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Thumpin455
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- Deerton, MI
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Biogas to Biofuel
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Making Alcohol
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Modified Cars
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- What do you have to say about Dave's book "Alcohol Can Be A Gas"?
- It has made my 20+ year dream a reality, my only complaint is the binding came apart, so I had to drill some holes in it and put it in a 3 ring binder. It should be common knowledge among every US citizen at the very least. It answered the tough to find questions that most people assume you just know, or that they don't realize they don't know..
- About Me:
- I'm an ASE certified Master Automotive Technician, CNC operator/programmer, machinist, disabled USAF veteran, fabricator, gear head, drag racer, that grew up on a Nebraska corn/hog/cattle farm in the 70s and 80s.
- I am located in:
- Da Upper Penisnsula of Michigan eh.
Thumpin455's Blog
I broke down and bought two more T-unions, some valves, more 1/4" line, and a spool of 6" wide coppe…
Posted on February 10, 2009 at 3:09pm — 6 Comments
One of the project vehicles.
It's a 79 Pontiac Trans Am that I traded for some parts, it has rust I need to repair, but is in otherwise good shape. As I go through the reju… Continue
Posted on January 23, 2009 at 9:00pm — 6 Comments
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you about that. email me at zaca53@yahoo.com
or 715 305 2371 PEASE.
I agree with you, the LSx, etc engines are examples of art in motion. I have been debating on whether I should convert the GTO to ethanol or another vehicle. It would be much easier to tweak the cals the controller, but I don't have the money to invest in the hardware. Not when I have other tools available that I can play around with. I'm sure I could find someone around where I work that can tweak with cals, but they really frown on that for obvious reasons. That's why its best to stick with the aftermarket programming tools. Calibrators get asked all the time to recalibrate controllers for people.
Thanks for the offer to visit you UP 'dere. I am a born UP'er myself (born in Da Soo). I am looking forward to seeing your setup. By then I should be making alcohol myself, so we can compare notes. My friend likes the idea of going up to Marquette for our annual kayaking trip.
I also have a GTO that I want to convert to ethanol, but mine is one of the newer ones (2004). In one respect, this plays to my advantage. I am an engineer for GM, where I am responsible for the test system used at the end of the assembly line. Part of that test actually allows me to modify the engine control parameters outside of the normal control of the engine controller. I was looking at the spec for my GTO today and noticed that I have the ability to control the air/fuel ratio and the spark advance with a tool plugged into the connector under the instrument panel. So, essentially, I can back-door a way to command the engine to optimize for ethanol without a box underhood. Granted, this will still require a small tool plugged into the under dash connector, which isn't too difficult for me to obtain. But I also have the ability to display any data from the engine someone could want. So tuning this setup should be a fun project. One other point, these controls only work when the controller is in "assembly plant mode". So these controls are technically locked out from normal service garage use. However, since I know the key to put it in this mode (I actually assign the security algorithms), I have a back door into the system.
The problem is I can only control these values on certain GM vehicles, which include my GTO. The ECMs built today don't allow me to control AFM and only retard spark, not advance. And I have no information on any non GM products. But this does open up the potential for a new type of home brew E85 conversion box.
Take Care,
Craig
Thanks for sharing the tater instructions. I've been corresponding with Peggy about cattails and I mentioned this discussion. She is trying to contact you but cannot find your email address. She asked me to ask you to contact her at rpk@gvtc.com. She would like to share her data collection format with you.
Keep up the good work.
Hugh
http://s189.photobucket.com/albums/z278/AuCinaoaMie/Cars%20and%20trucks/
I am trying my best to make Mr Blume's vision reality, and I am doing it as green as I possibly can. My feedstocks are spoiled fruit and vegetables from the local grocers, and I have access to quite a few cattails. I plan to cultivate cattails as well, so I dont need to travel very far to get them, also to avoid disrupting wetlands here in Michigan. My biggest stumbling block isnt knowledge or skills, but funding. Poverty is also my greatest inspiration, since I cant afford to do things like most people, I need to figure out a way I can do things with very little cash. This entire project started out as a way to allow me to race one of my cars again, and enjoy the others. I save money on projects by doing 99% of the work myself, I build engines, transmissions, set up gears and differentials, do body work and paint, and even interior and glass work. I am not afraid to try anything on my muscle cars.
About people in my area. People in my area are not wealthy, I live in an economically depressed region. We have no industry, no agriculture to speak of, and its mainly tourism that powers the entire Upper Peninsula. Everyone I know here either works 3-4 jobs, is running 3-5 businesses, or is living with other people who can only find one job. The biggest expenses are fuel, heat in winter, and electricity. I know, big surprise.
Marquette is a city of about 26,000 people and the gas prices are comparable to the entire state of California, whatever the state average for Michigan is, we are always 30 to 50 cents higher at the very least. The local station owners know we cant drive 60+ miles to fill up somewhere else, so they charge us a bit extra, simply because they can. There is one E85 station up here, and one 3 hours away on the Canadian border at the Sault.
Not only am I working on ethanol, I am also working on passive heating systems made from wood chips and yard waste so we can either cut our heating costs, or eliminate them entirely. I got the idea from Jean Pain of France, and I have adapted it to our region and this summer I should have the bugs worked out and be able to help other people gain some freedom.
The one problem is yoopers, thats what they call themselves here, are the see it before they believe it types, and very few of them have enough money to sink into something that isn't proven. Then there is the simplicity of Mr Pain's design, its completely passive and creates abundant energy with the things we have all around us, since we live in a forest. It is so simple, so inexpensive, and so uncommon that few believe it will work. To say that I get quite a few looks that would be similar to me having a third eye in my forehead would be an understatement. They think I am nuts.
Some think its too much work to do what I am doing, yet they will work for two weeks or more of each month just to heat the house and buy gasoline. So for now I am on my own with a vision of what it could be, and how people could work together here and improve their lives.
Jean Pain's biogas plant is the energy source I plan to use for heating my house, cooking, 32'x44' shop, boiling my mash, and running generators with methane. Eventually I will grow organic veggies with CO2 harvested from the methane production as well as the fermentation, using the humus from the biogas plants as soil. Then I will show anyone who wants to know how to do it, and teach them the safe way of doing all of this.
Sorry this is book length.
Welcome aboard there "Mr Thumpin 455"
Auto Tech, CNC operator/programmer, machinist,USAF veteran,fabricator,and a gear head/drag racer... WOW sure glad your here!
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