Maple Block Fueled Pickup

Submitted by Andy Schofield on

This is a 1978 GMC Pickup with 350CID (5L) engine. Gasoline is used to start the engine. The gasoline/air mixture is enrichened by closing down on the Rochester Q-Jet choke-plate, at which time the gasifier isolation-valve can be cracked off it's seat. Engine speed for gasifier light-off should be around 1500RPM. Remove one nozzle-shutdown-cap, and insert ram-rod into hearth to clear a hole in the char-bed. Apply a propane-torch to the nozzle. Use a dark face-shield to observe heating char. Remove more nozzle-shut-downcaps as hearth-bed temperature rises. Adjust air-admission valve to producer-gas-mixer. Open Rochester Q-Jet choke. Open gasifier isolation valve fully. Leave gasoline throttle at idle position. Sit in driver's seat, Fasten seat-belt, and set automatic transmission in drive. Use your left-foot to operate producer-gas throttle. Use gasoline- throttle only for added power. Producer-gas Throttle will be opened fully in open road cruising mode. On producer-gas alone on straight, level road 45 miles per hour is the cruising speed expected (no payload) for this plant. I am open to suggestions to make it more fast and powerful.

Art K has suggested closer control over air-admission, and I am working on that. Ill' keep you all posted...

Andy Schofield
Great Lakes Renewable Fuels images/Hot Standby.JPG

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manhattantony replied on

<p>Andy,</p> <p>What are you using for a filter? I used the double "hooka" filter and cooler from the M.E. plans. The problem I had with it was that the water in the filter eventually got hot enough to vaporize and then the plugs started to foul. I needed a lot more cooling capacity to the filter. Another problem was that I used the auto tranny that came in the car. In order to get the high engine revs needed to produce meaningful power the tranny had to be kept in 1st or 2nd gear "lockup". </p> <p>I modified the Quadra-Jet just as you did. I also added a manual distributer advance with a control in the cab. One thing I can say about the double water bath filter/cooler is that the wood gas was really clean and contained no tars. Top speed was about 45 MPH. Mind you, this is at 6,500' ASL. I started up on gas. Lit up the gas-gen. Drove a bit and could switch over to 100% wood gas in 5 to 10 minutes.</p> <p>I think you are doing well. Keep up the good work.</p> <p>Tony </p>

Andy Schofield replied on

<p>Tony, I've seen the mom version with fiberglass media to catch the dust, but I never saw mom's hooka type. Do you have any images of it? I'm using a cyclone, shell and tube heat exchanger (water on shell side, gas on the tube side), then a large straw-packed filter. Four-inch thinwall tubing connects these components. Three-inch rubber hose leads finished gas to the engine. The Rochester Q-jet is not modified in any way. It is just flanged on top of a steel box, and the mixed and throttled gas enters the side of the box below the gasoline carb.<br /> Jeff Davis posted a modified Q-Jet earlier (another mom design) here, that used the huge secondary barrels for throttling the producer-gas. Is this what you used for the Caddy?<br /> Andy Schofield<br /> Great Lakes Renewable Fuels</p>

manhattantony replied on

Andy,

Yup, I modified the carb according to the M.E. plans.

Here is the link to the filter/cooler:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/gallery/6297/3/

How to hook the plumbing up:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/gallery/6297/4/

The last M.E. gas gen design:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/gallery/6297/5/

Please note that the gas gen is of the WWII Imbert
type. It has the top closed. It does not have a
long reduction zone to crack the tars as is modern
practice. An effort was made to pre-heat the primary
air and to condense the water vapor in the upper
chamber... Still, it's not a monorator, nor is it
going to be tar free. Even with dry (15 % M.C.)
wood I got condensate. ... and of course tars and
ash that the filter caught. Anyway, it did work!
I still have the old Caddy and the gas gen and
filter just in case times get tough.

Take care,

Tony