We want to convert a 1939 Chevrolet car to run using charcoal as fuel. This is being done to educate future generation of India on how during World war II crisis cars where run in India. Can any one help me to develop this system for the above car?
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Hello Venkatesan,
I’m probably not the best person to be giving any technical advice concerning your question, but I have gained a lot from the people on the forum, so it’s high time for me to welcome you here. I’m glad you’re interested in such a project!
You may have studied a good bit already, and studying will give you the best foundation in gaining an understanding of what’s going on.
There’s tons of stuff on the forum regarding charcoal gasification and a lot of builders—especially for smaller engines.
A lot of them have powered cars as well. I can think of two immediately off the top of my head, Gary Gilmore, and Eddie Ramos. There are many more, but these two have furnished a fair amount of video and plans to help you start something simple.
Really, after you’ve gained an understanding by building a Gilmore style (or the like), and have successfully powered a small engine, you could scale it up to a car engine.
At some point, you just have to take the basic parts that every gasifier needs, and dive in and experiment. Unless you have a gasifier from that era as a pattern, it’s going to be all custom work.
In 2023-2024 I learned the principles by building a wood gas powered truck, following Wayne Kieth’s wood gasifier build (and other’s on this forum).
This past January, I began to study about charcoal gasifiers, with the primary purpose of building one for a 48 year old Yamaha XS 650E.
My “Charmaha” was completed three weeks ago, but I had to leave the country the very next day. This is my first day back and within a few days I hope to deal with the few minor things left before I can fire it up.
I’ve not seen a downdraft built like this before so to be perfectly honest, I’m not even sure if it will fire up and work, or if it will have much power or range, etc.
Like I said, at some point, you just have to experiment and then make the necessary changes. You’ll learn perseverance, and patience will be your friend.
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To add to what Barry said, here’s the link to @ramosedmundo website auto a basura or Drive on Waste. He has manuals in English. It is very good documentation if you’re wanting to go with a charcoal system.
Welcome to the forum, there are plenty of builds you can look for on here to get inspiration.
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hello venkatesan, welcome in the forum…here two links of my charcoal projects …gasiFIAT crawler - Small Engines / Charcoal Gasification - Drive On Wood!
and how to make charcoal quickly and simple in the right size…i see just now a second link not works since we have the new system on the forum…so look on my topics, there you can find a lot of things with foto documentation…ciao giorgio
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Try this link:
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Thank you for your support. I will get back to you after doing some more homework from my end.
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I am delighted to hear about your efforts to run the 48 year old Yamaha XS 650E. If it is possible please share your experiment on this subject. Eagerly awaiting to hear from you. I am a retired Engineer from a Two wheeler manufacturing company in India. Thank you once again sharing your experince.
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Hello Barry Miller,
Thank you for your response. I will take the lead given by you. we want to make the vehicle run on Charcoal and demonstrate to youngsters for their education.
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I’ll try to post some pictures early next week. I’m still fiddling with just a few things and I hope to put some charcoal in soon. Like I said, it may not fire right up, or even run at all.
I might have to do some more fiddling after my fiddling —ha ha. We’ll see. Good luck on your project!
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Hi
I sent many messages to Mr. Eddie Ramos. But so far no response received. Can anyone of you help me to get in touch with him, I want to get the drawings for Charcoal Gasifier for my 1980 car. As I mentioned before this is not for any commercial benefit but only for education younger generation of my country. Looking forward to a positive support. Thanks
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look you tube auto a basura
eddie ramos has a lot of followers in india…
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If you look above I already shared the link to download his guides on sizing up a charcoal gasifier. The rest will require your ingenuity to attach it to the car. The simplest solution would be to mount it on a trailer pulled by the car and using flexible hose to run to the engine.
[quote=“Cody Edison Tate, post:3, topic:8612, username:ForbiddenTuna”]
To add to what Barry said, here’s the link to @ramosedmundo website auto a basura or Drive on Waste. He has manuals in English. It is very good documentation if you’re wanting to go with a charcoal system.
Welcome to the forum, there are plenty of builds you can look for on here to get inspiration.
[/quote]
Also you initially said it was a 1939 car, now it is a 1980? You haven’t given any engine sizes or photos of the vehicle. It’s hard to help you without knowing the donor vehicle.
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Nobody is going to give you the exact cut and paste plan that you will need. The Idea is you take the adequate information available to all, and adapt that to your situation, particular vehicle. Surely you can do that if you are a teacher or engineer? 
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Thank you Mr. Mike Reynolds and others for the quick response. I completely agree with you on that no one will give readymade solution which will fit my cars. The 1939 car is an expensive one. I don’t want to experiment and learn on this car. Instead the 1980 car is much cheaper and easy to get all the parts and repair. I will start with this car and later on duplicate on to the other one.
The 1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe (Series JA)
Specification Details
Manufacturer Chevrolet (General Motors); Model Year 1939; Series Master Deluxe (JA)
Engine
Engine Type: OHV Inline-6 (“Stovebolt Six”)
Displacement: 216.5 cubic inches (3.5 L / 3548 cc)
Horsepower: 85 hp @ 3200 rpm
Torque: Approximately 170 lb-ft (230 Nm)
Carburetor: Carter single downdraft Compression Ratio: 6.25:1 Cooling: Water cooled
Transmission
3-speed Synchromesh; Manual Vacuum-assisted column shifts available on some models; Rear Wheel Drive
Chassis
Wheelbase: 112.25 inches (2851 mm); Front Suspension: Independent coil spring suspension
Rear Suspension: Semi-elliptic leaf springs; Brakes: Hydraulic drum brakes on all wheels
Dimensions
Length: Approximately 193 inches (4.9 m) Width: Approximately 71 inches (1.8 m)
Height: Approximately 67 inches (1.7 m) Weight: Around 1320–1400 kg, depending on body style
Performance
Top Speed: 75–80 mph (120–130 km/h); Fuel Economy: 10–14 km/L under ideal conditions
Fuel Tank Capacity: Approximately 15 gallons (57 L)
Electrical System
6 Volt battery; Generator charging system; Distributor ignition;
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I wouldn’t even bother. It is to classic. 
I would get a Tata 407, and mod that since they have made them forever. Or maybe a Sumo. Instead of showing them history, inspire them to create history.
The trick in choosing is picking a car old enough it doesn’t need safety or especially emissions inspections, but new enough there are still parts available.
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You could also make a smaller charcoal gasifier for a Royal Enfield Bullet, I know the Royal Enfield is very popular in India. Using the pannier saddle bag location you could make a sturdy mount for a rectangular form factor.
That is if you could locate a donor motorcycle, perhaps that’s not in your budget or your interest. Just a suggestion. The principles are the same between a motorcycle and a car or truck. I agree the 1980 car would be an easier start than the 1939 Chevrolet. If you can locate it, see if you can find rear bumper mounted luggage racks for the 1980 car and you could place the gasifier on that. Just make sure it stays within the weight limit of the luggage rack.
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