How to Convert Cars With a Natural Gas Kit

Pumping gas may be a thing of the past with an LP conversion.

With high gas prices and concerns about dependency on foreign oil, some people are searching for alternative fuels for their cars. With the production of natural gas being cleaner and more economical than E85, the switch to liquid petroleum gas seems to be a sound choice. While intricate, the conversion can be accomplished at home.

Things You'll Need

• Fuel tank
• Converter
• Spud-in jet
• 2 hoses
• Catch pan
• Hose clamps
• Razor blade knife
• Fittings and hardware
• Wrench
• Screwdriver
• Pliers
• Drill motor
• Drill bit
• Clean towel
• Carburetor cleaner
• Tap
• Chisel
• Teflon tape or pipe thread sealer
• Plastic zip ties
• On/off valve
• Pipe cutter
• Wire
• Push button switch
• Wire strippers
• Terminal ends
• Crimping pliers
• Wire cutters

Instructions

1. Park the vehicle on a flat surface. Apply the parking brake and open the hood and trunk.

2. Install the tank. Place the tank in your vehicle's trunk. Place a drill bit into the drill motor and drill through the tank's mounting brackets and into the floor of the trunk. Place mounting bolts through the brackets and tighten with a wrench. Install a hose to the nipple of the tank and secure it with a hose clamp. Tighten it with a screwdriver. Run the hose through the hole you drilled in the trunk floor and along the bottom of the car into the engine compartment. Secure this along the way with plastic zip ties.

3. Install the converter. Locate the heater hoses coming out of your car's firewall. Place a catch can under the hoses, and use a razor blade knife to cut the hose that goes from the water pump to the heater. Place the converter's fittings into each of the hose ends, and place hose clamps on the connections. Tighten them with a screwdriver. Place the hose you ran up to the engine compartment from the tank onto the converter's vapor in nipple and secure it with a hose clamp.

4. Remove the carburetor. Remove the air cleaner by turning the wing nut on the top of the housing with your hand. Set the cleaner aside. Using a wrench, remove the four mounting bolts from the base and lift the assembly off of the engine. Pull the throttle from the linkage by pulling it with your hands. It is a snap-lock fitting. Place the carburetor on a towel.

5. Install the jet. Place a 5/16-inch drill bit into the drill motor and carefully drill a hole into the throat of the carburetor. Using a 1/8-inch tap, thread the hole you just drilled. Place Teflon tape onto the jet's threads and screw it into the tapped hole until the beveled end of the jet points down into the carburetor's throat. Spray the throat with carburetor cleaner to remove any shavings from the drilling and tapping. Replace the carburetor.

6. Connect the fuel hose. Connect one end of a rubber hose to the vapor-out nipple of the converter and the other to the jet you installed on the carburetor. Secure both ends with hose clamps and tighten.

7. Install the on/off valve. Find the fuel line from the vehicle's fuel pump to the carburetor and cut it in the middle with a pipe cutter. Place the on/off valve into the splice and secure with hose clamps.

8. Wire the system. Run a length of wire from the converter's electrical connection through an access hole in the fire wall and into the drivers compartment. Using the wire stripper, strip the end of the wire and crimp a terminal end onto the wire with a crimping pliers.

9. Install the switch. Mount the switch in a convenient location on the dash and secure by drilling and installing screws. Attach the wire from the converter to the terminal on the switch. Run a short piece of wire from the switch to the fuse box. Attach this wire by stripping and installing terminal ends onto it. Connect it to the switch and to the fuse box. This switch will prime the system when starting the engine on LP gas. Just push the switch for two seconds and turn the key.

Tips & Warnings

• Plan an entire weekend for this conversion. It can be accomplished faster, but it is best to take your time.

• Do not drill the carburetor without removing it from the engine. Tiny metal chips will fall into the engine and could cause serious damage.

References

• Mother Earth News: Propane Conversion