B190 Enthusiasts

Hi all,

Absolutely love this site and all the information and collective knowledge that's available, so much so I'm just about to purchase my very own '89 B190 460 on all your valuable recommendations. Apparently it's done a genuine 19,000 miles since new and it's in v.good condition, looks lovely, I have noticed it's had the shower room converted to an all in one full size shower and toilet that fills the back end but apart from that rust free and original.

I'm based in the UK and it's everything I need for my travels and more, when you weigh up what you get for your money compared to European models in a similar class there's no competition, add heaps of character to the mix and the decision is made.

One thing I would like to ask those in the know is regarding fuel conversion: Fuel in the UK is expensive at roughly $1.87 a litre and at 12mpg it's pretty much a bank loan to run it. My plan is to convert the 460 to LPG which is is roughly half the price of petrol here and make it possible to travel around Europe without costing the earth.

Does anybody have any experience of having this done with a 460 and any issues I should consider, including space under the chassis for a large tank?

Thanks all. Much appreciated.

Darren

Hey Darren,
Congratulations on your find/purchase. Very curious to see some pictures of the bathroom conversion-- sounds like the person may have managed to fit the later model's bathroom back there. I have been a member of the site for a couple of years now, and feel like I have read every inch of it-- never seen anyone even post an idea on converting the engine over to run on natural gas-- very interesting proposition! What size tank would you think to be appropriate? Would you be removing the gas tank? Would you be converting the generator as well? (Assuming of course that your unit has one). A member here, who took their b190 traveling over the north and south American continent mentioned that they would have taken out the stove/oven to allow for a larger propane tank, but I believe they were just referring to a standard 20lb tank-- sure you would need something larger. Love to hear more if you will indulge us!

Steve-- Northampton (MASS)

Well the idea is to to do one of two things, keep tank 1 as it runs the generator too(from what I've read here)and remove tank 2 and replace with a 200 litre tank or 2x something that will fit.

The other option is to work around the tanks and everything else under the chasis(if there's room) and build in multiple tanks. Either way you can switch between fuel sources at will, so more the better.

The only confusion is whether to go for a single point system which is cheaper but if there's a backfire it'll basically blow a line off and the airfilter etc or you can go with the multi-point sequential system which is super safe. Either way they work with normal unleaded engines but no one I know has done it with a big block. I don't know how it'll cope without all the good stuff in gasoline;) but hey at fuel prices the way they are it's worth a shot.

If it works it'll make it a daily driver again.

I see Northampton on your location, strangely that's my hometown in the UK. Have a feeling yours is US based though... small things

I believe propane was all the rage in the RV industry back in the '70's as a result of the fuel shortage. It sort of faded only to be adopted by some service companies to run their fleets.
Anyways, you might want to check in at the 460.com site or google propane conversions to see what you find.

Thanks,
Gary

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll check out the links and see what's going on out there, so far it's all looking more than possible. Fingers crossed. D

I'd also check out Ford Trucks Enthusiasts - lots of people there have a ton of experience with the 460, so you might get some good ideas.

Keep us updated on your progress. I am currently doing a project for a company that was involved in propane conversions back during the carberated engine days some thirty years ago. That business has long sinced died although there seems to be some interest in it again as a result of the recent "green" movements.

Thanks,
Gary

460.com is nothing....

This is the place...

460ford.com

http://www.460ford.com/forum/