Ok so I have been lookin and yes I know there is info here on FTE about this subject but.. OMG soooo much strongly opinionated folks against and for that before you know it topic quickly gets away and I just dont think I can stomach to look thru every post. So I am starting over.

I own an 89 F350 and a 96 F250. Both are equipped with the 7.5L 460 EFI engine. The 96 has Overdrive on the and the 89 does not, but for the most part they are the same except the years. I drive 50+ miles a day round trip to and from work. I parked my old Camry because I hate small cars anymore. Soo.. I have looked into altrernate fuels.. I dont have diesel so Bio is out and nor do I have the money to switch. I heard that the IE (Inland Empire for those who dont know) finally got it first E85 station in Perris and to my surprise the second such station planned for the IE is planned in Beaumont. WOW right in my backyard and enroute to my work. Well now it is time for me look at this as a viable option. I understand mpg may drop and hp may increase.. all good there so long as I can offset the high price of regular gas and still come out ahead I will do it. I am looking for someone who has made the conversion to flex fuel. I have seen kits advertised but am pretty sure I can do some of the stuff myself with out a full kit then getting only what I must from these sites. If you have done it I would like to meet and see it first hand ( I am a hands on type of learner that way) and then would like to sit and pick your brain for your learned experiences with the upgrade. If you havent done this but are interested I would like group to gether with others interested to pool found info. Maybe get ALL the upgrade stuff done as a group and then set up a knowledge base of data from our personal REAL world numbers. There are power in numbers and with enough heads on one project we could collectively improve on each others setups.. Just a thought. If we can show more interest in and around the IE perhaps the station owners will speed up the process of getting more E85 and other alternatives out here.
One last thought.. this is in no way a green treehugging motivated thread. I cant stand paying these high as heck prices to drive in comfort. No more compact pieces o junk for me. My 89 F350 Crewcab Dually is and should be my daily driver. Oh yeah one more stipulation. In my world money is in short supply so.. I cant and wont just run right down and get the whole kit and caboodle all at once nor would I would I expect anyone else to. So the way I see it I have plenty of time to do my homework and do my research so I can make a game plan from start to finish on how to slowly get what I want with out going backwards in my progress.. Well thats enough from me for now. What do you think? No nay sayers please.. only those truely interested..
TruckCentral

 

It always amazes me how "green" this state professes to be, and we have very few bio, e85 stations, Biodiesel is considered an experimental fuel in cali so not many stations can carry it. Then you need a membership card to buy it.

 

Guess E85 is not a very good discussion topic..

<CENTER itxtvisited="1"> TruckCentral

1989 F359 CrewCab Dually
7.5L 460
1996 F250 StandardCab
7.5L 460</CENTER>

 

I don't think it's necessarily a bad topic TC, it's just that we don't seem to use the stuff here.

I don't know of a single person who even runs E85, let alone one that has done what you are planning.

 

Yeah I hear ya. I just dont wanna come off as a tree huggin type.. Ijust cant afford high priced gas anymore so its time to look for cheaper...like water..lol that would be nice

<CENTER itxtvisited="1"> TruckCentral

1989 F359 CrewCab Dually
7.5L 460
1996 F250 StandardCab
7.5L 460</CENTER>

 

There aren't any e-85 stations near 90% of us, there is none in the valley the closest to me is in downtown LA.

 

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From what I know about e85 fuel I have found out that you can't run it on an average car or gasoline engine because it takes a LOT more fuel to burn to make the same power. Though it is much higher octane than regular gasoline. The guys with the EVO's and STI's love it but they have to run 1000cc injectors on their 2.0L engines. The stock injectors are around 500cc or slight bigger. Not only is it the injectors but you also need a specific tune to run those injectors....

For an alternative fuel I'd look into propane, all you need for that is a specific carb, a tank and a few lines. I have a friend that runs that in a heavily modified 454 and he can't even get the oil dirty. That would be my choice of alternative fuels. It/s very easy to get and is usually around $1.80-$2.60 at cheaper stations. They have it at $2.40 a gal by my house.

