Engine oil for propane

[Tinman22]

So got the "new" motor in and running. Its a combination of uh... pulled from buckets,boxes,shelves,lofts and assembled with loving care and bourbon. It consists of a 77' 2 bolt corvette l48 block,crank(cast),pistons(dished),rods() stock heads .015 steel head gaskets,summit brand bearings, hastings iron rings and a summit 1107? Cam (.444-.466) add in an edelbrock dp intake and a holley 390 (stolen from the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l jeep) and a set of fenderwell headers topped off with a dual fuel propane system.

Stock hp. Was 165 now somewhere between AMC 150 and 155! Anyway my question is for any and all with propane experiance. Ive always run delvac oil but have gotten conflicting answers about its use with propane. The concern is ash deposits. Any real and or actual experiance would help thanks.

Yeah i know "a 390 won't work on a 350" google super chevy "size matters" hp might be down but throttle response,mileage and torque are awesome .

And really anything over 4600 rpm is just scary with no sway bars and a yj springover

 

[JAE]

When i ran propane on my 350 i just ran regular Castrol with no problems

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

 

[Lumpy Grits]

Just run what you have run on gas-Far less crud in the oil from LPG use.
You'll also have less power.......
LG

 

[Tinman22]

Ill keep the delvac in there and see what happens. There is definatly some loss in power on propane. I have an msd/hei timing knob so i can give it more on propane. I also got a set of vortec heads from the local upullit for $40 cash! That should give a bump in compression and help a bit. But even with the loss it's still enough power esp. in low range

 

[Lumpy Grits]

Keep that LPG tank filled as much as possible. Condensation is a real issue in LPG tanks.
Also-high altitude, and LPG don't get along well......
LG

 

[Tinman22]

Ive run into the condensation issue with my asphalt trucks and started evacuating our tanks and adding chemtane to them. Water got so bad in one truck the burners would go out. What about tank heating/cooling? Any good or bad thoughts as far as maintaining tank preassure?

I would rather run propane 90% of the time due to cost. Gas in my area is around 2.40/gal and i get propane delivered 1000 gallons at a time (at 1.11 per gallon last week). We have 4 1000 gallon tanks for heating purposes so its always available.

 

[Lumpy Grits]

Keep the tank covered, as much as possible. Will reduce self-purging on a hot day also.
Yup, LPG tanks rust from the inside out. Then the rust bits clog the lines.
IMHO-LPG in vehicles is more trouble, than it's worth.
What size tank are you run'n in the Jeep?
Hint-carry a spray bottle of very soapy water with you, to check for leakage.
LG

 

[Tinman22]

I've got 2 7.9 gallon alluminium tanks so rust is not as much of an issue as moisture is. I have a 23 gallon 3/16 plate gas tank. On the propane side it has all new compressed fitting propane lines and havent had any leakage issues yet but if i leave the propane tank on it does attract alot of flies at the evaporator. So something of a leak there. Good idea on the soapy water bottle, its already in the toolbox.

My original plan was propane for " im outta gas" backup and offroad but at $1.11 per gallon i was leaning for propane as a primary and gas as a backup. Either way i have 38.8 gallons of fuel. And the massive 390 carb isn't so great off road.

If it ends up being more hassle than its worth well....i got the propane setup in a swap with another jeep so its basically free. No real loss but it was worth a shot.

 

[Tinman22]

Not as clean as the 440 jeep but more fun.

 

[Tinman22]

Btw anyone in the northern ohio southern michigan area the ohio tire terminal in sandusky ohio has h1 tires at 15/32nds (new 19/32)for $100 and h1 wheels(12bolt) for $10 you get to pick the tires.

 

[Lumpy Grits]

If those alum tanks are not anodized on the inside. The will corrode and put 'white' rot into your LPG system.
What kind of mileage do you get on the LPG, compared to gasoline?
LG

 

[Tinman22]

It's about the same 16-17 that was before the msd timing knob with the timing set at 10* static 34* total it seems to like 20* static 35* total (no vac adv)on propane with the butt dyno.

 

[Tinman22]

Is there a way (besides cutting them open) to determin as to weather they are anodized or not?

 

[Lumpy Grits]

Not really-That's why they are only good for 'X' number of years(12 yrs, IIRC).
There should be a 'birth date' on the guard around the valve.
LG

 

[Tinman22]

Ill check

 

[Tinman22]

Oct/08 and jan/10 so good but not for long?

 

[Lumpy Grits]

12 yrs, IIRC.
Don't know if different for vehicle use.
LG

 

[Tinman22]

Just for clarification its the 1103 cam not 1107.