well the idea started out simple and ended up being kinda elaborate. the original plan was to locate a 225 in the area for cheap. rebuild it for experience. then sell it as i have nothing to put it in. after playing with the slant i shoulda had some experience points towards re/building a larger displacement V8.

well like every thing else, my plans changed. i finally found a 225 in need of a rebuild. thing is, it came surrounded by a partial body of a 1980 short bed ram. 4spd and 8 3/8 rear. the tranny is missing but bellhousing and clutch are still attached.

me being one not to waste any more than possible, started parting and stripping the truck. the body is pretty much junk and there is only a few interior pieces.

a stupid idea came to mind. save the rolling chassis and put a cage around it, effectively making a open buggy. of course it would be nose heavy but i dont plan on getting any air with it anyways.

well then i was reading about propane and its ability to make an engine last much longer but sacrificing power. afterreading that, i thought it would be cool to add propane to a slant six. what gas engine could possibly last longer than a propane huffing slant six?

to make up for the power loss a Garret T3 turbo would be employed from a turbocoupe. its a wee bit small but with this buggy im looking for a idle to 4500 or so power band. turbo should compliment propane rather nicely.

all this would then be backed up by another 833-OD tranny and the stock 8 3/8 truck rear, re-geared to 4.56 for some off road fun.

usually a slant isn't the first choice for power, but in a light weight buggy like this i think i could have some fun.

i have the means and funds to do this but have a few questions:

will the T3 work for my proposed power band?

any one have an idea on how to adapt propane to a turbocharged slant six? im thinking boost referenced blow through set up.

how should the rest of my engine be built? cams, head, rotating assembly, ect ect.

what about the proposed drive train? it has the large flywheel/clutch assembly. i think its 11". also thinking 833 and 83/8. where is the weakest link?

thanks for continuing to read this far down the page. i really appreciate any contructive advice. good luck.

doesn't sound too crazy to me , I know of at least one guy who's playing with a turbo / propane powered slant. not sure if he post's here (as I'm pretty new to this board) , but he goes by KT bundy on www.slantsix.com and I believe he posts on moparts too.

I wonder what the story is with the 8 3/4 in the 1980 truck?

Propane has more knock resistence, sounds like a good idea for a turbo.

hey tim..... that is 8 3/8 just truck lingo for 8 1/4. there is a little difference i believe but not much.

Hey, Joe........if you happen to live near a salvage yard that specializes in industrial equipment, especially forklifts, you might want to give them a try. There was a number of forklifts/trucks that used the slant in them up until about 1970, and many were propane powered. That may be a starting point for parts to work with.

Roger

I have heard Chrysler made some mid-late '70's cars that were dual fuel, and some that were propane only. There was one on Whidbey Island for sale, that I looked at about 6 or 7 yrs ago. The owner swore it came that way originally. I've heard the same story a coupla times since from other Mopar buddies of mine.

_________________
'66 Cuda 225/4spd
'66 Dart GT convertible 225/auto
'64 Dart GT 340/4spd

This idea doesn't sound too crazy to me either. I especially like the idea of making an open buggy out of it. If the rust in my Volare ever got real bad, this is kind of what I want to do.

_________________
"Ja, Ich fahre ein altes auto."
'78 Volare 225
'67 Charger 318

Impco model J fuel regulator and lockoff. Impco carburetor(s). I think carb model CA55 or CA100 should work fine. Very simple carbs. Very reliable system. Need more compression when running propane than when running gasoline. Your motor oil will never get dirty. You'll change it at the regular intervals and notice that at most it gets a little yellowish tint. Worked on forklifts for over 5 years. As the propane is evaporated by the heat from engine coolant running thru regulator, you need to have a way to bleed the air from the cooling system, or else, the regulator will ice up and engine will run poorly or not at all.
Aisan makes decent systems but they are terribly expensive, not as reliable as the Impco, and more complicated than the Impco. Also, they use a solenoid to effect fuel lockoff, thus requiring electrical connections. Impco uses engine vacuum.
If you shave the head and go with bigger valves, you can get good performance without using a turbo. Turbos are nice but not a low RPM proposition.

Sounds like a good idea, all things considered. Just remember that when you build your head for this engine, stick to umbrela valve seals only. Don't go to positive seals. Propane and CNG (compressed natural gas) don't have the lubricity of regular gasoline, so they don't help lubricate the valve stems at all. If you put positive valve seals on, you'll end up galling your valves, and killing your guides.

Brett K

sounds like jaymo has some good info. thanks.

how often should oil be changed in a propane engine? would synthetics like AMSoil extend that interval or help engine longetivity?

turbos can be for low end as well as top end. just depends on the size and engine specs. the 3.8L GN put out a peak of 355 ft lbs @ a ultra low 2000 rpm.

this turbo is a bit smaller and would therefore spool faster than the GN. couple that with a low weight (hoping for under 1500-2000 lbs) and a 4 56 gear ratio.

im finally to the tear down stage of this engine. stock intake/exhaust is going to the dumpster. only exterior accesory will be alternator and starter.

basically i gotta tear down the long block and freshen things up.
any suggestions on piston makers for stock stroke/rod length 225? not sure what over bore will be needed.