorrow, none of the pics turned out...
     
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2010
  2. draggbody

    draggbody Member

    this shows the fully installed unit... comes w/ a K&N filter for the carb and crankcase breather... you can see the plug that was reused that is discussed a little later...

    [​IMG]

    this is the modified carb, port for ignition advance and the stock cable hooks right up...

    [​IMG]

    this is the lockoff and vaporizer, the lock off shuts the fuel off when the key is off, it wires into the plug that goes to the factory carb, just clip the wires and crimp it on... there is no positive or negative so it doesnt matter where you hook them up... the coolant lines tha are on the back of the engine hook up to the vaporizer to keep it from freezing up...

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    the tank brackets installed in the bed... just disconnect the line and slide the access off to work on the engine...

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Apr 2, 2010
    chickendumpling likes this.
  3. draggbody

    draggbody Member

    for more pics...
     
  4. glaplante31

    glaplante31 New Member

    Real interested how this works for you, I am in the retail propane business and would love this for my 99 suzuki carry. Maybe could be a parade unit for us. My 99 is EFI, so might be some issues.
     
  5. draggbody

    draggbody Member

    man, if you have efi, leave it... i couldnt imagine trying to work out the ignition on that conversion...
     
  6. glaplante31

    glaplante31 New Member

    I am in a different position than most folks. I have 200,000 gallons of LP at my fingertips so getting the product isn't an issue for me. LP as an alternative to gasoline? Absolutely! We have all our pickups converted for LP use. Cleaner burning and engines last forever. I currently drop the oil in my truck every 8000 miles or so and it looks like it came straight from the bottle. The big hang up for use in more vehicles is distribution. Costs for fill stations aren't cheap and the conversions aren't free either. But when LP is 1.70 and gas is 2.90 it doesn't take a lot of miles to pay for itself "if" you have access to the product.
     
  7. draggbody

    draggbody Member

    chicken, the drivability is the biggest benefit, availability is really no problem either... find yourself two forklift tanks and any hardware store, rv outlet, retail propane location and alot of gas station fill the tanks, so when one emptys, you swap in the other and then get it filled at your convienience... the tanks are 8 gallons, which is the same as the stock trucks tank... there are gauges on the tanks btw...

    my experience w/ propane stems from rock crawling... we use it as an alternative to EFI, because carbs dont work at off angles or when bouncing around... it is much cheaper than EFI as well... a kit like this would go for around $600, and that is for EVERYTHING to install it except the tanks, which cant be shipped unless they are new...
     
  8. Stuff99

    Stuff99 Moderator Staff Member

    my van needs whole new system. new lockoff, vaporizer, and mixer. and even some new lines and probably new tanks now. thinking with 212k km on it that ill just go back to gas and it should be a good motor.

    nice to see you got that setup nicely. with the little truck its kinda hard to mount the propane tank anywhere else i guess. but if your on a long trip you can take more cylinders with you lol
     
  9. draggbody

    draggbody Member

    i am building an under bed system for my personal truck, this one belongs to my dad... there is actually room for one of these tanks to fit and it nets more ground clearance than the stock tank...

    i suppose i dont even think about the logistics of refueling, because we just use our trucks offroad only, so we are usually not far from a fresh tank...
     
  10. Stuff99

    Stuff99 Moderator Staff Member

    ah thats a plenty big enough tank then. the tripple tank in my mini van only allowed me 3 hours highway driving before i had to scramble for a fill station..

    excellent work man! should do a startup video of the truck on propane. wondering if it sounds or runs different.
     
  11. draggbody

    draggbody Member

    just smells different... :D
     
  12. packrat

    packrat Member

    Nice conversion. I have an 87 Dodge pickup that is a factory propane truck. The cost to run it 600 km to my cabin and back is about the same as in my Carry, (and it has a 318 in it). I plan on converting the Suzuki as well, as we have a dead propane fork lift at work the boss is scrapping. Will keep you posted
     
  13. BC_MMC

    BC_MMC Member

    i run an 87 F150 with propane. Pushing 400,000 kms no engine work, oil stays clean forever. Have twin tanks underneath & big tank in the bed. Locally, 71c/L vs 1.059/L gasoline, I've driven it 100 miles just to fill both tanks where propane's as low as 42.9/L.
    It's actually a little cheaper to run the F150 vs the Mitsu...
    I don't know why propane never caught on in the US. USed to have a hell of a time travelling there in my propane Bronco and finding refills. Probably because gas is so cheap. In Canada, most taxi fleets have used LPG conversions for decades.
     
  14. Little Dumper

    Little Dumper Member

    If you could post a parts list with all the part #'s so that we could duplicate this that would be "thuper":p.

    Just by a quick look under my DD51B it looks like you could ditch the spare tire and replace the gas tank with some manifolded twins and have double (maybe even tripple) the fuel capacity. Could cost only 20% more to drive twice as far.

