Does any one have any idea or blueprints on how to build a still for ethanol? I have an old water heater my friend said would be good to use, but he is gone so I have no idea from what else to do with it. If anyone know any place to go and get information or if anyone has any information it would be great. I am just sick of gas prices and heard it actually makes your engine last longer so some labor for me to try this is nothing compared to 4.25 for a gallon of gas.

 

4.25!! Its over 8.3 USD/Imp Gall here in the UK after allowing for your smaller gallon!!
Diesel is even more at 9.4 USD/Imp Gall
It'll get worse as well!

Unfortunately distilling alcohol is in many countries is ILLEGAL.
Using chip fat / veg oil as a diesel substitute is also illegal without informing the authorities so they can charge you tax. Leaves a strange smell behind you however!!

Very roughly 60% of our UK fuel price is tax of one sort or another which is oON TOP of tax on your income which itself is taxed at 40% above circa 80k USD

Concentrations above 10/15% ethanol cause problems in ICE engines even in engines that have been designed to run on ethanol.

Best / cheapest alternative is LPG / SNG (Gas) which runs very well with minimum additional conversion kit on modern cars and in the UK is taxed at a much lower rate than petroleum derivatives.

 

In the US this is the same as making moonshine. You can get permission from the BATF to do this, but be prepaired to get a royal hassel from your fire department and your homeowners insurance company.

This stuff is also HIGHLY corrossive and will not make your engine last longer. It also will eat up almost every seal in your fuel system.

LPG is a good alternitave as your engine will run on it just fine. You will lose about 10% on the MPG and it is somewhat costly to convert to it, but the last time I looked it was a lot cheaper than gasoline. On LPG your engine will last much longer as there are fewer unburned carbons to pollute your engine oil.

You can also run a Diesel engine on it if you make a few changes in the cam timing.

You need to keep your current gasoline system as you need to switch to gas before you cut off your engine so the system will be charged with gas for the restart. Starting on LPG is difficult; it is impossible if the weather in below 10 degrees F. You start the engine on gas and switch to Lpg after it is warmed up.

Look on line for more info on this than I can post here.

I remember in the early 1970's this was a popular thing to do as Propane was .15 cents a gallon and gasoline was .45!

Sam