GI: 93 Chevy Silverado set-up for bike hauling

[viva_brasil]

Thinking about getting a new toy so I'd have to sell this.

It's a 1993 Chevy Silverado extended cab- it has the 305 and 4 speed auto, it's 2WD. It currently has 164k miles but it runs perfect, absolutely excellent mechanically, come drive it. I bought it a little over a month ago and added the accessories you need to haul a bike in the bed (wheel chock and a nice ramp).

I also had leather seats put in the front- brackets had to be made, but it's a lot nicer. It has a new head unit/CD player, heat works- once the truck is warmed up. When I bought it the tail gate was stuck and the hood wouldn't open- I had all of that fixed. I also have a hydrogen fuel cell that I'm going to install in it- it'll increase mileage, but if you don't want it I won't install it. It's a neat system so I was going to try it out.

It has some usual rust, but no rot or anything like that. It's super solid- tight steering, new brakes, tranny shifts great and motor is strong. Exterior isn't perfect, it has scratches- but it's very solid. Has big tires, I like the way it looks. If I don't get a new toy, I'm keeping it!

I'm asking $1800 for it. I put a good amount of money into it- including tires, buying and installing the bike accessories, the leather seats plus install, and fixing the tail gate and hood. Passed inspection easy. I wouldn't have paid for the extras if I wasn't confident it would take all the driving I was planning- including track days, and taking the bike to Atlanta.

Here's a cell phone pic- all I got for now. Come check it out if you're interested.

[Half Squid]

Picky no worky

[catch2otwo]

i can see it

[Half Squid]

Maybe the filter at work has it blocked??

i can see it

[Sheppo]

Maybe the filter at work has it blocked??

must be 'cause I see it.

[DuncanMoto]

Are you including the wheel chock and ramp too?
Sounds like a great deal.

[viva_brasil]

yeah i would include it all, even the hydrogen fuel cell which is costing me $280+ in parts to get set-up the way I want it.

But I don't know what I was thinking, I want to keep it!

[DuncanMoto]

yeah i would include it all, even the hydrogen fuel cell which is costing me $280+ in parts to get set-up the way I want it to.

But I don't know what I was thinking, I want to keep it!

That fuel cell thing sounds so cool.

[viva_brasil]

it is so cool... I gotta show u the set-up- it's going to be so cool.

[GixerJockey]

even the hydrogen fuel cell which is costing me $280+ in parts to get set-up the way I want it.

But I don't know what I was thinking, I want to keep it!

it is so cool... I gotta show u the set-up- it's going to be so cool.

You're serious?

[viva_brasil]

yea. why?

it's just a water/electrolysis fuel cell that produces hydrogen.

[Mad Max]

What does it do with the hydrogen?

[viva_brasil]

the hydrogen is pushed out of the fuel cell, so on the top there's a little outlet- you "T" it into a vacuum line off the throttle body. Some people run one line to the intake and one to a vacuum line so that the engine pulls hydrogen at idle and under load. But the truck is throttle body injection (TBI), so I only need to run one line.

what I figured out recently is that I need a pulse width modulator to control the voltage/current going to the fuel cell, because as the amount of elecytrolyte and heat varies, the fuel cell will pull a different current- and if it's too high it can melt the cell and be bad for the alternator/battery.

Also sometimes the O2 sensors adjust for the more efficient burn and just add more fuel- so you net zero improvements in MPG. So I may have to put in some O2 extenders- I haven't figured out if the chevy ECU will do that, I guess I'll find out from the first tests I do. Other people wire in a modulator from the O2 sensor so they can see what voltage the O2 sensor is reading and just manipulate it to change the amount of fuel being added (that's the more accurate/sophisticated method compared to just adding extenders).

And if anyone is curious- I'll be using sodium hydroxide as an electrolyte- about 5mg to 32oz of water, and denatured alcohol for the winter (10% mixture).

[Mad Max]

What kind of gains do you get in efficiency?

[viva_brasil]

smaller 4 cylinder applications have seen much larger gains than bigger engine applications. The average is about 40-50% gains, but a guy with a Ford Probe 4cyl running a similar set-up as I am sees 70-80mpg on the highway. Though it's more common for 4cyl applications to be getting around 50-60mpg.

For the truck- I get about 12mpg right now, I'm hoping to get into the 20's.