Propane Conversion: How to Make LPG Cars

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Attach a second length (like one foot) of tubing to the other end of the convertor's water tunnel, drill another 3/8" hole in the engine compartment floor (about a foot away from the first), run the tubing out of the engine compartment and bend it so that it ends up horizontal and pointing straight back the holes in the floor with plastic rubber and secure your convertor to the engine.

Now the VW and the non-VW folks are back together again for the next step of bushing down the convertor's LP-vapor-port to a 5/16" O.D. nipple so that hose B may be attached. Secure the hose with small clamps and leave it dangling till law.

Just how hose A will run from the LP tank to the convert will be determined by the design of your particular auto. In U.S. vehicles the path is pretty direct . . . from the tank on the trunk shelf, through the trunk floor, under the car and up into the engine compartment. In VWs you'll have to cut a suitable hole to let hose A into your engine compartment. The higher up the hole the better (right over the taillight is best in the bus) to keep hose A out of harm's way in case your car gets bumped. Drill a 1/2" hole and widen it with your chisel until hose A passes through.

Attach one end of the "A" hose to the LP-in port of your convertor (using an appropriate fitting) and the other end to the LP-liquid-out port of the fuel tank. If you've drilled a hole, use plenty of plastic rubber to seal it once hose A is in place and secure the hose to the outside of the car with a few plastic-coated clamps wherever it seems to need it.

Installing the Jet

You can install the necessary conversion jet without removing your car's carburetor, but you're likely to get small metal shavings in the engine while doing it . . . and that's not healthy. So get the carb out. The air cleaner comes off first, then the two or four bolts that attach the carburetor to the intake manifold and then whatever other linkages and whatnots are still holding the thing in place.

On a VW, loosen the clamp that holds the air cleaner to the top of the carburetor and remove the cleaner. Then pull off any wires (none, one or two) that you see going to the right side of the carb and don't worry about mixing them up . . . it doesn't matter in what order you put the wires back on.

Take off the two cloth-covered tubes on the left side of the carb and unscrew the two 13 mm bolts that hold the carburetor to the manifold (a 1/2" wrench will work if you don't have a 13 mm one). As you lift the carb off, you'll find that it's still held by a connection to the accelerator cable, the end of which passes through a little cylinder clamp which has a small setscrew in its side. Loosen the setscrew and slip the cable out . . . but be careful you don't lose the cylinder clamp, which is now free to drop out. Note where it goes and store it in a safe place.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print