Last Friday I was driving into the next town over with Casey to go to dinner. From about 5 miles out I see a tower of smoke and think there's a real blaze going on in town. As I get closer, I realize its a car on fire along side of the highway. From about 1/4 mile I pick out some mustang front end characteristics out of the blaze. As I go past, I see a 65 or 66 silver coupe with a vinyl top (or a convertable), awesome chrome wheels, COMPLETELY engulfed in flames. I mean it, no exageration here, COMPLETELY in flames!!!! I had forgotten to post a warning then and Jaazy's thread reminded me.

Whoever this guy was, his car really was totalled (you got away easy Jaazy!).

One other thing that should be mentioned is for everyone to CHECK YOUR FUEL LINES every couple of months or so, especially if they are original or if any part of them is more than a couple of years old. You might find a potential leak!

I remember when I first got my 1965 coupe and I wanted someone to give me an estimate on a complete new exhaust system. (This was before I knew anything about working on my own car...I replaced the exhaust myself and it was easy!) Anyhow, I go to a muffler place and they put the car up on the rack. The guy said, "I'll be glad to quote you a price, but you shouldn't drive the car in its current condition." I asked him what he meant, and he showed me a VERY worn out and leaky rubber gas line coming from my tank, right next to my hot muffler!

It was then that I started to realize just how long the previous owner had let the car go without properly maintaining it. CHECK YOUR FUEL LINES!

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*andy* ([email protected])

also known as...***Boss Hoss***

Dave & Terri

quote:

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Originally posted by 460-67Stang:
What type of extinguishers do you guys recommend? The white powder kind or halon? I hear halon doesn't make a mess but is more expensive. Don't know for certain though.

Brian

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Dave & Terri

http://www.h3r.com/prodrecon.htm

Looks like $105 for a 2.5 lb automobile sized container of Halon.

Here is a baking soda based extinguisher, $56, probably paying for the polished container. Says it won't damage your car.

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/machv/polfirex.html

I'll keep looking for something cheaper to post.

Do you mean grounded while it is stored in the car, like say to a roll bar?

- Jas

quote:

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Originally posted by Dave Gibson:
Hallon is good for an area that can be enclosed. Hallon smothers a fire by blocking out all the oxygen. The powder type extingushers also smother a fire. But does leave a mess. CO2 will also smother a fire, but the CO2 comes out real cold and you need to ground the extinguisher to prevent static electricity build-up. Last thing you need is a spark with a lot of fuel and fumes.

Dave & Terri

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Dave & Terri

quote:

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Originally posted by Dave Gibson:
Jaz,
No to grounded while stored in the car. Grounded while in use. I don't know all the ins and outs on why a CO2 extinguisher will build a static charge, but they do.

Dave & Terri

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I was loaning my 78 out to a buddy to move some equipment, and popped the hood to check everything was ok since I don't drive it much any more. I had run the engine a little bit, shut the truck off and closed the hood. While walking away I noticed the driveway was wet under the truck, and it doesn't have a/c. I popped the hood again and didn't see anything, and restarted it for another look.

Sure enough the rubber fuel line between the steel line and the carb was leaking. It was maybe 4-5 years old, and had cracked around the clamp and was leaking pretty nicely.

Fortunately I keep fuel line "in stock" and replaced it before my buddy showed up.

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William

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oddly obsessed with big scoops on little Mustangs

http://www.fireadesource.com/fireade-auto-racing-track.html

Click on their FAQ, then scroll down to question #14.......

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Mike Burch
66 mustang real street
302 4-speed 289 heads
10.63 @ 129.3
http://www.geocities.com/carbedstangs/cmml_mburch.html
http://www.fortunecity.com/silverstone/healey/367
http://www.mustangworks.com/cgi-bin/moi-display.cgi?220

1) Hold a "practice round" using one of your extinguishers!

Just because you have extinguishers 'hanging around' doesn't mean everyone in the house (you, your kids & significant other) feels comfortable in using one. They must - without hesitation - feel comfortable to use one in order to react quickly to a fire. It's a well-known fact that the quicker the extinguisher gets to the fire the better chance of getting it snuffed out.

