Propane conversion on Dragons' Breath Mazda 13b engine

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geraldm
Posts: 94
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2013 4:53 pm
Location: Pump handle Saskatchewan

Re: Propane conversion on Dragons' Breath Mazda 13b engine

Post by geraldm »

My door is always open Randy your always welcome to stop in and have a visit . I bought a 73 RX3 wagon last spring It has the little 12A engine with the 4 barrel Niki carb , hope to get started on it sometime in the next year, brought it back from Pincher Creek a truly beautiful part of Alberta , ( need to get my shop finished so I have somewhere to hibernate in the winter and do my projects . Remember this TV add ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... T7kiYazhw8 Enjoy ,,. Have a good one , Gerald . I might add that most of my rotary addiction is all Bumpstarts fault .
Now how the hell did that happen ?

geraldm
Posts: 94
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2013 4:53 pm
Location: Pump handle Saskatchewan

A little off subject

Post by geraldm »

After fooling around most of the winter wondering what to do with my old Towmotor forklift from the1950's,, I decided to rebuild the add on ALGAS INDUSTRIES Model 60 mixer and the C-250A regulator propane system that it had when I bought it , the machine barely ran and knowing nothing about propane systems changed it back over to it's original fuel ( Gasoline ) . Now I find the gasoline system giving problems after a reasonable time of good service ,so decided to rebuild the propane components to make it safe to operate inside my shop from time to time as well as outside . Sometimes the machine is used so little I think the gasoline goes bad just sitting so thought maybe the propane system might help keep things fresh.

The old c-250A reg is pretty much a relic but happy to say Trevor my propane supplier from proquip sales in calgary found me both the kits actually 3 kits , 1 kit for the #60 mixer and 2 kits for the C-250A reg everything should come in around 100.00 including shipping so I figure that is pretty reasonable and saves me a lot of problems of shipping , I could only find two places that had the parts and neither shipped to Canada just shows sometimes it pays to deal more local .

When the parts come in I will take a short video of the cleaning and instillation of the kits on the reg and mixer .
Now how the hell did that happen ?

geraldm
Posts: 94
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2013 4:53 pm
Location: Pump handle Saskatchewan

Peel CP-30 LPG switch

Post by geraldm »

The switch came in from Australia today I am surprised and relieved of the size of the little dude as I thought I would need to come up with another larger area to mount the Peel ,. this will be simple and be very close to the rest of the electronics . I really like it's compact size , for me that's important :mrgreen:

Decided to go with a breaker system rather than fuses ( last year everything was hard wired just a few connector boxes and luckily I got away with it but now the Dragon has many more expensive electrical components and I can't afford not to .. , just because once done , it should be good to go and not need any service besides keeping the breakers clean , instead of packing fuses along I think will be good , don't need many , maybe 4 circuits at most seeing as most things are light amperage draw .

Finally after tons of time I am understanding the concept of different size turbos , fast scrolling , exhaust size and boost pressure controls so things should be a little easier to figure out now .
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Room will be limited for the turbo but I think if I come out from under with one pipe I can mount the header flange on an angle rather than flat I should be able to keep the turbo up close to the engine and yes   Bumpstsrt I see what you mean the cold side will be up around the thermostat housing and the exhaust can dump out the left hand side of the bike either blow off or exhaust ,, I could run it out the bottom but there is little ground clearance and I'm sure the hot pipes would start fires
Room will be limited for the turbo but I think if I come out from under with one pipe I can mount the header flange on an angle rather than flat I should be able to keep the turbo up close to the engine and yes Bumpstsrt I see what you mean the cold side will be up around the thermostat housing and the exhaust can dump out the left hand side of the bike either blow off or exhaust ,, I could run it out the bottom but there is little ground clearance and I'm sure the hot pipes would start fires
Now how the hell did that happen ?

geraldm
Posts: 94
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2013 4:53 pm
Location: Pump handle Saskatchewan

Re: Propane conversion on Dragons' Breath Mazda 13b engine

Post by geraldm »

Short Edited update for the propane conversion on Dragons' Breath Have a good one Gerald https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... hrrYRCtZ5w
Now how the hell did that happen ?

geraldm
Posts: 94
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2013 4:53 pm
Location: Pump handle Saskatchewan

Gauge Pod

Post by geraldm »

Looked on line couldn't find any kind of gauge pod to the the job for the bike so I made one .

