# 454 chevy Gasifier
**URL:** http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873
**Category:** General Discussion
**Created:** [July 24, 2015, 6:16am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873 "2015-07-24T06:16:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@SUMBODY](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/SUMBODY)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2015, 6:16am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873/1 "2015-07-24T06:16:42Z")
I am trying to make a gasifier that runs a chevy 454 motor on an RV. I have already built most of it. 55 gallon drums are the base. 8 inch hearth. 1/2 inch walls in hearth. piped 4 in to filter barrel. 4 inch fan to engine. any suggestions??
---
### Author:  [@don\_mannes](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/don_mannes)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2015, 11:51am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873/2 "2015-07-24T11:51:13Z")
Pictures of your build would help us with suggestions. Is this an Imbert design or a WK? Good luck with your build. Anybody who starts cutting and welding is usually hopelessly hooked!
---
### Author:  [@Wayne](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Wayne)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2015, 12:51pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873/3 "2015-07-24T12:51:51Z")
Good morning Philip and welcome to the DOW, ( drive on wood )
As Don has said some pictures would be good.
If I were gasifiying a lawn tractor or a ATV a 6 or 8 inch hearth should work out OK but I see no way a 8 inch hearth could furnish the gas for a 454 on a RV. š
---
### Author:  [@Chris](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Chris)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873/4 "2015-07-24T14:49:39Z")
> [@Wayne](#):
>
> I see no way a 8 inch hearth could furnish the gas for a 454 on a RV.
If heās referring to the choke diameter, then thatās probably the right size. Saying āhearthā instead of firetube may indicate an Imbert style.
Iāve posted this elsewhere, but hereās my standard warning on motorhomes.
> [@Newbie questions - Woodgas camper](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/newbie-questions-woodgas-camper/1779/3):
>
> Motorhomes are not the best choice for gasification for a few reasons. They are usually underpowered and slow on gasoline - woodgas will be twice as slow, since youāre losing about 30% of the engine power. Expect a top speed of 45-50 MPH. You need a large gasifier to make enough gas for the heavy load, which will itself add weight and length to an already heavy and long vehicle. Plan on burning 16-20 lbs per gallonā¦ if you get 10 MPG now, youāll need about 2 lbs per mile on wood. A 1,000 mile trip will be a full ton of wood, which you must chop, dry, and bag before the trip.
> Then you need fuel storage - this will have to be towed on a trailer, or inside the vehicle. If you arenāt going to stop by home base to refuel, youāll also need wood processing equipment on board, like a table saw. Any green wood needs to be air-dried for a while, so your travel range will be limited to the amount of dry wood you can procure.
---
### Author:  [@Wayne](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Wayne)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2015, 4:15pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873/5 "2015-07-24T16:15:06Z")
Thanks Chris ,
I may have miss understood hearth vs fire tube .
---
### Author:  [@nursepractitioner1](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/nursepractitioner1)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2015, 12:50am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873/6 "2015-07-25T00:50:59Z")
Iām looking forward to seeing picts of this!
---
### Author:  [@nursepractitioner1](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/nursepractitioner1)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2015, 1:08am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873/7 "2015-07-25T01:08:59Z")
Hereās a bit of a brainstorm. My friends in electric car world use a phone app with GPS to find a free charging station. This is a free good buddy network. Most of the charging stations are peopleās homes / carports / etc. A similar set up would allow āpeople of the woodgasā to roam more freely. Great opportunity to meet others and share ideas too. I realize that there are many hurdles to this concept, but I wouldnāt mind supplying wood to a fellow wood gas tinkerer passing through. My other thought is strategic storage lockers with wood throughout the US.
---
### Author:  [@nursepractitioner1](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/nursepractitioner1)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2015, 1:39am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873/8 "2015-07-25T01:39:30Z")
I have looked at this idea too. What I concluded was the following:
1. Big block gas engines donāt have nearly the durability of sayā¦ a Cummins Diesel.
2. BB gas engines donāt have the torque needed to move massive steel.
3. If you had a pretty small RV, shoe-horned a 454 in it, you could get away with gasification and maybe blending regular gas. Iād probably bore the 454 to a 502 or something, but thatās my style.
