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| For people interested in converting their vehicles to propane, there are many conversion centers around the world able to do this work for them. Carbureted vehicles are the easiest to do but modern fuel-injected vehicles are pretty much the only ones being done today. The DIY mechanic generally does not have the capability to do this work which then requires him to find a licensed conversion center. Conversions in the USA require EPA approval as well which limits the work a do-it-yourselfer can realistically do. In Ontario, there are a number of facilities licensed to convert vehicles. Since conversions are typically done on fleet vehicles, popular vehicles for taxi and limousine service are the Ford Crown Victorias and Lincoln Town Cars. A good conversion of such cars will cost in the neighborhood of C$3400 but low-budget, failure-prone ones are significantly less. Remember, sometimes you get what you pay for, so caveat emptor! Ontario's Drive Clean emission testing program lists licensed propane repair shops. Alternatively, you can do search for automotive fuel conversion or propane conversion systems on YellowPages and on SuperPages. I have compiled a list of Canadian and American conversion shops but if you know of one not on the list, let me know. Before you enquire about doing a conversion, you should look for propane stations in your normal driving area and see if propane prices are significantly less than gasoline prices. One of the cheapest places for propane in Canada (which implies the greatest difference between the two fuel prices) is in the Toronto area, especially near Pearson Airport. This is probably due the convergence of fleet vehicles in this area. Ask taxi drivers where they buy their fuel and you will easily find the best filling stations. Because propane has a lower volumetric energy density than gasoline, your car on propane will use more fuel. You can conservatively estimate that your car on propane will have 75% of its gasoline mileage or use 33% more propane than gasoline. With your total estimated annual driving, your should be able to calculate the amount of propane you will use annually and then calculate the number of years the conversion will pay for itself. Converting modern vehicles to straight or dual fuel propane operation is slightly more involved than converting older carbureted vehicles. Because their onboard engine management systems are so integral to the operation of the vehicle, you just can’t pull the injectors out and bolt on a propane system. As a result, these vehicles are almost always converted to dual fuel operation. Generally, the cost of conversion requires that a significant amount of fuel is consumed annually for the conversion to have a reasonable payback and this implies large vehicles with large engines as the best candidates. Smaller vehicles may also be converted but you need to do the math to have an idea if a conversion makes economic sense for your situation. Let’s do a quick calculation to check the economics of an example:
Is this a good candidate? Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on how long you are planning to keep the vehicle and how much you hate buying gasoline. Put the above calculations in a spreadsheet and see if a conversion makes sense for you. Obviously, a small fuel-efficient gasoline-powered vehicle will push the number of years to pay back possibly longer than the life of the vehicle. Someone commuting to Toronto’s Pearson Airport from Fort Erie every day in this same vehicle will similarly have a very fast payback. Taxis and police cars operating in Toronto will also have a very fast payback as well. Propane’s cost per litre needs to be far better than that of gasoline to help make up for propane’s lower energy content per litre and the cost of conversion. Propane’s price depends heavily on location so it would be quite cheap in Alberta and Toronto. Even though your gas mileage will definitely decrease (usually 75% to 80%) due to the lower energy content per litre of propane but the more important cost per km would certainly improve. If you don’t drive your vehicle very much annually or if you drive it where the difference between the cost of propane and gasoline is very small, the payback on the conversion may be so long that it will not make economic sense. As I am not in the business of performing LPG conversions, I don’t have all of the information you need to do a conversion but I try to shed some light on the subject. Modern fuel injected vehicles are not commonly converted to straight propane but instead are usually converted to dual fuel. For vehicles with V8 engines, Impco recommends the Model 425 mixer and Model E converter for carbureted engines up to 460 CID to a maximum of around 4065 RPM for that displacement. This is strictly based on the air flow capacity of the mixer which is rated at 460 CFM @ 1.5” Hg and a volumetric efficiency of 85%. If you have a MPFI big block engine in your pickup truck and operate it at mainly low engine speeds (below 3500 RPM), a single mixer dual fuel system would work fine. If you want high performance from that truck, you might want to consider a dual Model 425 carb intake but this is very unconventional for propane engines. Besides the Model 425 mixer, you might also want to consider replacing the standard gas valve with the lean (PN AV1-1644-2) gas valve for better fuel economy. You will also need to add a propane electronic control unit to your engine’s engine wiring harness to make the dual fuel work and Dual Curve division may have an ECU for your vehicle. However, the Impco feedback system gas valve (PN AV1-1651-2) is what Dual Curve recommends but there is a possibility that the standard gas valve may provide better fuel economy for non-computer controlled engines. To make the system work, you need to plumb the mixer into the induction system and both Impco and Gann Products Company may have some adapters to make everything fit together. I don’t believe there is a handbook available that describes what you need for your application and installers know what to use through experience. Alternatively, Technocarb makes kits to fit a wide variety of vehicles, modern fuel injected and older carbureted. Because the best and safest way to convert a vehicle is through a licensed propane conversion centre, you will need to discuss your application with one of their distributors who will then install a kit tailored to your needs. Techocarb’s products fit a wide variety of engine sizes including high RPM big block V8s and these usually come as a complete kit so the installation doesn’t depend upon the creativity of the mechanic. Check Technocarb’s website for a complete listing of their distributors who can then recommend a local installer for you. If you are mechanically inclined, you could probably do this work yourself but, at least in Ontario, the regulations require a licensed propane mechanic to perform the conversion. If you are comfortable with the work outlined in the Dual Curve manual on a DIY basis, you might be able to find a local mechanic who would inspect your work and possibly put the finishing touches on it. This is something you will have to find out for yourself.
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