FIRE !! it can happen to anyone. It happened to me !!

Damn Randy, just seen this. Sorry for the loss/ damage of the car.. you going to be able to save that 430? .. I hate to see this...

 

I don't want to hijack the thred and I am not trying to question your system but I was wondering if you could give more info on a system such as yours. I see it is afff wet system. What airates the foam? What areas of the car do you recommend spraying (engine and p***enger compartment)? Why would you recommend this system over a gas system?

I hate seeing people endangerd by fire and I think a good fire suppression system is cheap compared to the worst case.

I hope this helps educate people about being prepared and if this doesn't belong here please remove my post.

 

I would imagine the foam is aspirated at the nozzle, although even non-aspirated foam will work well on a vehicle fire.

The reason for using foam over gas, put simply, is it hangs around where gas will dissipate, particularly from a moving vehicle.

I don't know these systems but I am confident I'm on the right track here.

Pete

 

Glad your ok but the damage ****s
It would be easy to get discussed and let it sit but that would lead to more damage.
Having repaired a few burned engines myself ….. I would pull the plugs and get some oil in there and spin it over ASAP.
Iv seen much worse ( from hotter fires ) come back with no problems….but you cant let rust start.

 

Randy was this due to a fuel leak from the hoses? Could alcohol in the fuel have caused this?
That **** scares me. Damn EPA regs. Went to a State mandated Fuel storage certification last week and the instructor told us the fuels are now ruining the fibergl*** underground tanks. Won't be long before the EPA stops this nonsense.
Those pics make me sick.

 

WOW Sorry to hear about your fire. Believe me it can be fixed. I had a fire in my '67 Fury convertible six years ago and with the encouragement of my family and a parts car, I have it back to usable condition again. I NEVER go anywhere with out a fire extinguisher in both of my Furys now. Good luck to you.
John

 

Sorry for your loss.............glad it wasn't worse.

I only have about two feet of rubber fuel line in my A but I'll be replacing it again this year. Together with a fire extinguisher it's cheap insurance.

 

It's enough to make a man throw up. Glad you're OK.

 

Randy,

What more can I say that hasn't been said. Very glad to hear that you are OK.

 

Denise ... you of all HAMBERS know how this feels. I know you lost a convertible before you bought " Big Olds " .

As the the fire.
All the fuel lines were intact. I believe that the ethanol added fuel ate the needle and seat ... and allowed the fuel to flood over, starting the fire. Once it got going, it was difficult to put out.

As to saving the ZZ430, I actually have a spare ZZ430, not counting the one in my 32 3W coupe. SO ... the roadster will be fixed and have a ZZ430 in it.

Thanks for ALL the comments and well wishes.
My fellow HAMBERS know and understand what a loss like this is to a car guy ...

 

Man I'm sorry to see that. But happy that your okay and can rebuild. I speak from experience that putting out an engine fire is one of the most sickening, scary things you can do as a hot rodder. When I set the Plym ablaze about 7 years ago, I managed to do so in one of the least populated areas in the state of AZ... At night (11:00PM) on a thirty degree evening in November. Got it put out with a 44 ounce soft drink and my brand new silly expensive leather jacket... Guess who was too dumb to install a fire extingusher at that time! Oh, and forty five minutes later when the fire deptment DID arrive, they told me "they never bother to hurry to car fires out there, 'cause there is usually nothing left to put out". Hope insurance treats you well.

 

Man that **** bad! Hope your insurance is cool. I had that happen to me with an Edelbrock, but thats not the only reason i don't like 'em. I only run rochesters and holleys now.

 

I can't believe i missed this thread..


Not trying to sound foolish, but it does not look too bad.....esp compared to some of the burned cars we have all seen on here before. You guys did good with not letting the fire get away from you.

The hood louvers don't look too warped? That would be a big plus. Motor looks ok.


..lots of good news there, depending on how you view lifes journeys.

 

What a **** way to start the hot rodding season. Sorry. The only positive thing is that it was outside of the shop and that you didn't get burned.

 

Love this guys at***ude..

Not a problem? I'd be sick.. But I haven't seen what you've seen...
Yet!

Sorry to hear it..

 

How did I miss this one.

Very sorry to see the roadster looking sad. I am glad you are fine and the damage wasn't too bad.

Martyn

 

A weathy/wise friend says, "Anything that money/time can fix, is an inconvenience..... Anything that money/time can't fix, is a problem".

