As the result of the Paradise fire in Ca I've managed to lose my own 31CCP and 47 coupe. In the shop I also had a collection of banger and flathead blocks. Are cast iron blocks totally ruined by fire? I would also have the same question about cranks and rods. Some cranks were in short blocks and others were in a rack. I know that there is a lot of warping and bending but I was more interested in the affect that type of fire would have on cast iron and steel. We don't have access yet but a law enforcement friend took a couple pics and its looks like the house is vaporized with the only rubble in the garage area. This might be a good time for everyone to review there fire insurance policy. PARADISE R I P
Even though I don't know you, I'm very happy that you are safe. We're so very sorry your great loss. Harry
So sorry for your loss. I think a block could be saved by checking for cracks,an alignbore, decking and oversize bores,in necessary. A crank should probably be straightend and machined,or at least polished. If both were hit with cold water while still glowing hot, my guess would be they are unuseable. But I am no expert...
Blocks will be ok , as long as your ok...went through similar experience...I got past it and that's what you will do...prayers sent..
terrible thing to experience - wish you, and yours, well with rebuilding your world - as for parts, a thorough cleaning and measuring everything will help in deciding what can be saved
My sympathy. Can't imagine losing everything. A few years ago I bought a 350 CHevy engine out of a burned pickup truck. Carb,distributor,etc were melted away. The cast iron parts were ok so I just did a bore and align hone on it and it turned out fine.
Lots of controversy on the 'news', sadly. The folks that lost everything are in a sad state, some will rebuild. But I think of the devastation, and the loss of life's treasures...More so, the loss of life this caused. Folks trapped, couldn't get out. Horror, beyond imagination. The mention of 'global warming' being the culprit here by the governor! Not so 'safe days' here in Cali...
So sorry man, wow, you are correct about insurance coverage, the time to find out is not after the fact. get a lawyer and public adjuster, but only if you want fair treatment.
Just wanted to add our sympathy. I'm sure so much can't be replaced. So-So sorry, and hope for the best. It will take time. Sent from my SM-S320VL using Tapatalk
In my experience with burnt stuff, they tend to rust hyper-quickly after all of the paint and oil and stuff is burnt off, I think when you get the opportunity to go back, try to bring some sprayable oil with you, and anything you think might be salvageable, I'd hose it down right away, to help preserve it until you can have things magnafluxed and whatnot. Fire damage is bad, exposure damage after a fire can make things worse, although I'm sure it's very dry in that area. Very sorry to hear about your situation, hope you are able to salvage some of your collection. It would be a great Phoenix-like story to be able to build something out of the ashes.
Glad to hear you are safe. Have another friend out there that reported he's safe but doesn't know of his house or shop yet. He's ***uming it's a total loss. Not so much Paradise anymore. SPark
my elderly friend just lost a 180 foot long barn, full of tractors and antique cars. He said nothing could be salvaged, including engines, axles, etc, due to how hot the fire got from the m***ive amount of wood from the tall barn. So, if your building did not have a lot of wood to keep the fire intensely hot for a long spell, maybe you can save some of it. .
There was a time racers bought burned blocks because they were "seasoned" The held the machining better. I guess that it depends on how hot it really was. Sorry for your losses. Hope the insurance companies can weather this situation. It is hard on them too. Every ones premium will go up. Even those not involved.
Tuck went thru a fire a few years ago. You might want to search his threads and see what kind of things he was able to salvage.
When my shop burned (Colorado 2012) I had several engines freshly rebuilt engines/motors the fire burned hot enough to melt the pistons and cracked the blocks in half, the 440's cracked longitudinally, the hemis cracked transversely??? anything not made of steel didn't survive , interestingly some steel parts lost magnatisim there were large globs of aluminum everywhere, I was able to salvage a Genie shifter, the rest of the parts I was able to salvage fit in a sandwich bag. One other thing is all those burned cars, steel ect. have a s**** steel value.
On the news it was stated the temps got to 1000 degrees, enough to incinerate most everything in it's path. That would be like putting stuff in a forge.. Good luck, and be thankful you got out.
About the insurance companies: This m***ive devastation in not only one area, but three! I would say that the insurance companies that insured the Paradise residents were of a small number. Folks that reside in smaller townships seem to agree that 'local' insurers are more apt to act responsibly with familiar members. The insurance toll thereabouts will be m***ive. ('Federally backed' may not hasten things being it's a California cry...according to national news, anyway) I sincerely pray for all those that were so swiftly caught up in this.
Thats what I was afraid of as it was a 2 story structure and would have dropped down on all the iron. In the picture I was shown there is no sign of the pick up cab at all so all that weight must have crushed it and added even more heat to fire Thanks to all of you for your kind thoughts. In the grand scheme of things I've got it made in that all of my family is safe and sound and I have other family to take us in. There of lots of folks still looking for kin or searching for shelter that are going to have a tough time getting through.this
I live 3 miles from the Gulf and deal with hurricanes. The big picture is that it is all just stuff. Stuff that means a lot to you. But is it is still stuff. You can always find more stuff.
Can't imagine what you are going thru, but thankful that you are OK. Definitely time for the family to come together and support one another. When you need a little extra pick me up join us on here. Be Well, Carp.
Back when labour was cheap, parts were expensive and oxygen/acetylene was the go to method to weld cast iron engine blocks were welded after slow preheat to glowing red in some kind of oven, followed by very slow cooldown. This says that cast iron items CAN survive high temperatures under the right conditions, but even then they may have to have precision machined surfaces redone afterwards. A quick/uneven heat up/cool down, or load on the hot metal may warp or crack it. After the uncontrolled heat of a burning building, and the building falling down on top of them, I wouldn't expect to find much that is worth getting back in working order. Unobtanium parts would be worth putting more work into.
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