Propane Conversion: How to Make LPG Cars

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Finally (wow, we're almost through), connect one end of that single-strand electrical wire to the appropriate terminal on your convertor (see the diagram that comes with the unit), run the wire under the car and into the passenger compartment—through one of the grommets in the fire wall or floorboard—and attach it to a simple push-button, doorbell-type switch.

Run a short length of the same kind of wire from the other terminal of the switch to your car's fusebox. Holding the switch in the "on" position, take out one fuse and touch the bare end of the wire first to one and then to the other end of the fuse holder. Repeat the process on down the line of fuses until you find a fuse holder where one side sparks and the other doesn't. Attach your wire to the side that doesn't. Replace the fuse and affix the switch inside the car wherever you'd like . . . you'll use it to operate the convertor's primer, which gives your engine a shot of LP vapor just before you start it up.

And you're ready to start it up just as soon as you get your LP tank filled.

There'll still be gasoline in the car's carburetor so, before you take that first LP drive, turn the gasoline on-off valve to "off" (perpendicular to the line), start your car as usual (what used to be usual, anyway) and let it run for a few minutes until it uses up the gasoline in the carburetor and conks out. Now open the liquid-out valve of your LP tank, turn on the key, hit the primer button for two seconds and start 'er up. Hurray! You're driving on LP gas!

When you run out of LP, just turn on your gasoline valve and crank the engine (you'll need a battery that's in good shape) until sufficient gasoline gets up into the carb (pumping the accelerator pedal may help). After you've filled up with LP again, turn the gasoline valve off and start the car a second time. For a few minutes the air-fuel mixture will be too rich and the engine will sputter, but the car will return to its usual purr once the gasoline in the carb is burned off.

Adjusting the Air-Fuel Mixture

If the engine idles just about the same as it did on gasoline you've hit things just right. If it's a tad slower, turn the idle screw up a bit and smile . . . you're still in good shape. Chances are, though, the engine will tend to conk out when you let it idle because your LP-air mixture isn't yet quite perfect.

In the latter case, drill a small hole (say 1/8") perpendicularly into the copper tube sticking out from the jet and into the carburetor (best to remove the jet before drilling). Insert any ordinary, small screw that you can just squeeze in, put the jet back and then get a friend to apply a slight but steady pressure to the accelerator pedal (to keep the engine going) while you toy with the screw. Turn it in and out and see what happens. If you can get maximum rpm without removing the screw entirely, you're all set.

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