LPG/Propane setups for 450SEL?

[thysonsacclaim]

Economical and you can easily make biodiesel if you wish. I made several 55 gallon batches some years back when it was just becoming popular.

Or even convert to waste oil and skip using the caustic soda and methanol.


You'll drive by, they'll say: "Is that... bacon I smell?"

[76116]

Many thanks for all the input here....fwiw, I'm using an Impco mixer on my shop truck, a '75 International...very simple and effective setup, which got me to wondering about something similar for the recent addition, the SEL.

Based on what I've learned here regarding the K-Jet system,  I'm inclined to scrap the gasoline motor entirely and plant an OM617A in there...it's what I've used in W126 for the last decade, and there's plenty of rusty 300SDs around here.   

[Casey]

Based on what I've learned here regarding the K-Jet system

Your car being a 1976 isn't a K-jet - it's a D-jet.  I like the feel of D-jets more, however they tend to (in my experience) be more badly out of tune upon purchase and run severely underpowered.  In theory they should be just as or more potent than a K-jet if in proper shape.  '76 was a bad year though for US 450's, because they put the catalytic converters in the engine bay which causes nasty overheating problems  You could swap the exhaust for an earlier one ('73 being the best) or remove the cats...  On D-jets make sure you replace any hard rubber injector lines, lest one inevitably cracks and drips gasoline onto hot engine in vicinity of spark.  And replace the timing chain.  Those done the engine will last forever.

I'm inclined to scrap the gasoline motor entirely and plant an OM617A in there...it's what I've used in W126 for the last decade, and there's plenty of rusty 300SDs around here.   

I support/encourage this notion.

[76116]

Good one Casey, excellent points...there's 68K on the thing, one owner car - huge stack of bills and service history to go through.   Chain will most likely be ok, but doing the tensioner cheep insurance...all vacuum rubber bits, old fuel lines etc will be refreshed in the meantime, and the cats will be dropped...much as I did with an '80 450SL, along with a few other updates.   

[KenM]

A 1976 car could be either D Jet or K Jet, depends on the timing. They started the changeover to K Jet in September '75, so with the time lag in manufacture I would imagine that early 1976 cars might be D Jet

but by about mid '76 onward all vehicles would have been K Jet.

[oversize]

Do you US guys have annual inspections on your cars?  I'd heard you have very strict emission laws that'd prevent cats being removed....  Were the cars originally designed for unleaded fuel (ie a small filler neck)??

[Casey]

Laws vary wildly by state, but generally not for cars over a certain age.

[alabbasi]

I have an LPG powered Jaguar XJ12. I think the person that converted it must have spent $10k on the conversion. It's got two tanks and the fill nozzles have been routed so that they come out of gas filler tubes.

I just bought two XJ12 parts cars and I plan on converting it back to regular fuel injection as I don't use the car enough to justify the hassle that this conversion gives me.

If anyone wants to buy the kit, as the v12 has two throttle bodies, I have pretty much everything to convert two cars