 

I like this idea too. I am open for ideas. I would love to talk to your friend and hear real world figures. Like day to day mpg in town and on hwy. My daily travels include 50+ miles a day and most are hwy miles. I also love to go geocaching which requires alot of local type of driving. So I can truely say my plans are mixed for the truck. I should say trucks. If I can come up with something that works to offset the cost of fuel now I will convert both. You mentioned the specific carb.. Both of mine are EFI.. So I am sure its possible and I have seen it advertised but I am still trying to find someone to talk to with first hand experience with these products. My money is limited so I cant really afford to experiment. I need to try something proven. That and it would be kinda kewl to have someone or something to refer to when or if I have a problem with the install.

WOW I finally got some responses. I heard about the new station in Beaumont but didnt know where it was gonna be. Thanks now I do. A major plus. Its is directly in my route to and from work.


<CENTER itxtvisited="1"> TruckCentral

1989 F359 CrewCab Dually
7.5L 460
1996 F250 StandardCab
7.5L 460</CENTER>

 

Here are some links.
Propane as an automobile fuel - Google Search=

 

Well I started lookin around with these links. Lots to think about. Just wish someonewould make a simple bolt on kit for EFI engines.

 

I love the idea of running propane much better than gasoline. It's much more stable price, I just passed by the station to see the cost $2.45 a gallon. Longer oil change intervals, almost no reason to replace the plugs ever, the emissions are lower and he says the mileage is way better. The only down side would be the tank in your bed.

 

Well why couldnt the tank be below if you commited to 100% propane?.. Now if you didnt and went with duel fuel set up.. you really wouldnt be decreasing gas usage but increasing overall range between total fuel ups.. Would that be sooo bad?... I started researching last night and found no over the counter kits for EFI engines.. I did see some stuff for GM and dodge I think and other carb engines. gotpropane.com was one site. I have seen a duel fuel set up on the show XTreme 4X4 that I had actually TIVO'd so I had to watch it again lastnight. Ford makes a propane truck and a duel fuel'd CNG and LNG truck. Was quite an interesting journey last night crawling all over the web for tid bits. Anyone know a mech in or around LA that might work for or on the SKY taxis or airport shuttle busses? Alot of them are propane and CNG. I just had a thought.. I wonder if the set up could be pulled off an old shuttle bus and used on a newer engine? maybe that would be the way to get a complete set up..HMM????

 

Propane Conversion Kits

"We do not sell kits for fuel injected cars and trucks. We don't know anyone who does. We specialize in carbureted and non smog/offroad vehicles. We also do farm and industrial equipment! "

They don't sell them for FI applications but maybe you can convert one or both if your really interested. Propane right now is $2.60 a gallon and 87 regular is $2.87.

 

I think I may have hit pay dirt. I went to the mech at my work and asked about my truck. Right now it is burnin thru gasoline faster than California Speedway on racenight. Seems I may be having issuse with an injector(s). More on that later. Another thread. But the discussion came about E85,LPG, and CNG. Seems my friend and mech at work (one of only two there I would trust to work on my personal vehicle) used to work for a company that helps or helped GM develope components for CNG,LPG, and I believe E85. He explained to me that as the parts or "kits" were developed they had to run the engines set up with this equipment thru the paces and fix or fine tune them. Seems he had put together a set up himself for a vehicle he no longer owns and said he would give.. yes give it tooo me... Soo whats that mean to you..besides a moment to say "what a lucky s.o.b.".. As it is being handed to me.. I will document everthing. Starting with a fuel log before during and after so we can all see some real numbers.. As I stated when I started this thread, I am not rich so the opportunity to research a "kit" so as to get a shopping list of stuff in a "kit" that I could possibly get from another source for cheaper was important to me. I will do what I can to document everything. I dont know how complete the kit is or what is actually included. I DO know he has documents about it and its instalation. Probablo some research info too.. As the point was raised earlier in the thread about the tank in the bed.. well.. its free.. I have two trucks.. Ill just have to use both or do two trips..LOL He did say he has a 50gal bed mounted tank with all the mounting hardware.. My blue beast has a shell.. so it will be covered.(not so ugly that way.) So I will leave you with this. I DONT know if the set up will be a propane only conversion or a split fuel set up. I am sooo stoked. Will keep ya posted. Thanks to all those how have responded and that have shown an interest.