LPG conversion - tank location.

Kev · Post by **Kev** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 7:00 pm

I would like to convert my L series wagon to LPG but keep the luggage space.

I often transport bales of hay so I cant use up the space inside the vehicle. I would like to keep the petrol tank because I usually change to petrol when passing trucks on the roads that I travel on.

Has anyone managed to find a space underneath to sling a 50l gas tank?

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:09 pm

I cannot help but understand your dilemma

I didn't want to shaove a tank in my Brumby tray, but there is no other place for it. The rear diff and petrol tank get in the way. You'd have similar woes in the L.

I have seen a tank where the rear seats should be in an MY wagon giving a nice weight distribution.

Also seen a small tank sitting longwise on the rear inside drivers side on an MY wagon. If you were brave and went straight gas and no petrol tank , maybe but you still have toolbox in the way under floor mat ?

Dizzies can be tweaked to give more go (more advance down low and max advance of 28 degrees total) but gas just loses its power up high revs.

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:14 pm

I've thought about this aswell....

Perhaps this - you know the "toolbox" section in the rear of the floor between the petrol tank and the rear bumper?

I think you could cut the bottom out of this and fit a gas tank in there. Obviously this will reduce your ground clearance at the rear, but there is a fair bit of room there for a tank, and it won't reduce the space inside the cargo area.

Only problem I can see is you probably can't fit too big a gas tank.

thoughts?

SuBaRiNo · Post by **SuBaRiNo** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 12:42 am

Ok AndrewT... then where in my car? LOL

Dave

BaronVonChickenPants · Post by **BaronVonChickenPants** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 7:25 am

SuBaRiNo wrote:Ok AndrewT... then where in my car? LOL

Dave

On the roof, with lots and lots of duct tape

Jordan.

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 12:41 pm

that's a thought. An engineered raised to floor to allow tank to fit underneath or two small ones and the floor raised to just fit a hay bale !

Kev · Post by **Kev** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 3:42 pm

I have seen tanks that are shaped like a spare tyre. I have only seen them in 15" and I am not sure that it is legal to fit a gas tank in the engine bay.

Any ideas?

sammynb · Post by **sammynb** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 5:26 pm

Kev wrote:I would like to convert my L series wagon to LPG but keep the luggage space.

I often transport bales of hay so I cant use up the space inside the vehicle. I would like to keep the petrol tank because I usually change to petrol when passing trucks on the roads that I travel on.

Has anyone managed to find a space underneath to sling a 50l gas tank?

Remove the petrol tank, fit it there and then tune your engine for gas specifically. That way you won't have to change fuel supplies to overtake.
A well tuned gas engine will run just as well as a well tuned petrol engine.
Problem is when you run dual fuel people tune for petrol and then lose power when running on gas because the ignition is too advanced to burn the gas efficiently.
Black or white, not shades of grey.

simmo · Post by **simmo** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 5:58 pm

or you could go down jonos path and convert to gas then turbocharge....

Fury · Post by **Fury** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 7:05 am

I had a gas powered Ford Spectron van, which was only gas. It probably ran better on gas than petrol. ( petrol for 2 years from new) I had 2 tanks, 1 where the original fuel tank was and one down the side. I don't know why, just seemed smoother, but also not quite (but allmost) the same power with a full load.

I ran out of gas only once ( i tell ya, its real hard to fill up with a jerry can

) the gas fuel guages tend to be very unreliable. I "aquired" a filler nozzel, which are ilegal for public use, and had a hose made to fit a 10kg bottle. I could fill that, then transfer the contents from one to the other. The only problem with that method is, as you arn't using a pump, or highly compressed source tank, you can only fill till equal pressure is in each tank- so you are still left with some in the "filler" tank.
It did get me to a gas station. I didn't keep it in the van with me, so had to get it from home, which was a bit of a hassell. I did have that van for 10 years.

If you do decide to do this, talk to the guys that do the taxi cabs, as they are generally pretty clewy , as they are maintaining them all the time as well as fitting them.

edit : Thinking about it now, I should have had a small tank made with a solinoid switch to use as a reserve tank. It would have saved the worry. - Why didn't I think of that when I had the thing...

coupe · Post by **coupe** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 10:27 am

Hi Mate
You can cut your fuel tank down to be a 10 or 25 litre and put the tank in the floor like on the ford gassed wagons .
A donut tank wont fit in the engine bay.
You might get two scuba tanks in either under the floor with a reduced fuel tank or in the back with a false floor over the top.
The scubas are only 6" high.
Cheers Pete

BRUMBERTY · Post by **BRUMBERTY** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 10:43 am

Fury wrote: I "aquired" a filler nozzel, which are ilegal for public use, and had a hose made to fit a 10kg bottle. I could fill that, then transfer the contents from one to the other:

Fury, Cobber, you wouldn't happen to still have that would you?

I live 30kms from the nearest LPG and I am dedicated Gas only.
I would love a "jerry can" adapter.

In fact I bloody need one.

Cheers,
matt

Fury · Post by **Fury** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 11:04 am

I would like a dollar for everytime someone has asked me that question... Unfortunately it isn't available, it went with the van, back in 1998.

I did start to make a filler connection before I got a complete unit, but have no idea where the bits would be now. I probably gave them to the first person that asked. From memory, it wasn't gonna be too hard to make.

I have heard of Taxi cab installers keeping a few, you might ask them. Just go to the cab depot and ask. A lot of cabs are only gas, so they have legal " gas "jerry cans" but are expensive if you get a genuine. I have seen a few made up ones, in cab maintenance depots. Thats where I got the details to make mine.

BRUMBERTY · Post by **BRUMBERTY** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 11:13 am

Gracias Amigo.

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 12:10 pm

Yes those '$10,000 fine' jerry can converter hoses come in handy

bits are sort of readily available to gas installers and a nod and a wink and some cash - show you are a gas wise mature individual who- can- keep- a -secret type and you should be able to get one - eventually. And the secret to getting more out of the jerry can fill, tip the donor upside down and when your car runs out after first top up again you can re equalise the pressure again pouring some remaining gas and pressure from can once again

rsrlegacy · Post by **rsrlegacy** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 1:16 am

Done a few conversions in MYs and Ls over the years and put them all lengthwise. Modified the seatback mounts and made them slightly more upright to get a bigger tank in. Still leaves room for hay, baby trolleys or tool boxes.

Kev · Post by **Kev** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 4:09 pm

rsrlegacy wrote:Done a few conversions in MYs and Ls over the years and put them all lengthwise. Modified the seatback mounts and made them slightly more upright to get a bigger tank in. Still leaves room for hay, baby trolleys or tool boxes.

That sounds like it might work for me. What size tank were you using. I am looking at a couple of 2nd hand tanks one is 80l the other looks about 50l.

A donut tank may even fit better if it can be stood up rather then laying flat. Does anyone know if this is possible?

sammynb, In WA the distance between LPG servos makes it impossible to run on only 1 gas tank unless you live in the metro area, which I don't, or never want to travel out of it. If I wanted to stay in town & not travel I'd buy a beep beep (expletive deleted) Barina or some other mundane vehicle.
It would be nice if every servo had LPG.

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 12:52 pm

donuts would need to be used flat so everything inside works like the afl, gauge and pick up

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LPG conversion - tank location.

LPG conversion - tank location.

Re: LPG conversion - tank location.

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