Fire extinguisher in my car?

I just read Niteshade's thread about watching a Stude burn up, and thought I'd get opinions.
I did a wiring job on my 47, and though it is working better than factory, I know for a fact sh&t happens. I've been toying with the idea of a fire extinguisher in the 47 since I started driving it. I have one of the units I keep in the garage living on the front seat, but would like something more permanent, and less obtrusive.
Where do I go for something that would look a little better than the units you buy at the home store, and where would you put it?
I have a spot on the floor, where the shifter in a pre-war Ford would be that would work great, but I'm betting it wouldn't last a week before one of us kicked it off it's mounts. I also thought of hanging it off the heater.
Does everyone put theirs in the trunk?
I need ideas......Thanks, Mike

 

Under the seat, maybe?

 

In my wheeling rig I have 3 of them.

On on the transmission tunnel, one strapped to interior cage and one in the back mounted to the cage. I have been thinking of mounting one under the hood as well.
With the wheeling I do (rockcrawling) my vehicle could be in any position (upside down etc.) and I could easily reach an extinguisher with minimal or no risk to my person.

Can't remember where I got them but they are the smaller sized ones.

 

Who cares where you put it as long as you can get to it when needed? I have had two "under the dash" fires and I will ALWAYS carry one and don't care if it shows. If you hide it and you have a fire, nobody can see it to get to it and put your car fire out.

 

In my 36 I have one in front of the seat directly under the front edge, laid across the car, been there for a long time.

 

"Look better",..? The ugliest extinguisher in the world,...has to look a hell of a lot better than a burned out car,.........

Just sayin'....

4TTRUK

 

If you want an extinguisher that looks better try some of the performance boat supply sites. The have nice brackets also. And mount it so you can get to it and unlatch it quickly without having to use any keys.

 

Back in the 60's, when we had the TF digger, there were two 5# bottles on each side of the lower main rails. Three nozzles, Two on the engine, one pointed at Pat's face.
Used a couple of times.
We have one on the sprint car, pointed at Mike's torso. Actually get a weight advantage for having an onboard unit.
Now I'm wondering how hard it would be to install a push knob onboard system in a street car, and how practical would that be? A nozzle under the dash, and maybe two in the engine compartment would do it.
Any one done this? Is that overkill? (Maybe the wrong term here....)

 

Always carry one.. Even in my T-bucket.. In almost fifty years of driving I've used up two.. neither one on my car!

 

Another thing to consider is to flip them over once in a while and tap them with a rubber mallet and all the ones in the shop also.

 

A big problem with the small fire extinguisher is just that,,small!

Randy (Deuce Roadster) told me had he had a larger extinguisher his roadster might have fared better than it did,,the small one ran out before the fire was completely out.



I have a large extinguisher in the wagon mainly because of Randys fire,,when we travel in the sedan it is the back seat. HRP

 

all extinguishers not the same. different situations require specific types. years back found out that a Dodge van had a factory installed onboard fire prevention system. driving with some friends from So Cal North late at Nite. Stopped for gas, check oil, etc. a short while late smelled smoke. pulled off highway and looked under van to see smoke coming out of engine area. everyone got out. as one was calling the Fire Dept (no extinguisher) there was a boom sound and smoke color changed. lifted the engine cover and found that the upper radiator hose had melted and the water under pressure put fire out. at gas stop the rag used to check oil had been left on engine. no major damage.

 

Where to bolt the extinguisher depends on how much you like your street rod or custom. Do you want to see it burn for 10 extra seconds or more while you get the trunk open ?

When we had our '46 Ford Club Coupe I installed a chrome one (from Speedway motors) under the dash bolted to the removeable front floorpan right on the floor centerline front to back with the extinguisher head closest to the seat.

In our '37 Ford Tudor I bolted the same style extinguisher on the driver side, at the door "a-pillar" just above the rug standing up. if your not watching you can catch your foot on it.

On our '32 Truck it was bolted parallel to the bench seat and the '32 3W coupe I bolted the extinguisher parallel to the passenger seat front.

A fire extinguisher is one of those things I would rather have and never need, then ever need at all.

 

Possible but the best bet is to have one,,ABC is the best all around one to carry..the halon extinguishers were great at extinguishing fires but the EPA put a end to them. HRP

 

learned the hard way that extinguishers are really a good thing in a car.late 80s, 55 chevy beautiful car.electrical fire under the dash.instead if loosing the car when I seen it wasn't going out I grab handfuls of hot melting wire. of course the plastic for the wire stuck to my hands but I wasn't going to loose that damn car.lots of burns but I saved the car and to think a 25.oo extinguisher could have saved me the burns and my car.i saved the car with little damage just to the wiring under the dash but oh my hands.i now keep one in most of our cars and I don't care where its mounted but it aint the trunk!!

