Lettucehead can't pull his off topic nonsense: HERE is a WILLYS.

So there you have it; a rolling 4x4 laboratory for the "clean air message" that gets down a drag strip or up a hill faster than you can yell Willys.

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Excerpt:

700 horsepower and very little emissions. If you wonder what the editor of TRUCKWORLD ONLINE! drives...here it is!

THE MOTOR

With a rolling chassis in place, it was time to design the powertrain which would take us where we wanted to go. We started this process by contacting Ak Miller Turbocharging (562-949-2548), one of the nation's foremost specialists on propane conversions, to get exact specs for the engine, which would deliver maximum performance and reliability when completed. We chose Engine Research Development (Canoga Park, CA ,

818-702-9393) to rebuild the 350-cid Chevy four-bolt-main as the company is known for their attention to detail when building balanced and blueprinted racing-type engines.

Ak Miller suggested we use the machined and balanced Chevy cast crankshaft (balanced by West Valley Engine Balancing), Speed Pro 7058PA pistons, and R9903 rings to ride on the Chevrolet "X" rods. E.R.D. then machined the open-chamber cylinder heads to have 74cc of volume, and Speed Pro1.94-inch intake/1.60-inch exhaust valves were fitted to ride atop a precisely squared and decked block.

"GIVE ME SOME MORE HORSEPOWER PLEASE!

Next, it was on to Ak Miller's (9225 Slauson, Dept. TW, Pico Rivera, CA

906603; Telephone:562-949-2548) for the turbocharging and propane setup as well as dyno tuning work. Ak wanted to add two turbochargers on the Chevy 350, just to make sure we kept the FUN & DIFFERENT part a strong theme of this project.

Ak and Brad installed an OHG propane conversion kit for the Chevy, consisting of a converter/vaporizer, mixer/carburetor, high pressure supply hoses, and all the hardware for the installation. Two impeller-driven Ak Miller turbochargers were then added, along with Ak's Fuel System Analyzer to monitor and correct the air/fuel ratio. A K&N air-filter was chosen to clean the air from dust particles that could turn our turbos into donuts. The team then plumbed the entire propane system back to the rear mounted 28 gallon tank, which is protected by Unlimited Custom's custom three inch tubular cage and diamond-plate skid plate.

We chose to run the system using a maximum of five pounds of boost, giving us a reliable 465 lb-ft of torque and 275 horsepower at 2000 rpm. At 15 pounds of boost ,and with a different cam, this motor is capable of delivering over 700 lb-ft of torque and over 750 HP!

At idle, with the present propane setup, the emission results using the standard California test yielded an impressive 0.0 percent of carbon monoxide (CO), and 0.0 parts per million of hydrocarbon (HC). Yes, that is correct! The motor will run cleaner under boost than a standard Chevy 350 gasoline motor at idle!

The power is transferred to the driveline using a B&M built TH 700R4 overdrive automatic transmission, torque converter, and oil cooler. A U. S. Radiator Corp. five row radiator also helps keep the engine temperature in line. An Advance Adapters kit mates the 700R4 to a late Dana 300 through-drive transfer case. The Dana 300 unit provides a healthy 2.6:1 gear ratio in low range plus a stout gear drive. Custom-built drivelines by Mike Whitcomb at Wenco Industries (Van Nuys, CA) deliver torque to the front and rear Currie Enterprises axles.

Reply to
Bret Ludwig
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Reply to
L.W.(Bill) Hughes III

A "performance" engine with a cast crankshaft ?!?

Jeff DeWitt

L.W.(Bill) Hughes III wrote:

Reply to
Jeff DeWitt

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