Factory propane C30

[Arnulfo]

Picked up this little gem. Glove box rpo for propane. Was a gubment truck in san diego back in the day.46k actual miles and runs like it. Minor rust issues otherwise a solid one tonner.propane about 3.50 a gallon right now. Beats the hell out of $6/gal for gasoline. My new daily driver. Drove it home to L A From SanDiego and she never skipped a beat!

[cwcarpenter98]

That's neat! I have zero experience with propane powered vehicles, but is there a special place you have to go for a fill up or can you roll up to any place that sells propane in bulk for refilling grills and such?

[truckster]

I didn't know there was an RPO for propane power. Could you post a pic of the SPID? I'd be curious to see it.

One of the advantages of propane is that it burns really clean. The inside of the engine should be really clean.

[bigdog55]

Any place that sells in bulk will fill it. It's the same as the stuff for your house. I have ran on it for years. And have driven cross country on propane.

[palallin]

Do we see break fluid leakage on the pass. side front wheel?

[BigBird05]

You should be able to drive a propane truck 1,000,000 miles!

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by truckster

I didn't know there was an RPO for propane power. Could you post a pic of the SPID? I'd be curious to see it.

One of the advantages of propane is that it burns really clean. The inside of the engine should be really clean.

L56: Liquid Propane Gas Engine Conversion

From here- http://outintheshop.com/options.html

[truckster]

Is it an Impco unit? I've service many of those back in the day.

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by truckster

Is it an Impco unit? I've service many of those back in the day.

When I worked as a mechanic, we acquired a customer that had a fleet of over 100 Datsun (yes, it was that long ago- it wasn't Nissan, yet) pickups that were converted to propane. Servicing the system was a thing that I did. Another was installing a steady supply of ignition modules. The plugs ran clean, so they didn't bother to tune them up. Huge plug gaps and the ensuing high current through the modules was a common problem with those trucks. They'd generally fail at around 95k miles. We kept one in stock at all times to save them money on downtime. You still have to go through the trouble shooting steps, though. The other two techs would just throw a module on a truck when it came in. One didn't revive, and they called me in from book work (I was in uni at the time). It was the pick-up on that one.

[Arnulfo]

The brakes were completely redone,i.e. new shoes,wheel cylinders, drums resurfaced. Stopped the way drum brakes should. The propane system is an IMPCO Model E.

[BLAZERMAN]

That's a really Cool find, Hank Hill would love that truck! I'm sure since it's factory propane it was gas tank delete, what's in the spot where the filler neck would be?

[Bob B.]

The L56 option actually did not include the propane equipment like the tank, regulator, or mixer. What it did include was special valves and hardened valve seats to run on gaseous fuels along with a few other engine modifications. Trucks were built with gasoline fuel systems and after delivery the truck was sent to a company like Impco who removed the gasoline system and installed the propane equipment and tank. I think the L56 option was only available with the 250, 292, and 327 or 350 depending on year. In later years the option became KL5 gaseous fuel prep., same thing for propane or natural gas.

BTW, about the filler neck hole in the cab: There was a rubber plug that fit into that hole. Not only did propane fueled trucks use that plug, but also C50's and C60's that had saddle fuel tanks instead of the in-cab tank. Ought to be a part number for it!

[Arnulfo]

It does have a gas tank. looked and smelled like it was coated with diesel or some other product to prevent corrosion.

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by Bob B.

The L56 option actually did not include the propane equipment like the tank, regulator, or mixer. What it did include was special valves and hardened valve seats to run on gaseous fuels along with a few other engine modifications. Trucks were built with gasoline fuel systems and after delivery the truck was sent to a company like Impco who removed the gasoline system and installed the propane equipment and tank. I think the L56 option was only available with the 250, 292, and 327 or 350 depending on year. In later years the option became KL5 gaseous fuel prep., same thing for propane or natural gas.

BTW, about the filler neck hole in the cab: There was a rubber plug that fit into that hole. Not only did propane fueled trucks use that plug, but also C50's and C60's that had saddle fuel tanks instead of the in-cab tank. Ought to be a part number for it!

Hmmm...I wonder where all those brand new Q-Jet carburetors went.