Sharp as a Marble
HomeAboutContactSyndicationLogin
 

Since fuel costs are soaring, and even though I think they’re going to go up a bit more but eventually come down, I don’t think I’ll be paying $1.50 a gallon ever again.

I’ve made the case that buying a new car is out of the question until gas not only reaches $5.25 a gallon, but stays there. However, I’d still like to lower my fuel costs if possible. One way to do so is to convert my engine to use Liquid Propane Gas (LPG).

I can find plenty of information about this, but it’s primarily from Europe where this is rather common. Here in the states it seems a little harder to track down (not that I’ve been trying too hard, but cursory glances show mostly UK sites).

Now, the MPG using propane is less than using gasoline, and there will be a slight drop in power. But the bonus is that propane is much cheaper than gas (about a 1/3rd of the cost) and the exhaust is much, much cleaner. While I’m far from an enviro-nut, I’m not the “heartless conservative who wants to kill baby seals for sport” many on the left want to paint us all out to be.

So, anyone have any experience converting gas engines to propane?

rolled out on Tuesday, September 06, 2005 1:28 PM
Comments
# RE: What a gas! - Chris

Rolled Out On: 9/7/2005 10:10 AM

Over here in germany, Bio-Diesel gets huge discussion. Basically, it's naturally grown Diesel-Fuel - nearly 99% identical to the ordinary one that is made from petrochemical oil, just that it comes from rape-plants. Now I can almost see you grin from over the ocean... Lemme tell you, I am no eco-nut or whatever. It's just that many farmers in europe are searching for new profits and Bio-Diesel just seems to be it. Minor adjustments to your ordinary diesel-engine and you drive with fuel the price of cheap salad-dressing :-)
It doesn't yet come in huge quantities, but nearly all european governments (xept the Brits *eg*) are undertaking big investments here. So if you are looking anyway for an alternative, maybe that's something for you.

# RE: What a gas! - Kingslasher

Rolled Out On: 9/7/2005 11:05 AM

Dang, although I have vast knowledge concerning the killing of baby seals for sport, pleasure and profit, I know next to nothing about that propane thingy you were talking about. My supercharged F150 Lightning engine won't drink anything but 93 octane.

# RE: What a gas! - Citizen Grim

Rolled Out On: 9/7/2005 1:08 PM

Barring some massive disaster, I expect gas to hold steady somewhere around $2.25 - $2.50 this winter.

Fuel prices will decrease as

1) alternate fuel sources begin to be implemented more and more in the U.S.

2) more refineries and nuke plants are built in the U.S., as well as domestic drilling

3) OPEC is forced (by simple capitalism) to lower its prices to stay competitive with the alternatives increasingly entering the market

# RE: What a gas! - Robb Allen

Rolled Out On: 9/7/2005 1:20 PM

CG, 3 will only happen if 1 & 2 do, and those aren't going to materialize any time soon.

1) Barring all the technical dificulties in new, alternative fuel sources, I would venture that it would be safe to say 99.999999999999% of all automobiles on the road right now can't take advantage of them. People like me who have already paid for their car will still need gasoline. Sure, new cars may come into production, but it will take a generation before they're mainstream enough to put a damper on oil sales.

2) Yeah, keep dreaming. I'd donate my own f&*#)ing back yard for a nuke plant / refinery but thanks to the enviro-nuts, it's not going to happen. 1976 is the last year a refinery was built. Now, maybe Katrina helps wake enough people up to allow for some, but you're still talking years if not decades before a new plant can be designed and built.

So, for the short term, if there is a fuel I can use that is less expensive then I'm all for it. The Wrangler's engine is a work of art in its simplicity. It has 1 chip in it and that's the extent of its computer components. From what I've read so far, it's not that big of a jump to add in propane.

I want to agree with you, I really do, but I just don't see 1 & 2 happening any time soon.

Comments have been closed on this topic.
 
TipJar
2A Blogger Bash
Wanna Chat?
Click here!
Other bloggers with guns.

News

Recently upgraded to Subtext 2.0.

