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Has anyone ever seen a propane powered TDr?
It’s really not a difficult conversion.
Why do it? It makes a lot more sense than an all electric TDr (to me).Would give a new meaning to the answer of “do you have a Weber?”.
Pros & Cons……?
Do you have a Weber? Ha Ha. Good one Roy!
Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The ShackOk, I admit I didn’t get it until I read Allen’s comment.
I see what ya did there. That’s pretty funny Roy.
Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
What’s your running cost per mile compared to gas? And what would the range be with a tank the size of a gas tank–or maybe one of those swap-in, swap-out Blue Rhino type things?
And much more to the point: how would the ‘gas gauge’ work? You know, so you could wait until the last possible minute for the swap-out.Finally….any special regulations needed to run propane? Automatic secondary fuel shutoff? Special crush cage? I’m just asking.My idea of “propaning” a TDr is a serious one.
With the wildly fluctuating price of gasoline, I have decided to call the mpd (miles per dollar) race a draw.Tank: most propane vehicles use a Fork-lift tank which is 12″ in diameter and 27″ long for an 8 gal tank. 33″ long for a 10 gal. These tanks are pretty darn strong (compared to a VW gas tank). There are probably thousands of old garages that have a bank of 100# tanks pressurised to 150+ psi attached to their air compressor. It may be that the propane tank is required to be outside the passenger compartment, I’m still researching this. The problem I see with the fork-lift tanks is in refueling. This is why I’m interested in 5 gallon bbq grill tanks.
Gas gauge:probably wouldn’t have one. You could possibly rig an automatic transfer valve, if you could squeeze 2 tanks in. Or, perhaps one or two 1# propane “reserve” tank similar to the soldering torch size would get you to the next 7/11 or hardware store. I’m thinking that a one pound tank would get you about 4 miles. A dual fuel rig could simply switch to gasoline when out of propane. But that’s a bit more complex and more expensive.
Special regulations: since we don’t require inspections, I don’t think so.
Auto fuel shutoff: one could easily rig a solenoid valve for this.
Crush cage: I would just use the one installed on my VW gas tank.Other: I have a bit of experience with what’s required to make it work and there’s really not much to it. I would think that I could do the whole conversion in a day. But let’s say 2 or 3 to allow for my naps:-). Propane burns very clean. And it’s higher octane than gas so one could raise compression ratio. But it burns hotter than gas, so I’m wondering/worried about #3 cylinder.
Why do it? I like experimenting….especially with things that are strange/odd…who else is running a Holley Bug spray 2bbl carb on a VW with real British knock-off wheels? And I need a new challenge – to keep me out of the bars.Roy
I know you are doing this for fun but propane is crazy high – gas just hit 1.61 per gallon here and going down. Make sure it is reversible – easy to switch back?$1.61! Wow.
I started thinking on this idea about 2 years ago, when gas here was approaching $4/gal. It certainly makes no economic sense now.Switching back to gasoline is easy as long as you don’t bump the compression ratio up to take advantage of propane’s higher octane. If there is enough space to store both gasoline and propane, switching from one to the other is literally a matter of a “switch”, with a dual fuel rig.
Gas here in east NC was $1.99 yesterday.Royal2015-01-18 09:09:54
I’ve heard the conversion is mainly a matter of jetting, I also like the idea of a 10 or 12-inch by 30 inch tube for a tank. That could go down low on the passenger side ahead of the “firewall” (which is no such thing) separating the passenger compartment from the underhood area. Could open up a lot of storage space.
All that said, I’m really curious about the $-per-btu conversion, the btu-per-mile conversion, and the practicality aspect of running, say, two little Weber Grill tanks and no “gas gauge.” Could something like this work instead?Ed, I think the one you linked weighs the tank and with all the bumping around that our TDrs do, I doubt it would be accurate. But the bigger reason is that you would have to mount the tank for safety. This would make weighing impossible.
I once had a few pressure gauges that supposedly told you how much propane was in your tank. In truth, they only told you: “You’re out of gas!”
I also did have a few auto transfer valves which, as the name implies, provided a seamless switch to a full tank.Royal2015-01-18 09:57:01
Roy,
My last tour in Australia (’96-’99) I drove a dual-fuel vehicle that could switch between “gas” (i. e. propane) and petrol. I used propane whenever possible because it was more economical, but that was because the infrastructure was there to make it viable as a motor fuel. Most of the petrol stations had a propane pump, and refueling was virtually as simple as with petrol.
As for the gauge, it was just a series of four LEDs that gave a very rough estimate of how much fuel was left in the tank. Four LEDS meant a full tank, and one meant you were down under a quarter.
Obviously, it’s doable, and all the hardware is available, but it’s unconventional and requires a commitment to taking the extra steps to make it work.
My brother lives in Maine and ran on veggie diesel for a few years until he decided it just wasn’t worth all the extra effort.
But then if we were conventional, we wouldn’t be driving these roadsters around in the first place, would we?
Dave B. wrote:Roy,My last tour in Australia (’96-’99) I drove a dual-fuel vehicle that could switch between “gas” (i. e. propane) and petrol. I used propane whenever possible because it was more economical, but that was because the infrastructure was there to make it viable as a motor fuel. Most of the petrol stations had a propane pump, and refueling was virtually as simple as with petrol.
As for the gauge, it was just a series of four LEDs that gave a very rough estimate of how much fuel was left in the tank. Four LEDS meant a full tank, and one meant you were down under a quarter.
Obviously, it’s doable, and all the hardware is available, but it’s unconventional and requires a commitment to taking the extra steps to make it work.
My brother lives in Maine and ran on veggie diesel for a few years until he decided it just wasn’t worth all the extra effort.
But then if we were conventional, we wouldn’t be driving these roadsters around in the first place, would we?
Those types of “fuel gauges” are used on RVs. The sender is simply installed by taping or strapping it to the outside of the tank.
Early FF TDr on 69 VW pan
Slowly coming back from the ashes...I was talking about the propane tank for operating stove, heat, etc. Not for fueling the engine.
Only propane-fueled equipment I’ve used is an industrial forklift that used it to reduce exhaust emissions indoors. No significant loss in power, but not convinced that it’s as cost effective…
Early FF TDr on 69 VW pan
Slowly coming back from the ashes...Royal keeps mentioning “higher compression.” It’s subtle, but I think I got the picture.
He’s looking for HP. For the track.We’re going to end up calling Roy “The Propane Pow’rboy.”Actually, I’m trying to talk Happy Jack into the conversion to propane. He’s the one with 2TDr’s and 3 engines. So, he can experiment and still have a near perfect TDr to drive around. I think he is tiring of the 2332cc/200hp TDr and is ready for something tame enough to drive. I have only driven (only wanted to) his monster once. That was enough for me.
It brought to mind once in the 1960’s when I was invited to propel a 1965 Griffith down an airport runway. Scared the dickens out of me….and that was just a straight line. I love the sensation of speed in a top down TDr at 60mph on a twisty country road. I had a lot more fun driving my MGTF at 60 in the country, than my 911S over the same roads at 90+/-.
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