Re: '65 GMC 1500 project. From the Netherlands
Ok. Now that I got that 478 I have to focus on getting the propane conversion done first - in order to cut my fuel costs by more than half
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I wanted to wait with the conversion because I wanted to get the bed floor in first, which is installed now.
This tank has a 200L capacity, which is around 52 gallons. However, because of safety reasons ie. expansion of the propane as it heats up in the sun, the tank will be only filled to 80% capacity. That leaves 160L or 42 gallons of propane capacity.
I chose a round tank mounted on the bed. I did this to get some genuine capacity. There are tanks that go in place of the spare tire, but these have a much smaller capacity and are much more expensive. I offset the tank to one side, so I can put stuff on the other side whenever I built a toolbox around it, which is a future plan.
In order to mount the propane tank, it has to be attached with brackets to the frame. As it is one heavy SOB when filled up I made a frame that houses the brackets and bolts to the 2 front frame mounting points for the bed. It is now solid as a rock.
Next, I'm going to connect the filler hose and filler opening - and I have a nice trick up my sleeve to hide the filler opening, which you shall see.
A tank meter is not yet installed on the tank. There is the possibility to have a gauge in the cab, however, I will just meter from the tank itself.
Also connected to the tank will be the liquid propane line that goes to the converter in the front. This line is about the same size as a regular 1/4" brake hard line. Remember, it is fed under a pressure of 8 bar (116 psi) to the converter. Also connected to the tank is a wire that operates the solenoid to enable and cut off the propane supply to the line.
The converter converts the liquid gas to a gaseous state. The converter is kept from freezing by the (hot) coolant from the engine. I will place my converter on the return line of the heater.
From the converter, the gaseous propane is fed to the 300A mixer, which is mounted on top of the carburetor. When driving on propane the gasoline supply is cut off and only the throttle blades of the carburetor are used. This IMPCO mixer allows for driving on propane as well as gasoline.
In order to keep the gasoline system working, I'm switching to an electric fuel pump. I can flip a hidden switch in the cab to switch from gas to propane use or vice versa. I will be using a second choke cable to operate the IMPCO 300A mixer. All this will be explained later.
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