Folks Of Interest SPOKANE CAR FIRE

Hope it wasn't a members. Spokane, Washington today. Looks like a 36 5 window.

 

What a nightmare. Hopefully well insured.

 

... I have 3 fire extinguishers in my 1600 sq ft shop.

 

Looks maybe like they pushed it out of the garage? It is parked funny in the drive. Or maybe it was out for a drive and pulled over? Hopefully no one was injured.

 

What was he doing carrying a 5 gal can of gas in the passenger seat?

Doesnt look like a engine fire, but a interior fire fueled by something

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I hate when waking up tomorrow the reality was not a dream ( nightmare )

 

Man that sucks.
I had a fire in the garage last fall. I was lucky I didn't lose the whole works.

 

Man that’s horrible I hope that nobody got hurt and the car was heavily insured.

 

Yes hopefully no one was hurt, the car is rebuildable/replaceable, people not so much.
Dan

 

Well, that just plain sucks. I knew a man who had an early 50’s Chevrolet sedan with a 350/350, you get the idea, but I digress, he was pulling into an event in eastern Washington when the entire front clip went up in flames. Turns out the glass fuel filter he had installed busted and the ensuing splash caused a fire. It was not pretty.

 

That could have been nasty. I thought about building a house with a garage below the living space. I decided that was not the best idea I ever had. You just never know what kicks one off.

And that is why I give people crap for using those glass cal custom filters. Not worth burning your car down over one.

 

Have I mentioned that you can’t fix stupid?

 

I try to call them out too.
If you want me to harp on you, just post the glass fuel filter, the push 'n twist regulator and the triangle foam air filter on your car.

 

Correct on three of those buggers. Just say nyet!

 

... and the best part ? they don't keep crud from getting in your carb. had a truck with one of those. sputtered and died, glass filter clean as a whistle. further inspection showed lots of crud in the carb. never again.

 

Which do nothing if no one's home to use them ...

 

wow, you must be a Fireman.

 

I had a shop fire in 2010, lost 3 cars and a life time of tools and cool stuff. Fire is bad. Don't wish it on an enemy.

 

Hmmm. As a professional fire fighter of over 30 years I have encountered numerous car fires that resulted in significant damages to homes and shops. Perhaps someone in the brain trust would see fit to start a thread focussing on what not to do to your hot rod in the interest of ultimate safety. I think we’ve already got a fairly good start on that with the previous posts. Here in the great frozen north many a home was burned down because of an improperly routed block heater cords either pinched between garage door or being pinched between the hood of the vehicle. My own brother-in-law damn near lost his home because of that oversight .

 

Well sir why don't you start that thread, as anyone on the H.A.M.B can start threads.

 

^^^^^^
Such a thread should be two columns, one focusing on vehicles and the other focusing on the shop.
Both vehicles and shops suffer fires from two common points; combustible fuels or electrical issues...

 

With an attached garage you also have deal with complaints about smells, dirt and noise. If you burn down your garage you'll feel bad, but if you take the house with it, you're going to feel REAL bad.

 

I just read on another website that the fire was caused by a backfire, with an edelbrock pro flow foam air cleaner.

 

I swear I had not heard that when I posted. I feel bad for the owner, but people, DON'T use any of these!

 

I had one of those, came with my carb. About a year after I got my truck on the road we were on a long road trip, on our way back from a show in Spokane. About to leave our hotel on the last 6+ hour leg home, I needed to check something under the hood. I noticed my fuel filter dripping gas. Luckily my travel companions had spare steel filters, but I was a lucky discovery away from a fire on the road.

A guy I follow on YouTube has a bunch of those glass filters because they were given to him. He put one on his traditional deuce Tudor, and defended his choice despite all the warnings because he "had never had an issue". That's fine until you do. His filter is mounted right above the header.

 

A guy I know used to run those foam filters, because he would get them cheap or free. We were at a weekend show 7+ hours from home and he had a nitrous backfire doing burnouts, got lucky it didn't take down the car. The next day he bought a real air cleaner from one of the vendors.

 

Very sad for the owner. I hope everyone is safe and uninjured.

 

The plastic ones give me the heebie jeebies too. I saw a car go up with one many years back.

I use only steel ones, so what I can't see through it.

 

With respect to all who have posted negative posts about glass bowl filters.

And I certainly have sympathy for any that have had engine fires. An engine fire is NO fun !

I have been driving cars for 63 years ! Trucks and tractors longer than that.

I have used glass bowl filters on virtually every passenger vehicle I have ever owned, as well as trucks and tractors. I have them on my high performance engines today ! Also on my older tractors.

In the 70 or so years I have actually been driving; I have experienced a grand total of three (3) engine fires. ALL of these caused by leaky end bowl Holley carbs (4150's and 4160's) on NEW cars, all with less than 9,000 miles. So how many are going to jump on the fact end bowl Holleys can cause fires! These were as delivered, never been apart!

After the first fire (in Missouri with about 6 inches of snow conveniently on the side of the road) which I put out rather quickly, I started carrying fire estinguishers in cars with Holleys. They make a mess, but they save the vehicle !

Jon