Thanks, cleaned our place from unfinished projects but again gethering stuff. Couldnt walk away from a Lister CS one cyl, in parts. Stupid me, didnt learn and never will.
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Yup pore a mass amount of cement foundation mount that lister CS to it and run it . Now feel the ground shake.
Bob
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Yes, first other projects 
And it is Belgium, behind Antwerpen. I dont go there every day.
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I have a petteroid it shakes slightly less.
Decided I actually despise the smell of diesel now…
First come takes it away…
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Here is a new teardown video that makes an argument FOR bigger is better when woodgasing. A fully modernized Chevrolet/GMC 454 cid 7.4L big block all cast iron V-8.
By the last years used in 96-99 in heavy pickups, trucks, Suburban’s and commercial step-vans these are still available. And even though not as Big, Big as the 8.0L Dodge V-10’s; well Chevy 1st, last, and always fans, you have an excellent option. NOBODY’s built up small block will touch this for grunt pulling power. And in my not-so-humble opinion for a pulling power engine you will never make the earlier carbureted version match the factory fully converted to SEFI. Never; ever.
Look at the flow of those cast iron factory exhausts.
Look at that intake and in-heads flow porting.
I only ever had to do ignition tune ups on these. Not bad with the spark plugs above the exhaust manifolds. Look Ma. Even highly abused, this 454 had no LS/LT-like; and Ford V-10 heat cycled broken exhaust manifold bolts.
I did have to do a couple of upper intake removals and gasket change outs for vacuum leaks. Never a problem with lower intake to heads. Or blown head gaskets.
These later model flat cap GM ignition systems in both the big blocks and small block have 40-60K miles failure rates on the cap to ignition coil wire. Have a spare! These later model GM ignition systems WILL NOT fire-dry, fuel wetted spark plugs. The wet shorted individual plugs are PCM sensed and ignition to these cylinders is shut down by the PCM. Have to pullout the spark plugs and super dry, or replace the spark plugs, just because the coil wire insulation broke down. Prevalent problem out here in the wet, wet, road spray.
Enjoy
Steve Unruh
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As far as big engines go, I think the late 80’s early 90’s Ford 460 is one of the best. I bought a well used 89 f-350 from a blasting co. It had a pto that they used to pump liquid ammonia nitrate at strip mines. The truck had 275k miles, (who knows how many hours) when I bought it. Had all maint. records, only major repair was transfer case replaced. I pulled a gooseneck trailer to 300k, never a problem. Should have kept it.
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Actually I agree with you Al F.
Ford was the first to put a good EFI system on their big-block engines in 1988/89.
Chrysler/Dodge never did on their 440.
And GM lagged time wise far behind Ford.
I just do hate those external coolant leaking Ford V-8’s aluminum timing covers. Learned the hard way to cardboad box outline locations and punch holes for all of the different bolts lengths hanging all of the accessory drives. An once you fought too many coolant corrosion grown fat bolts sandwiching the water pump through that aluminum cover into the cylinder head . . . trying not to shear them . . . that Ford magic wears thin, man.
A mech-can-it for money learns to like best, the easier ones.
Hard ones just never pay enough, for the skin lost; special tools bought; and had to create.
Regards
Steve Unruh
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It’s like music and my life story when you speak Steve 
ah flat rat pay on Ford water pumps, inevitable coolant leak. Learned to do timing cover and water pump billed for both as shop insurance of no return. Used to have that cardboard bolt holding template laying around here somewhere…
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I’ve seen a few blown engines. Bent rods, holes in the tops of pistons. Cranks gouged from bearing failure, but I cannot imagine what went on for one cylinder to explode. This certainly wasn’t a driving down the road at 2500 RPM issue. And that intake system. Did they design that for the space shuttle? Happy to be a automotive troglodyte.
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Hi All in the interest in fairness I was searching up for an equivalent video of a high mileage FUEL INJECTED Ford 460 V-8.
All I could find were earlier carbureted 460’s. Carbureted or even throttle body fuel injection the intake passages must have the velocity to keep the gasoline droplets in suspension.