Article Categories


General

Archives


August, 2008 (58)
July, 2008 (93)
June, 2008 (77)
May, 2008 (79)
April, 2008 (53)
March, 2008 (46)
February, 2008 (46)
January, 2008 (63)
December, 2007 (69)
November, 2007 (63)
October, 2007 (83)
September, 2007 (73)
August, 2007 (84)
July, 2007 (59)
June, 2007 (63)
May, 2007 (35)
April, 2007 (30)
March, 2007 (37)
February, 2007 (32)
January, 2007 (38)
December, 2006 (14)
November, 2006 (28)
October, 2006 (25)
September, 2006 (24)
August, 2006 (28)
July, 2006 (27)
June, 2006 (28)
May, 2006 (14)
April, 2006 (17)
March, 2006 (35)
February, 2006 (33)
January, 2006 (26)
December, 2005 (15)
November, 2005 (22)
October, 2005 (35)
September, 2005 (37)
August, 2005 (50)
July, 2005 (34)
June, 2005 (55)
May, 2005 (53)
April, 2005 (56)
March, 2005 (57)
February, 2005 (77)
January, 2005 (72)
December, 2004 (79)
November, 2004 (76)
October, 2004 (59)
September, 2004 (74)
August, 2004 (69)
July, 2004 (75)
June, 2004 (56)
May, 2004 (28)

Post Categories


Humor (rss)
Views (rss)
Catblogging (rss)
News (rss)
Politics (rss)
Geekdom (rss)
Recipes (rss)
Blogging (rss)
Wingnuts and Moonbats (rss)
War on Terror (rss)
Photography (rss)
Brewsky (rss)
Guns. Lots of Guns. (rss)
Daughter Blogging (rss)
TMI (rss)
Anxiety & Panic Attacks (rss)
Gun Myths (rss)
Reloading (rss)
Range Time (rss)
Anti-Rights Idiocy (rss)
Firearm Safety (rss)
A Cancer Story (rss)
Second Amendment Blog Bash (rss)
Gun Rights (rss)
Gun-Free Zones (rss)
Self Defense (rss)
The Line Is Here (rss)
Getting old sucks (rss)
NRA (rss)
2A Blog Bash (rss)
Out of sight, out of mind (rss)
Video Podcasts (rss)
Para Blackwater Training (rss)

Image Galleries


Beyond the Pale brewing session

::Other Digs


The Line Is Here

::Sharpest Marbles


Eject! Eject! Eject!
Instapundit
Iraq the Model
Protein Wisdom
QandO
Sharp as a Marble
Vodka Pundit
WILLisms
Witting Shire
Wizbang

:Second Amendment


A Keyboard and a .45
Alphecca
Anthroblogogy
Armed and Safe
Call Me Ahab
Carnaby Fudge
Days of our Trailers
Double Tapper
Dustin's Gun Blog
Fighting for Liberty
Great Blue Whale
Gun Owners Against Violence
Gun Pundit
Guntards
Justin Buist
Mike-istan
Musings of the Geek with a 45
Oleg Volk
Papa Delta Bravo
Pro-Gun Progressive
Random Nuclear Strikes
Ride Fast and Shoot Straight
Roberta X
Say Uncle
Sear and Hammer
Snowflakes in Hell
The Anarchangel
The Bitch Girls
The Breda Fallacy
The Countertop Chronicles
The Law Dog Files
The Liberty Sphere
The Mad Rocket Scientist
The Madman Raves
The Other Side of Kim
The Sentinel
The Smallest Minority
The View From North Central Idaho
The War on Guns
View from the porch
West, By God
Xavier thoughts

Blogroll


Guide to Midwestern Culture
Basil's Blog
Captain's Quarters
Coalition of the Swilling
Cold Fury
Cranky Neocon
Daily Pundit
dorkafork
File It Under
Florida Cracker
Garfield Ridge
INDC Journal
Is Full Of Crap
Medium at Large
Notes from the trenches
One Ping Only
Sean Gleeson
Sekimori
Sissy Willis
Six Meat Buffet
Speed of thought
Squeaky Wheel Seeks Grease
The Belmont Club
The Munchkin Wrangler
The Spoons Experience
The Unforgiving Minute
Tim Worstall
UNSpace
Vern's Blog

Extended Blogroll


21st Century Paladin
Bill Peschel
Cowboy Blob
Craziness
Flight Pundit
Hubs and Spokes
In the Right
PEER Review
TechnoChitlins
The Tygrrrr Express

Funny, as in Ha-ha


Ace of Spades HQ
Cox & Forkum
IMAO
ScrappleFace
The Superficial
Topic Drift
Wuzzadem

Good Reads


Drink This
Evil White Guy
Leaning to the Right
Ramble Strip
Save the Soldiers
SondraK
The Resplendent Mango
Triticale
You Big Mouth You

Tampa Area Blogs


Tampa Film Fan

My Technorati Conversations

Hang in there Mom

Cool Post-it Note Icon