View Single Post
  #22  
Old 11-16-2006, 01:47 PM
JimZ JimZ is offline
Running on pure optimism.
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 222
Lovecraft and East Coast conversions

Old thread, but...

I live in Philadelphia, but I was in Los Angeles last week for a wedding. I went over to the new Lovecraft garage in Silver Lake and watched a conversion on a pristine 300D from start to finish. It seemed totally legit. The only drilling was to mount the new filter. The spin on was replaced with a heat exchanger that screws on in its place. No drilling holes, no metal flakes going anywhere. It seemed like a good one tank system. The mechanic who did the conversion said he has pulled several Greasecar kits out of unhappy customer's cars and installed Lovecrafts for them. He even put one in the Governator's Humvee.
I asked him about cold starting - because I live back east - and he said he did a conversion for a guy who lives up in the mountains where it gets pretty cold, and he blends a little RUG or some Kero when it gets really cold and it starts up fine. He also said that they recommend waiting a little after the glow plug light goes out and keeping the accelerator floored before starting it up.

It seemed like a good system to me. I know the weather is ideal in SoCal for a one tank system, but it seemed like it would work in a colder climate by running a blend. So my question is, what is the basis for the Lovecraft nay-saying? I've heard people talk about specific problems they've had with the Greasecar kit, but everyone on here is only saying don't buy Lovecraft, it's no good. Well, why? Because it seemed pretty good to me, and very DIY-able. $425 for a complete kit or $700 and they install it for you, compared to $800 for a Greasecar kit uninstalled.

As far as an East Coast garage that will convert your car, there is a guy in the Philly area - see smarterfuel.com - and he quoted me a whopping $2000 for parts and labor on a 2 tank system. Granted, it's nice looking and all the gauges are mounted real nice, but $2000!!
__________________
1983 MB 300SD Turbo Diesel
Reply With Quote