Also must be factored in, for starting from cold, then warming up to good smooth drivability that gasoline mist carrying manifold has to be heated quick, quick. Why those manifolds have both engine exhaust flow (fastest heat).
And a coolant cross-flow passages. Slower to get heat. But then controlled at a constant temperature.
Why carbureted versions of these engines had hot oil splash on their intakes undersides.
The best engineered EFI manifolds are air gapped to not get as hot.
The to each port fuel injection systems then only have actual air to be flowed. And can be made unheated, more open. With no squeezed in exhaust and coolant space taking passages.
So not valid to compare factory EFI engineered converted engines to their earlier carbureted versions.
The amazing thing about any of these old all iron V-8’s is they were engineered, then in service improved, to get 200,000, even 300,000 mile service lives with only so-so maintenances. On standard engine oils.
Every one of the many cams; long, and multiple timing chain engine manufactures (including Toyota) keep pawning off their Engineering/Manufacturing decisions on poor owners maintenances. All the while insisting on needing higher and higher grade standards of now fully synthetic oil to try and get their previous long-lived engine mojo back.
I’ll still say the golden era of best of the old blending with the new was the late 80’s through 1995 as far as automotive engines systems.
S.U.
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Engine longevity wasn’t really an issue in the seventies. Even the worst of them was bound to out live the body and frame. Bad steel married to engineered obsolescence. The saddest part is that there were some really interesting body styles back then unlike now.
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They all look the same to me these days. I have to look close at the makers emblem to tell on some year models and makes. But they all look like they are going real fast just standing still.
Bob
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Hi All,
Recently, I’ve come to hard realize no matter what I “inspire”, if I really go back and re-read Vesa Mikkonen’s book he was already there:
His book is handmade and really a personal granted, author inscribed gift. With one request: CONFIDENTIAL: FOR PURSONAL USE ONLY. No Copies Allowed.
Received with a hand written note:
Thank you for your trust; requesting use feedback; pictures of your own woodgas vehicle projects for inclusion into updated book editions. Asking you to word of mouth if you’ve found his book helpful to recommend to others.
I do so now.
In his section on “Recommendations for suitable cars to be converted for wood-gas fuel” he says:
Both V-type engines and row engines will do equally well.
Compression ratio of the engine should be high, because no problems with knocking is expected up to 16 compression ratio (on woodgas).
Design of the combustion chamber plays an important role to achieve the rapid combustion of wood gas.
. . . (woodgas) power should be available at low revolutions speed.
Often design of long stroked engines is more feasible for run of (woodgas) slow revolution speed.
So why did this very thoughtful, experienced man last choose to operate with his Mercury 400 cid 6.6L V-8?? He’d previously used others.
I’d always just thought for the large engine displacement.
I was wrong. This engine was specially designed with a taller block deck to allow the longest connecting rod according to this article Ford ever put any V engine. For the low end grunt pulling of heavy emission systems burden cars and pickup trucks, SUV’s:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/articles/high-performance-options-for-the351m-400-engines/
S.U.
Or find you own 400 Ford-Mercury-Lincoln engine article. The Ford-Trucks one was the most comprehensive and time-lined detailed I read of many.
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I would love to hear more about people adjusting timing and boosting compression for woodgas. You would improve power and efficiency while on woodgas but at some point lose the ability to dual fuel with 87 octane RUG. What would still work with a tuned engine is dual fueling with E85 as it naturally has high octane needed for high compression setups. IT would make startup a good deal easier.
In the karting community people swap in stroker crankshafts, taller pistons, shave heads etc to boost compression and power. It’s major surgery but maybe worth it for woodgas in some scenarios? Maybe if the engine needed a rebuild anyhow? A turbocharger could do similar without being as invasive.
Curious if anyone is running high compression, say 12:1 and up or boosted? I’m focused on small engine generator setups and the 8-9:1 ratios for those models wastes a good bit of potential performance.
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Excellent series of observations and questions AnthonyB.