Started with a old frying pan , mixed up some fiberglass resin soaked a piece of fiberglass cloth in the resin layed it out carefully inside the pan that I sprayed with mig welder nozzle spray for a release agent , let it set up poped it out of the pan (( the mig nozzle spray worked perfect by the way ,, Sawed and ground into shape , the casting needed to be cleaned thoroughly after it came from the mold so the next layer of resin could be brushed on . lots of sanding a little bondo ,,Drill many different size holes for gauges etc. lots more sanding , some primer , more sanding two coats of paint ,Machined two stainless steel standouts drilled and tapped them and I got me a pod . It should of had one more coat of finish putty to make it real nice but it is what it is . Turbo is on order An oil cooled TO4B twin scroll 60 AR cold side 1.15 AR hot side from Godspeed , not the best available but some of the best import stuff available http://youtu.be/aQJvRE7pMwg
Now how the hell did that happen ?

storm
Posts: 796
Joined: Wed Jan 10, 2007 10:10 pm
Location: NSW, Australia

Re: Propane conversion on Dragons' Breath Mazda 13b engine

Post by storm »

Looks good Gerald. A dash from an old car would have been useful as well. Something like this old FX/FJ Holden unit.
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Fuel flow requirements calculations
Engine air flow requirement calculation: CFM = Cubic Inches x RPM x Volumetric Efficiency (VE) ÷ 3456

geraldm
Posts: 94
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2013 4:53 pm
Location: Pump handle Saskatchewan

It's not taco time it's TURBO TIME

Post by geraldm »

Just a few pics of the turbo before i start to figure out how the heck I'm going to pull this one off .. Bumpstart tells me it will be red hot by the end of the run . Pretty close to the boys !!, He figure I may need a shield , I think he might be right . what he doesn't know is the boys are made of Brass .. LOL :mrgreen:
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Now how the hell did that happen ?

geraldm
Posts: 94
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2013 4:53 pm
Location: Pump handle Saskatchewan

Re: Propane conversion on Dragons' Breath Mazda 13b engine

Post by geraldm »

Well the rebuild on my old Towmotor (( was bought out by Caterpillar in the 60's )) forklift propane components seems to work fine . I am not going to get into how I feed the system but when the tank is getting low it is easy to tell that it needs changing . Exhaust seems to run a bit hotter than it did on gasoline , the reg runs quite hot so there should never be a freeze problem .

Changed the hose ends for the reg as they were corroded and half closed off , Broke the pipe fitting going into the thermostat housing so had to find stuff and weld a new one in place ,seems to work fine .. 20 lb propane tank costs 25.00 and change @ 139.9 per liter . for 75.00 for the 3 kits I think it was well worth changing back to propane .
Now how the hell did that happen ?

geraldm
Posts: 94
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2013 4:53 pm
Location: Pump handle Saskatchewan

Re: Propane conversion on Dragons' Breath Mazda 13b engine

Post by geraldm »

Bike is over at the hutterites getting all the exhaust work done , so far he has the lower pipes built and the turbo mounted now just needs the wastegate and V flange for main exhaust pipe will post a video asap .
Now how the hell did that happen ?

geraldm
Posts: 94
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2013 4:53 pm
Location: Pump handle Saskatchewan

Something A Little Different !!

Post by geraldm »

took some pipe to roll for a different project . the metal shop at the Dinsmore colony is very well equipped

The lathe , shear and brake are the only factory built machines in this shop the rest was totally built by WILL the boss in the metal shop . Will said he would take time and we would do a walk through of all the equipment and explain what he used to build each piece .

even the control panel on the pipe roll was put together from single parts from other builds . It's a real pleasure to watch him operate the different components ...(( He never looked once at the control panel on the roll machine . even when working from the opposite side of the panel he was in full control all the time .

Should have seen all the Hutterite kids that came to look at the Dragon when we unloaded , news at the colony took about 10 minutes and they were coming from everywhere even from school . There were women of all ages that brought the children to look , (( baby's right up to grade 8 )) , each one had in tow 3 or 4 kids . and the women allowed them to walk by the bike one by one and have a look . each one was allowed 5 minutes .. I doubt much got done for work at the colony for most of the afternoon .

After my chum and myself went up to the big boss's ,(( preacher's house )) for wine and every kind of cookie you could imagine . The colony children only gets pastry treats once a week . but the few that were at the preachers house each came up and put their treats on a plate and were given to me and my chum to take home . Now there's something you don't see everyday . Apparently they didn't have to do that it is strictly by choice but I expect it reflects on them later . There is a (( Nanny )) dont know what else to call her . that brought all the babies one at a time and stood beside us so they would see other people besides their own at the table ..

Has anyone ever wondered why the younger Hutterite children never speak to outsiders they just stand there smiling ... ?? It's very simple they don't understand english , one of the elders told me that they are not taught their second language until they start school at 6 years old . Have a good one Enjoy ! http://youtu.be/x4O8_ZFds50 ..
Now how the hell did that happen ?

bumpstart
Posts: 133
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:09 pm

Re: Propane conversion on Dragons' Breath Mazda 13b engine

Post by bumpstart »

:D and everyones day was made
when the going is hard, don't retard, remember your lubrication

geraldm
Posts: 94
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2013 4:53 pm
Location: Pump handle Saskatchewan

Re: Propane conversion on Dragons' Breath Mazda 13b engine

Post by geraldm »

Wastegate came from AUS. it has 3 springs and can be set at infinite settings , came with v clamp style flanges also turbo hot side flange came with clamp . Don't know how good the vulture brand is but it seems well built and heavier than I thought , has one vent on top and one on bottom of spring housing . and of course the top adjuster nut .