\*Yes, I know these are MUCH expensive to overhaul
---
### Author:  [@SUMBODY](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/SUMBODY)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2015, 4:43am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873/9 "2015-07-25T04:43:45Z")
what size of hearth would you recommend. iām already fully committed to what i am doing. almost done with the whole build. I will provide exact measurements soon. its all experimental so its kinda trial and error. im working no budget salvaged materials. but im thinking 8 inch hearth and 4 inch pipe the whole way might do it, super blower fan. gas shut off. i need a 4 inch ball valve to dial things in but they are very expensive. also wondering of i need to ball valve air intake?
---
### Author:  [@tritowns](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/tritowns)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2015, 4:52am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873/10 "2015-07-25T04:52:36Z")
If I may ask, what is your reactor based on?
---
### Author:  [@SUMBODY](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/SUMBODY)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2015, 5:09am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873/11 "2015-07-25T05:09:06Z")
my own design 22.5 inch wide feeder barrel to 8 inch diameter 8 inch high hearth 1/2 inch walls . 4 1 inch ball valves air intake. might need more. down draft design. media filter is 55 gallon drum 1/2 sawdust, 1/2 shed paper. 4 inch DC blower fan. 4 inch inside diam pipe 36 feet long for cooling. 4 foam filters in pipe.
---
### Author:  [@SUMBODY](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/SUMBODY)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2015, 6:55am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873/12 "2015-09-04T06:55:30Z")
Almost done with this entire project. Pics coming soon. I think it is entirely done. Might need a ball valve to the engine to dial it in. I havnāt even tried it yet. Probably should get valve and alot more saw dust / shredded paper for the filter. As far as the thermo cracker I have all the parts. I just need to fabricate them and put them together. Do you think i need to water cool the gas / diesel , converter. or air cool with copper. Trying to design an auto oil filler hopper. kinda complicated. also wondering what types and amounts of catalyst metal to use to split oil into gas/ diesel. Also thinking of water cooling the entire system to prevent over heating and to get free hot water on demand for my shower / sink.
---
### Author:  [@BillSchiller](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/BillSchiller)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2015, 11:45am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873/13 "2015-09-04T11:45:00Z")
Welcome to the site Philip.
You have sparked much interest with this thread, you just havenāt answered anyoneās key questions. Without your answers, pictures or videos, it will be difficult for anyone to offer suggestions. This forum has many daily wood gas drivers with a lot of miles driven.
---
### Author:  [@SUMBODY](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/SUMBODY)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873/14 "2015-10-04T19:15:04Z")
---
### Author:  [@SUMBODY](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/SUMBODY)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873/15 "2015-10-04T19:15:48Z")
---
### Author:  [@SUMBODY](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/SUMBODY)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2015, 7:17pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873/16 "2015-10-04T19:17:38Z")
---
### Author:  [@SUMBODY](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/SUMBODY)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2015, 7:18pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873/17 "2015-10-04T19:18:03Z")
---
### Author:  [@SUMBODY](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/SUMBODY)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2015, 7:31pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873/18 "2015-10-04T19:31:51Z")
---
### Author:  [@SUMBODY](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/SUMBODY)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2015, 7:32pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873/19 "2015-10-04T19:32:29Z")
---
### Author:  [@don\_mannes](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/don_mannes)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2015, 1:57am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873/20 "2015-10-05T01:57:41Z")
> [@SUMBODY](#):
>
> also wondering what types and amounts of catalyst metal to use to split oil into gas/ diesel.
Phillip, Iām not quite sure here what you are trying to accomplish. Is this a wood gasifier or are you planning on using some other fuel like oil?
[Next page](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/454-chevy-gasifier/1873.md?page=2)