    If you want the motor to last about 500,000 kms, propane is the only way to go. Smells nicer too.




    Jon.
     
    Last edited: Apr 5, 2010
  15. draggbody

    draggbody Member

    kit would run you $550 w/o tank brackets and $595 with brackets like pictured...
     
  16. confuzed

    confuzed Member

    Very interesting job hmmmmmm yes propane is easy to find in Canada. I live in a town of 3300 people and we have a fill station they are every wheremight be an idea for the subaru.Looks like you even have room to build brackets at each end of the tank to place a spare on each end?My problem is living in the middle of no where it takes me a tank of fuel to drive to calgary and back,but i was under the truck the other day and thought about a second fuel tank on the drivers side it would fit but lose about 2" or3" ground clearance not bad as i do not off road .has anyone tried this?Just one question tho in Canada a propane system must be certified would this be an issue?
     
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2010
  17. Little Dumper

    Little Dumper Member

    Nope, put the system in, then go to any shop that installs prop. systems and have them give it the once over (almost a vitual guar. that they will want to change something just to make a little money off of you). Once they are happy with the install they will put that lovely little orange sticker on your windshield to make it all legal.


    Jon.
     
  18. draggbody

    draggbody Member

    we use the forklift tanks simply because there are no fill stations... i keep about 10 of these because i use them on my rock crawler w/ a 454 in it... if stations were available, then i would look into a larger more permanent alternative, which im sure is very available in your area...
     
  19. cgasch

    cgasch Member

    Will the kit work on a db51t? If so, where do I get one?
     
  20. draggbody

    draggbody Member

    a little searching shows that the carbs are the same as the dd51t... PM me and i'll get you one on the way...
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2010
  21. fupabox

    fupabox Well-Known Member

    excellent job..always loved propane vehicles,but I wasn't aware one could be fabbed up for this application..very nice..A daihatsu version would be great as it seems there are no replacements for certain carb parts on the s83,s80....again good job:)
     
  22. draggbody

    draggbody Member

    i have one of these trucks at the shop... i could build a kit if there were a demand for it...
     
  23. draggbody

    draggbody Member

    so i finished my dd51t and couldnt be more pleased w/ the results... perfect acceleration, power and nice low idle... got a couple of kits i need to send out... thanks for the orders guys, you wont be diappointed..
     
  24. draggbody

    draggbody Member

    so here is what a kit minus brackets looks like... everything assembled, ready to bolt on, everything needed is included... this customer was going to build brackets for his tank to go under the bed so there is no need for the bulkhead to go through the floor, just a solid hose from the tank to the vaporizer...

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  25. Stuff99

    Stuff99 Moderator Staff Member

    in Sask the propane system need inspection every 5 years. if you go to fill up and do not have the silver safety sticker visible they will not fill you. Some get around this with the removable tanks.

    also i found the most PITA about propane was finding stations. there is only 2 co-ops in my town with propane. both WHINE to come fill me up every time i came there. Also in Regina not every 24hr station with propane can fill you because they need to have certified people on staff to use the propane station.. so one night i had to hot ball her home 200km on 1/4 tank!
     
    Last edited: Apr 14, 2010
  26. Little Dumper

    Little Dumper Member

    What's the CFM cap. of that mixer? Would it be able to feed a 1000cc at 7000rpm?



    Jon.
     
  27. WELDER

    WELDER Member

    Little Dumper, if you are serious about getting a good LPG system together, PM me and I can use some of my resources to get you what you need.

    Also, my truck is almost done, so we'll have to go for a little two truck parade around town :)
     
  28. draggbody

    draggbody Member

    wow... i guess impco is junk now days huh??? its the best money can buy... go start your own thread if you want to sell propane kits and GTFO of mine... :rolleyes:
     
  29. draggbody

    draggbody Member

    looks like it is more than enough flow based on your numbers...

    http://www.4secondsflat.com/Carb_CFM_Calculator.html

    impco mixer
    Air Flow Capacity………………...…93 L/s (197 cfm) @ 2.0 in Hg manifold depression
    Horsepower Rating………………. 91.7 kW (123 hp) @ 2.0 in Hg manifold depression
     
  30. WELDER

    WELDER Member

    Holly hell.

    Where in there did I say I want to SELL anything?

    I just so happen to know the local shops and local people/co-workers who have a good stock of LP components laying around, which they would gladly sell for cheap if it is for a project.

    I figured that helping Little Dumper out, getting him exactly what he wants, quickly and free of shipping hassles would be following the generally positive "Kei-truckin'" mood.

    Not everyone is out to make a buck off people who don't know how to build an LP system.

    To recap;
    I AM NOT A VENDOR ON THIS SITE AND AM IN NO WAY TRYING TO (UNDER)SELL ANY OF THE VENDORS.

    I know that they are few and far between, but everyone needs to remember that there are still decent, helpful people out there. As for Little Dumper, there happens to be one in his town.
     

Share This Page