Should be back home in a week or so (( house sure seems empty with out the bike setting here .. Now I know how people feel when their wife leaves them , empty house syndrome .. :wink: )) Turbo oil line kit should be here tomorrow or maybe even today never had time to check , one thing BUMPSTART that has me thinking is where is the BOV going to go ?? (( which I don't have yet , as the one I had lined up turned to poop )) Is it possible to mount one in the silicone elbow or do I need to get Will to make me a aluminum elbow and just use the ends of the silicone elbow to mount to turbo and mixer or do you have one more little surprise for me yet .

Can't remember if I told you or not but WILL insisted on joining the blow off back to main exhaust with the understanding that everything has to flow , not that it will make much difference but it will look better his reasoning which I think is right is that the main exhaust will act like a venturi and help draw the blow off through . I'm sure that is old knowledge but I like his attitude . :!: It will be set up in such a way that the exhaust can be removed by taking off the port actuators only the battery will be in same place but does not need to be removed .

The old forklift run very nice on propane time and money well spent just got new fittings to make everything work good , I did notice that the exhaust and engine temp did come up a bit but it ran poor before I changed it back to propane from gasoline . It's amazing the old TOWMOTOR still rolls it has to be 60 years old .
Now how the hell did that happen ?

geraldm
Posts: 94
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2013 4:53 pm
Location: Pump handle Saskatchewan

Turbo , waste gate and exhaust almost done

Post by geraldm »

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The bearded dude is a good chum of mine and for sure no hutterite ,The young guy in the backgroud is Will's son Zackery


Things are coming along fairly well ,, WILL from the Dinsmore hutterite colony has done a nice job on the heavy wall stainless exhaust ., he also made the fuel vessel holders , The waste gate was a bit of a challenge but it seemed to work out well , one of the last things for Will to do is make a stainless screen for the front of the rad just to keep stuff coming off the front wheel from doing damage to the delicate aluminum fins on the rad face . the mixer to cold side hose is a tad short on the 2 inch side but he has some 2 inch silicone hose so he will make a short pipe to fill in and maybe if needed we could use for BOV and yes we could go through the housing if needed . what ever it takes to make it work . you don;t see that every day either . WILL my fabricator has hinted at me that he might do a few more jobs like this but only one of a kind items as he finds that more enjoyable than making the same old thing . A talented man hidden away , I'm glad I met him for sure .
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Now how the hell did that happen ?

bumpstart
Posts: 133
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:09 pm

Re: Propane conversion on Dragons' Breath Mazda 13b engine

Post by bumpstart »

turning out very compact !

but i think with that dump pipe no one will want to overtake you if you hog the right lane !

next we will discuss the secret plans to remove the wategate and put on a smaller turbo that has its coldside routed into the exhaust stream
we then need a U turn on the dump pipe and location for a spark plug and run the engine at 10 :1........ :twisted:
when the going is hard, don't retard, remember your lubrication

geraldm
Posts: 94
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2013 4:53 pm
Location: Pump handle Saskatchewan

ALMOST GOT IT

Post by geraldm »

As far as I know there is only one bike on the go that poses any threat at all . and that is my good chum of many years , running a 111 inch S - S Harley . right now he is dealing with lung cancer and quite weak from the kimo and radiation . Don't know if he will be strong enough to race , I certainly won't throw the race but I kinda hope he wins , either way I have promised him a go on the Dragon if he feels up to it and that wasn't an easy decision to make but what the heck if it makes his day then it's worth it
Contacted WILL last night about the exhaust (( he agrees with you )) and he figures he can make a tight bend so it will be pointing to the rear at least partially . then I will bring him back home and finish a few small things , like timing marks and the turbo oiling system , everything is here just need it back so I can play . The heater hose fitting under the oil filter for the reg needs a mod so it will point upwards instead of straight out , it just takes to much room to make the bend with hose and makes it look like crap , tether cord is hooked up and working , couple of tack wires to deal with and a battery cover of some kind , larger foot pegs , Maybe 80 to 100 studs in the back wheel for more traction . I also need to mark my rear tire to see if it is slipping on the rim , it didn't seem to before but things are much different now . It didn't bother me up until now but I am getting a little anxious to take him for a few goes to get the feel of things again . In case you were wondering we are up to 6.5 ice cream pails full of money . Propane went down in price a tad last time i filled it was 25.00 and change for 20 pounds so fuel costs shouldn't hit more than a couple hundred bucks . I have the vessel filling down to a science and will share that with everyone on the rx7 forum . Just for the heck of it I also bought a fitting to fill 1 pound torch bottles . I want one more vessel and then I will have 2 sets so they can be changed and ready to go in a minute or two . were not finished yet but Thanks again Bumpstart for all the help , support and understanding . It's been a long go 4 years now . Thanks Gerald
Now how the hell did that happen ?

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