 

A CO2 is best for gas, oil, and electric fires, the kind you normally have in a operating vehicle. If it get's to the point of involvement of plastics, insulation, upholstery you need a larger ABC.


The CO2 puts out the fire nice and cleanly. I always had one for engine fires.
The ABC coats everything in bad yellow gunk.

Horses for courses....

 

One more thing to remember, although the cars to get bumpy driving around I would recommend that you take out the extinguisher turn it over and thump the bottom several times with your palm. The material inside gets caked at the bottom and won't come out when you need it, I would do it every time before you go driving (or once a week).......it's hard to remember to do it when your trying to put out flames.


All my cars have them, the A has a lot of wood in it.

 

I've got to start carrying one in my 27 roadster again. For years I had one in a bracket under the passenger side cowl kick panel, but people kept stealing it when it was parked, so I never put one back in when I redid the car. But I am going to have to do that again.

It came in handy one time, but not for me. I was driving down the road and saw a pickup sitting along the road with his bed on fire. I did a u turn and put out the fire, but he had to drive forward a little because the grass under it was on fire too. Turns out he had tossed a lit cigarette out the window and it landed in the bed that had trash in it.

He simply thanked me and drove off, and I then realized I should have asked him for the $20 it cost me as I now had an empty fire extinguisher. But at least I did a good deed, I guess.

Don

 

Not mentioned yet but learn how to properly use an extinguisher. I've seen guys wildly spraying around not accomplishing anything. remember P.A.S.S. (Pull the pin, Aim the stream, Squeeze the handle, Sweep side to side).

 

I wish they still had the old Halon versions, those were fantastic. No powdery corrosive mess to clean up, and fires went out immediately. One time the engine in my Son's Olds convertible caught fire when we were working on it. I grabbed a Halon extinguisher and squeezed the trigger just for a second and the fire went completely out.

I guess they were bad for the ozone layer or something, but they sure did work.

Don

 

On a O.T. car i plumed a race fire suppression system, one nozzle under the dash on one switch and one on the fire wall and one pointed towards the carb on the radiator support. I had a extinguisher also but if needed i could pull the lever by my seat and it would at least give me a head start on the problem. The bottle was attached to the frame rail so it was hard to notice the pluming unless you were looking for it. It was a street car that liked to give me surprises anyways and a fire i was ready for.

 

There might not be much electronic stuff in a hot rod but in my other car it would be a nightmare to have to replace computers and electronics after a fire if I used a conventional extinguisher. Since Halon is not generally available I use one of these in each car and mount it within reach of the driver:

 

Were can these be purchased?

 

Ck here
http://www.h3rperformance.com/where_to_buy.htm

Fire Extinguisher story;

Late 70's cruising round in my Suburban (CO2 on the tunnel 2 ABC's in back) when I pull up on an old 4 door green torino with flames coming out the hood.

I grab the CO2 and run up and say pull the hood latch.

The guy tackles me and says leave the turd alone, it's insured!!!

We used to call those friction fires, friction of a 500 dollar car rubbing up against a 2500 payoff....

 

I've read quite a few stories of guys putting out other people's fires on their cars. I've always wondered how often the Good Samaritan got paid for the extinguisher


Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

I found mine at a pretty reasonable price at a four wheel drive off road shop.


Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

Well I had to run accross the street an put out a VW engine fire, I did get a thank you.....

 

I always keep two in my car. Better safe than sorry. You may be the hero putting out someone else fire! The trunk has more steps to get it out. Also, no one but you knows its there, where the others are visible. Also, like mentioned before, shake them and tap them with a rubber mallet from time to time to mix up the stuff!
"Hope for the best but prepare for the worst."

 

Got to use mine yesterday! I work at a golf course and a guys cart was on fire. I received a (little too) casual text message "hey chef, do you have a fire extinguisher?"

I do keep one on the passenger side of the transmission tunnel held on by a quick release bracket. But, I do realize there's more room in my vehicle than if if I were in a model A or something small/earlier.

 

Monster,
The unit you have on the floor in front of the seat. How much in the way has it proven to be? That would be the spot for mine in the 47. Thanks, Mike

BTW, Love the horn center! You should sell those!