That's not bad damage, considering what if if Randy and Friend had wussed out. They kept it from being a total loss. ...and it must have been going real good when they started fighting it. Just getting the hood open without getting flash burns, is remarkable.


I don't recall seeing a more sucessful save on hamb.

 

sorry bout the fire, randy. glad you are ok. bob ross told me about it yesterday.let me know if i can help ya.

 

Deuce Roadster has fought tougher battles than this and come back strong!

Watch this space for the comeback.

He's tougher than some might think!

 

Sorry bro....

 

I am not going to LIE ...
I was VERY bummed out Tuesday night after the fire.
I was telling myself I just cannot catch a " break "

But now I am over it and realize I did catch a break.

1 ) The fire was stopped.
2 ) I was not seroiusly burnt fighting the fire.
3 ) My friend came by at the right time with a big fire extinguisher
4 ) My buddy at the tow company came and we got the ROADSTER
away from the scene and into a covered, secure storage area waiting on the adjuster.
5 ) My friend and I pressure washed the damaged area where the fire departments foam ( acid ) had gotten and minimized any further damage.
6 ) The roadster is insured .

______________________

The roadster will be rebuilt.
I have a good stash of spare 32 parts and pieces ... so I am confident that with time and $$$ ... the roadste will as good as new ... maybe by Thanksgiving.

Just not real happy with the adjuster. He has NOT make contact yet.
Grundy told me they had to get a independent adjuster ( for South Carolina ) and he has not yet called.

 

Sorry to hear that, Randy. When my 356 got totaled, I was fortunate. Hagerty had someone on it within a day or so. Good luck. I ***ume you have "agreed value" coverage. Correct?

 

I kinda know how you fell about this, when I joined the Army everything I owned went into storage at a relatives shop. It burnt down and I was literally left with what the Army had issued me!
Keep your head up mate, you learn it's just stuff. Seems important but thats not where you want to concentrate!
Since then I have managed to loose everything twice again! Once to fire that took half of Victoria with it and once to a s****** storage place. ****ers.

But like I said keep your head up and always look forward...........er..........except when here......

Doc.

 

Fire and Police departments are a mixed bag. Their policies today are inflexible. I had a friend land his airplane a bit long one evening on his private airstrip, hit a chuck hole, and flipped it over. The damage was very minimal. His neighbor called the Police and Fire Departments to the scene. My friend and his p***enger were unhurt and in the upside down aircraft and told the responders how to simply turn the aircraft back upright by hand so as not to cause any further damage. The Fire Department insisted on cutting the aircraft in half to get them out rather than just turning it upright, thereby completely totaling and destroying the ship. Unbelievable...

 

Randy, Sorry about your beautiful roadster. Call me if you need any 32 parts maybe I can help. It really does not look too bad. ****ie 757-615-1570

 

Wow Randy,
I'm shocked!!!!! I cannot believe that this has happened! .
When we built the Cyclone Deuce 64c, I was looking at keeping the wiring down to a minimum. I use the holes through the firewall and put grommets around the wires insulation. I had driven the car for nearly 3 mos. One day the car starts really missing.
I can't figure out why??? So I look at the ballast resistor, = hotter than hell! Way too much resistance, so the car comes home on the hook, mind you it's the 1st Hot Rod that I ever used my AAA premiere tow service for and it was only 20 miles from home.

Upon looking over the wires going through the firewall, I noticed that the power wire from the ballast resistor to the dist was actually shorting out on the firewall, I had spilt the grommet and it found a way to rub through.

This avoided a major fire,but I felt pretty stupid. I use fusible link on ignition leads, so that is how I found exactly what was open. The way I have it wired kills all power to the battery as well. After seeing this, I'm going to have to invest in a fire extinguisher. I feel that I have been lucky.

I hope that your car gets back on the road soon.

 

I had a fuel fire in my chevrolet van years ago. It was due to a leaking hose. Never run anything but steel line between the pump and the carb.
I was surprised at how effective the aluminum foil heat insulator was , it stopped the fires heat and there was no damage other than the wires which had to be replaced.

 

Sorry about the fire. But i was Just wondering how Grundy is taking care of things? I also have Grundy but if they don't take care of you I will be switching. When you get a chance can you keep us updated? thanks

 

What's the latest development, Randy?

 

Just found this thread Randy, glad you are OK and the Roadster can be rebuilt. Bob