Our here far-Left Coast finding and paying for E-85 is a sick joke. It is in very limited quantities rail shipped out for Far-far away. Once found always at least 50 cent more a gallon then RUG.
Ha! We do have a lot of salty water and fresh water marine though.
Ethanol free Premium is very common. 95-97 octane.
Compression boosted engine dual fueling just for starting up is very possible.
Any running 12:1. Sure. Joni in the Ukraine. A few others.
I still say with push rod overhead valved and belt driven single overhead cam engines compression boosting can be done by head shaving and block decking.
No need at all for the hot-rod expensive popup pistons. While that block is stripped down for the deck machining; then decarbonized, clean and re-ring the stock pistons. Flex hone the boreS and Bob’s-your-uncle.
VesaM the actual Engineer prints up in his book a nice chart of pressure booting to resultant effective compression ratios. In a compression 8-9:1 you’d need 0,5 bar/7.1 psi to get your 12:1
Now here’s the real rub Anthony . . . your small single cylinder engines or even a V-twin generator engine do not have smooth intake vacuums or overlapping exhaust pressure. They pulse a lot. Only way to compensate is zoom-zoom up the RPM’s.
Three cylinder and four cylinder engine do have more smoothed out intake vacuum and exhausts. Still enough pulsation that some 70’s 80’s used these pulsations for emissions reduction air injection pumping.
Variable ignition timing on small generator engines. Some modern coil-pacs do have a three step ignition timing “slope” electronically built in. RPM pulse sensed. RPM the change element. Cannot sense loads except by RPM.
To best woodgas we need more range of change.
The electronics hobby guys will do this electronically discussing processor chips and programmer languages.
A good hand craftsman will make up a coil remounted slide mechanism. Hand drill, Dremel, hand files. Then a hand lever (like the early cars did) your timing changes. Or like some light aircraft a push-pull knob and sheathed cable adjust for timing changes.
Hey! Tom, man! You Listening? How you’d adjust the going from point ignition distributor to a crankshaft trigger single sensor system on a Doom’ers V-8.
The topic I follow closely here on the DOW is Wallaces Hacking the Honda Clone - Small Block.
Regards
Steve Unruh
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Was brainstorming this earlier, adjustable coil mount. Early 2 stroke boat motors ringing any bells?? Full sliding timing, fuel air mix plus timing adjust for rpm and power gain. Simple, linkage, mechanical, fool proof. I see no reason this couldn’t be easy adapted to small 1-2 piston woodgassers uses. Throw lever or cable adjust…
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Tecumseh has this under the flywheel, just needs the cable pull, and some love.
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The current generation GX engines from Honda have a CDI ignition coil that retards timing at low RPM.
This coil can be added to a clone or other older GX engine with a dumb ignition.
https://engine.honda.ca/gx/horizontal_crankshaft/GX270/features
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Road Kill Garage on Motor Trend TV. Last episode was on their Big Block Chevy 33 ford coupe and they used the crankshaft trigger unit with a MSD ignition controller to do the timing. No ignition in the distributor. Just there to spin the rotor and pump oil. One of the best episodes ever if you have access.
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Good Afternoon Steve and other gentlemen. I just joined a couple of days ago. I am a civil engineer, South African born, bred, and trained. I now also farm in the Kalahari. Eradicating intrusive prosopis tree species, which you’ll know as mesquite. I generate MOUNTAINS of wood, which irritates me even more than the price I have to pay for fuel. (LPG, Diesel, and petrol or gasoline).
So, to woodgas. Lots of research done, small gasifier according to Flash 001USA built, building a Ben Peterson gasifier and thinking about a WK rather.
The reason for replying on this thread is simple: In south africa, three types of engine. 1) Diesel, and all the woodgas problems those entail. 2) Small petrol engines, japanese, four cylinder, expensive. 3) Older amaerican and australian petrol engines, if you can find them. Ford, Chev, Dodge, International. Spares a serious clear and present concern.
Now there is a good 292 Chev available from a C10/C20. My question is, will this work and what to look out for?
Thanks
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