Here’s a thread to document my chunker build. A lot of ways to build these, and so this one’s a little different. I’m using a 77 350 V8 with a TH350 behind it. The reduction will be from a 14-bolt corporate rear end that I got from Peter Coronis. Mating and mounting these to a proto race chassis, also donated by Peter C.
[Before anyone says it, yes a 350 V8 makes way more power than I need for this. However nobody’s really tried brute force as a chunking method yet. This will be an experiment in that direction. Plus I’ll have a nice woodgas engine for other uses.]
FIrst step: getting a rear end and chassis home from New Hampshire. This was last fall.
I love it Chris !
Now here’s a guy who wants to reduce chunking time to the equivelant of filling the gasoline tank.
You will have enough extra hp to run an auto-bagger and palletizer too. Might as well think big.
I very curious to see what you do with this.
Maybe have it run 5 chunkers in a row and have neighbors come over for a wood cutting party.
This thing will be a beast.
Slow steady progress on this. I’ve pulled the “easy bits” for cleaning (valve springs, rockers, etc). Now the engine is on a stand so I can pull the oil pan and clean out the gunk from the bottom end.
Cleaning out the oil pan, and the engine bottom end. The amount of sludge is unbelievable. This is why we change our oil, kids.
Also started in on the rear axle, which apparently had gotten water in it over the years. Some rust, but not too bad - not on the bearings, thankfully.
Picture 3 looks like the intake valley on my engine about 3 or 4 gasifiers back when I was trying so hard to make woodgas. Had to clean it and put in some new valve push rods several times. You people here on DOW don’t know how lucky you are to have met Mr. Wayne before you spent years on your own.
Tom, True … But we have learned quite a bit from each other(s) since we started poking at it again around 2005. The guys in Sweden and Finland with their historical experience helped quite a bit. On the 350 / 283 / 327 / 4.3 etc etc when the drain holes in the rear get plugged up with crud the oil backs up and is forced to slide down the valve guides and makes smoke of course and the little rubber o-rings in the spring keeps at the top of the springs go to hell and let oil from the rocker arms go down the stems … This info is for Chris … I used to just add a quart of kerosene to my motor oil before a change and run the engine gently around 100 miles and then drain all the crud out. I don’t recommend this for everyone and every situation … After the early 60’s they made it tough to take an oil pan off an engine … You all shoot off some fire crackers this weekend !!! Pretty soon they will be arresting us for even thinking about it … Mike
You are absolutely right about learning from each other. In 2000 when I got my first computer, there were TWO articles on woodgas on the entire internet. One was about the minister in Australia that went around the back country in a woodgas powered International Travelall preaching. The other I have printed out somewhere but can’t find it right off hand. It might have been about the FEMA gasifier. It wasn’t long after that I built my first FEMA tar baby. Then some time later I ran into a web site of a guy who had a Ford truck with woodgas and he was working on a motor home. He gave me some good advice, but most of all ,he steered me to the Yahoo Woodgas Group that he started. From then on I met you and many many others who were hideing out there like myself trying to figure this stuff out. Can’t say things happened very fast. I remember a lot of time was spent on “squirrel cage” fans trying to make vacuum with them and other designs. You were lucky you had that blower off from a furnace, but you never told us where we could get one. Mike from MI. put me onto the Kirby vacuum and that was a big turn around for me and woodgassing.
Speaking of kerosene or diesel to clean your engine internals; I just paid $500 to have that done to my good truck. My lifters started clattering. It turned out the 4.3 has had an intake manifold gasket problem for some time where water leaks into the pan. My engine was running on mostly water because the oil and water had turned to sludge. He had to stick something up in the oil plug hole to brake loose the sludge. Then he ran diesel and oil in it for a while and then new oil and filter plus of course he put on a new intake gasket. The engine is sounding fine now so I guess old tricks still work TomC
Tom, Beware all of the GM engines with plastic intake with any coolant in them. Make sure if they replaced the gasket and plastic part that they also replaced the gasket below the aluminum adapter below it !!! Most mechanics don’t do that but if the hard plastic gasket was cracked under the plastic it will also be under the aluminum adapter. Killed my green 95 olds …We can talk on the phone some time in case I’m in left field. On the blowers, I posted information on the blower I use many many times but it seemed no one could find one. They cost $500 new or so but if you catch a Lennox dealer in a good mood he will give you one for free. My website was deleted and then moved … Can’t find it right now. The blower was off a Lennox complete heat 150 or 170 boiler … The labels are gone off the one I have sitting next to me … I can read winjammer but that is about it … We are fading away … I use a “Jim Mason” blower for starting my trailer now. I gave up on bilge blowers as their brush holders just fall apart … If that one goes belly Up I’ll just go back to an inverter and squirrel cage … Piles of them around everywhere. I never flare my gas … Not necessary … Only destroys blowers or pipework and is just showing off like riding a skate board off a ramp into a sand dune … Hope to see you somewhere sometime soon … Shoot off some fire crackers tomorrow !!! Love to you and Helen, Mike
Tom and Mike: Ametek Company makes the Windjammer blower series.
All have metal housing and metal impeller blower wheels.
Different configurations, flow rates and supply voltages. Central whole house vacuums use these too.
My search links shows new from $970 USD for a new high; to a current E-bay Buy-Now used $42 USD version.
20 other Amtek variations on E-bay at different prices on up.
Yes the 12vdc 178 true watt version I once had access to was ~$500 USD bought one at a time new.
It would pull a true 20" WC through a packed bed 4" constricted hearth. Takes two of plastic impeller Chinese to do this.
Brushless. 20,000 hours life rated bearings on both.
I make do now too. An old FilterQueen canister. RainBow would work too. Like the Kirby or a shopvac real amp/watt monsters though.
On the GM it not the plastic intake the gasket are the aluminum adapter that the problem . It is the dexcool extended life antifreeze is the problem it will eat the head the intake gasket up, ben there befor donot use that tipe of antifreeze if you do the leak will start all over in time.
Decided to swap the 350 tranny for the 400 that I originally wanted. The chassis is set up for it as a direct bolt in fit. Will make life much easier!
So, today I’m going to go pick up the new tranny, and I’ll sell the 350 later to cover that cost.
Answering this ad: “Transmission for sale. Out of 1990 GMC pick-up two wheel drive behind a 6 cyl. engine. Less than 2000 miles since complete rebuild. Turbo 400 three speed automatic with a slip in driveshaft. Reason for selling , truck totaled. $300 OBO.” http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/pts/4511745702.html