Ok, so you'll need to get the extinguisher re-filled after the practice session, but that's still cheap insurance considering the potential risk.....

If you can build a small fire in the driveway or backyard even better, then let everyone run the extinguisher some.... If you don't want to have an actual fire, fine, you can still practice the operation & shoot off one anyway even without a fire.

2) If you're still uneasy about setting up a 'practice round', consider contacting your local fire department. Since they MUST practice with their fire-fighting equipment, see if they'd assist you & your family in setting up a 'practice round' session.

3) You may also ask if they (fire dept) can get you possible price breaks on purchasing extinguishers & smoke alarms, recommend what type & number of extinguisher to buy, re-filling of the units, where to mount them, etc.

4) Many local firehouses have free pamphlets/literature available that they'll give you to take home. Leave the pamphlet in your library (bathroom) for all to review while "doing a job" prior to the 'practice round' so they become familar with the process of fire containment.

I told my two teenage boys that I may not be around when a fire starts and that I wanted them to feel comfortable in using an extinguisher. I was able to win over their serious participation in the 'practice round' when I suggested that they may not be home, rather at school, a friends house or garage, a store, and THEY'D BE THE HERO for not hesitating to grab an extinguisher when/if a fire was to break out!

Talk about ready for an emergency! Not sure if that was the Eagle Scount or Marine in him, or if he's just plain anal, but any way you put it, he's prepared.

Ryan, great idea for the practice, for us and the family. I've had some minimal fire fighting practice with regard to fire extinguishers, but doubt Casey ever has.

I've got an ABC extinguisher mounted to the rollbar in my car. People think it looks 'cool', and I tell them 'thanks' but that's not the point! It's very quickly and easily accessable in the event of an emergency. I'd hate to have the fire extinguisher in the trunk and not be able to get to it I've also installed an aluminum firewall between the trunk and driver's compartment per NHRA/IHRA tech.

You simply cannot be too safety concious!

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1965 GT coupe, 333ci aluminum headed/solid cammed stroker, four speed, 3.70:1 9"

12.58/110 on street tires, more to come;)

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1965 GT coupe, 333ci aluminum headed/solid cammed stroker, four speed, 3.70:1 9"

12.58/110 on street tires, more to come;)

When we held our first MCA show last year, you would not believe the grief we got from car owners over MCA's extinguisher requirement.
I hope no one ever experiences a fire in their car, but maybe someday someone who attended the show and does now have the extinguisher will be thanking us.

We have them in all our cars and several in the garage and around the house. (But I need to check their exp. dates)

It's used for computer equiptment and emergency fire bottles in race cars and aircraft.

However, it is a CFC, so it is no longer produced in the USA. Places to sell new ones, but the best place to buy them is ebay. 2.5lb units are best for cars. Big enough, but not too big. Some come with automotive mounts. I mounted mine right to the trans tunnel.

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oddly obsessed with big scoops on little Mustangs

I have seen a few cars burn to the ground since my little incident. Without an extinguisher those people just sit and watch. By the time the Fire Dept. arrives it's totaled.

Funny story:

I know from experience that if you have a fire under the hood,, it's all over but the crying:
1. by the time you realize what happening..
2. fumble frantically to get you keys..
3. fumble frantically again to open the trunk..
4. grab your extinquisher.. it's tooo late..

My extinquisher sits right behind my seat with nothing obstructing me from grabbing it & easily removing it from the mount..

I know Halogens aren't as messy,, but for those of you that can't aford Halogen extingquisher.. Get an extinquisher rated for Type A, B, & C Fires.. Then you're covered and don't have to worry about the type of fire..

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Don
6T6 Fastback
331 STROKER, T-5
Metallic Royal Blue & Silver
Candy Orange-Red Flames by McGrafix
My Pics

The MCA started requiring them when, I think the late Jim Osborn lost a Shelby GT 350 or 500 to a fire.

I had to use mine once at one of our car shows when a 57 Ford had a carb leak and burst into flames.