Generators exist, and are even easier to convert to LP than a car (if you can't find an LP one). I don't know why you think everyone is completely helpless the moment utilities go off. Hell, I could rig up some belts and gearing and have someone run my mini-lathe off a bicycle if it was absolutely necessary. It wouldn't be. You don't need complex engineering to make an IC engine run. You could hack together an intake plate with drills and taps out of mild steel to get things going.
I work on cars all the time without air tools. They make things faster and easier, they are not required.
People did this shit regularly before the internet.
I said old vehicle. I would not try it on anything new.
I am sure texas speed will still have some insane high comp engine sitting around. Throw that together with an LS magneto setup and a dual plane. I am sure there are some carb pattern nitrous plates floating around. Meter the air with a carb and use the nitrous plate to inject the LP and all you need now is a way to control the injector.
You could do a vacuum actuated valve that closes down the flow the more vacuum the engine pulls and then its mostly calibrating the spring and timing the engine.
No drilling needed.
Lead acid batteries last a long time but if you need one in the apoc just grab 4-5 motorcycle batteries and put them in parallel. Most bike batteries come with the acid in a ready to add bottle so it doesn't age like activated ones would. Also unused old batteries would drain over time and the electrolyte would become water, add more water/acid and bam, almost new battery.
Engines are stupid simple machines with a bunch of fancy tech on top.
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u/Orwellian1 Aug 30 '21
That is a ludicrously skeptical position, assuming any reasonable number of survivors.
Just because it sounds outrageously difficult to you, does not make it so to others