Eco-Friendly Nostalgic Muscle...Is it possible?

[khansmith]

Here was an article I found on Hydrogen (actually HHO) with some interesting videos...like the water power torches.
Run Your Car on Water

[mpanten]

Fellas, your cars are eco friendly. If every hot rod in the word was wiped out tommorow it would not change a thing. Drive, enjoy, your cars are not a problem, the only people who say so can't afford one or are burning 5000x as much fuel as you by running around their private jets.

[Ronbo]

Yea it's kinda tough to really be "eco friendly".

The alternative fuel sources have their own problems, Not enough farm land to grow bio fuel crops, propane is a by-product of oil refinement, electric justs shifts the emissions to the power plants. (unless you have hydro electric like 2% of the country)

Gasious fuels like hydrogen and propane are dangerous and more easily ignited so accidents and re-fueling will kill more people than air bags save.

As far a legislature goes, well, I've seen mandetory seat belt laws added and the mandatory motorcycle helmet law repealed here. Still waiting on the killer bees, the utter collapse of mankind from Y2K and the ozone hole, half the country infected with AIDS by 2000, Altzhimer's from my aluminum pans... However any law can be bent with the proper funding.

[Aussie Mike]

Originally Posted by Ronbo

Gasious fuels like hydrogen and propane are dangerous and more easily ignited so accidents and re-fueling will kill more people than air bags save.

Propane is actually safer than petrol. It's flash point is higher and the fuel air mixture range where it will ignite is narrower than petrol.

Every taxi in Australia runs on LPG (Propane) and a large percentage of private vehicles have made the switch. It's readily available with most gas stations having at least one pump and it's less than half the price of petrol.

Both GM and Ford offer straight LPG equipped cars from the factory.

I believe the majority of our LPG is sourced from natural gas fields rather than oil.

Cheers

[khansmith]

Originally Posted by mpanten

Fellas, your cars are eco friendly. If every hot rod in the word was wiped out tommorow it would not change a thing. Drive, enjoy, your cars are not a problem, the only people who say so can't afford one or are burning 5000x as much fuel as you by running around their private jets.

That's not the point of the thread. I too agree that all our cars together don't have impact compared to other modes of transportation. The point of the thread is that our hobby is in jeapardy because "one size fits all" legislation is being passed that will make it impossible to build cars like ours with classic powerplants. Right now I am planning a possible move to Atlanta and it will be very difficult or damn near impossible to get my car to pass let alone titled. The article shows California getting a lot of leadership/power in these decisions.

I would love to compute the carbon footprint of all kitcars/hot rods as compared to one 747 passenger jet with a 1:1 allotment per passenger. I think I need to start a movement!!

[SPF2245]

Well, based off the point of this thread. I'd use a modern Chevy LS7 powerplant, which is to say, it currently meets all the emissions standards and I'd believe in a cobra with the correct gearing would/could get close to 30+MPG on the highway (55MPH) with the correct programming. I believe we'll soon see the "power" button become a standard on performance based vehicles along with a "economy" button under which changes tuning, numbers of cyl.'s used and such to make the feds and states happy. The current 5.7 hemi uses the cyl. deactivation, that mixed with some leaning of the running cyl. even more could improve milage.
And all the while still making all the good noises...the new LS7 sounds GREAT at WOT.

-Dan

[khansmith]

LPG is very interesting. Since you can run a dual set up (gas and LP), one could have a primary LPG tank (also seems that it could be same size as gas tank) and a spare/emergency gas tank "just in case" you can't find LPG...help you limp to your destination.

On the other point, if you had EFI on an FE engine today, could you set it up to run on less cylinders when cruising?

[Ronbo]

Natural gas is not propane.

Natural gas is formed in pockets in the earth's crust and may or may not include crude oil in the pocket although cude oil pockets almost always have natural gas in them.

Propane is in a few grades here in the US ranging from what we called "sewer gas" (low grade) to blends like MAPP (propane and acytaline). When we bought propane at the welding shop it's price follows crude oil because it's made from crude oil. You have to jet stoves, torches, engines, water heaters to one gas or the other. they don't burn the same.

Got to home depot up north everythings jetted to natural gas, down south propane. (I used to repair gas welding equipment in my teens) You'll see about 20% more power from natural gas than propane it's a much hotter burn.