Burned speedster 4 sale. Not mine. $2700. Engine fire.

Oooof!

I don't see anywhere near $2700 in usable parts.

.....and ouch!

That detailed photo slide show is making me 'double-think' the condition and connections of my fuel lines, and the electrical wiring...placement of the fuel filter...anything that feels damp or is smelly around the carbs....and 'search' back through SOC posts concerning that silly looking fire retardant hose that gets strung up on the underside of the engine lid!

Maybe I'll price out a much, much, larger fire extinguisher too. 

I think same thing when SOCers say they smell gas odor when parking in their garage!  Not only could car go up but entire house if your gas hot water heater or other ignition source is nearby. Wonder if a carbon filter might help (on '70 VWs)? If you needed front end due to crash might be a good deal - just part out extra parts - but too costly to make it well.

Rusty Tubs has just the front fiberglass wide body hunk for $1250.  Surprised the carbs aren't melted down to an aluminum ingot!  Anyone else notice that RT has store in Nevada now (plus GA).

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/cla...etail.php?id=1924296

 

Human exposure to constant gas fumes that travel through an enclosed home is not a good thing .....

Rusty tubs moved to Nevada... or... they are still in the process.

I don't see $500.00 in usable parts!

I'll bet that George K has the knowledge, skill. experience....and the audacity to resurrect that barbecued speedster and get it back on the road...and into the classifieds!

Carl Berry CT. posted:

.....and ouch!

That detailed photo slide show is making me 'double-think' the condition and connections of my fuel lines, and the electrical wiring...placement of the fuel filter...anything that feels damp or is smelly around the carbs....and 'search' back through SOC posts concerning that silly looking fire retardant hose that gets strung up on the underside of the engine lid!

Maybe I'll price out a much, much, larger fire extinguisher too. 

Carl, you have a point there.  You don't want to risk anything like a fire.

Carl Berry CT. posted:

.....and ouch!

That detailed photo slide show is making me 'double-think' the condition and connections of my fuel lines, and the electrical wiring...placement of the fuel filter...anything that feels damp or is smelly around the carbs....and 'search' back through SOC posts concerning that silly looking fire retardant hose that gets strung up on the underside of the engine lid!

Maybe I'll price out a much, much, larger fire extinguisher too. 

That "silly looking fire retardant hose"  can also be placed at the bottom of the engine compartment,  where it is pretty much out of sight.  It doesn't need to be attached to the lid.

If there was a fuel shutoff near the tank, ... selenoid controlled shut off,  I wonder how much of a fire one would get?  ... I know you have the float boals the line.... but how much of a fire would you get and would it burn out?... Anyone know?

 

TRP posted:

Rusty tubs moved to Nevada... or... they are still in the process.

Ha, guess their inventory was declining each year due to Hot Lanta humidity

That brings back memories....

The only thing left of any value on that car is the front beam/brakes.  Not worth $500.

On the bright side, CoCo Mats seem to be fire proof.

-=theron

WHAT ? They are not Hemp based ? :!)

BTW I come up with about $900 in used parts off that "German" Pop Tart.

 

Install a fire suppression system!

#BlackSpeedsterLivesMatter

 

 

Troy Sloan posted:

Carl Berry CT. posted:

.....and ouch!

That detailed photo slide show is making me 'double-think' the condition and connections of my fuel lines, and the electrical wiring...placement of the fuel filter...anything that feels damp or is smelly around the carbs....and 'search' back through SOC posts concerning that silly looking fire retardant hose that gets strung up on the underside of the engine lid!

Maybe I'll price out a much, much, larger fire extinguisher too. 

That "silly looking fire retardant hose"  can also be placed at the bottom of the engine compartment,  where it is pretty much out of sight.  It doesn't need to be attached to the lid.

Fires almost aways start in the carbs. The Blaze-Cut apparatus works when fire burns through the plastic hose, releasing the fire retardant. There isn't very much retardant in the hose, so its only chance of being effective is if it releases it's charge pretty early on in the process of the car catching fire.

Putting it low pretty much guarantees that the back half of the car is going to be fully engulfed in flames before the fire makes it's way down to the Blaze-Cut (since the fire starts high and burns up). At that point I'd rather the thing just burned to the ground-- which is a good thing, because that little hose full of halon substitute is going to be like peeing on a bonfire at that point.

I'd put it high, or not bother with it. It's a pretty expensive thing to not work.

Theron, thanks for a good laugh!  Damn those thinks are tough.

IaM-Ray posted:

If there was a fuel shutoff near the tank, ... selenoid controlled shut off,  I wonder how much of a fire one would get?  ... I know you have the float boals the line.... but how much of a fire would you get and would it burn out?... Anyone know?

 

The fiberglass goes up like a match when exposed to an open flame. The edges of the engine/deck lid opening concerns me if there was a fire. I've thought about wrapping them with something fire proof...

Fiberglass exposed to an open flame delaminates  ...  expands, the expanded glass fibers catch fire in seconds and as the opened glass burns it feeds on itself.

That aint worth anything near what they're asking. I wouldn't touch it and I'd touch just about anything. 

This is actually the reason that I'm relocating all of my high pressure fuel lines and moving the filter and fuel pump to the under belly of the car. All my soft lines in the back of the car are now gone and have all been replaced with hard lines and proper connectors. 

Theron, where would you mount them on the belly?

Under the rockers. There is a load of space under there and it's also the lowest point on the fuel system.

Burnt fiberglass has a very distinct smell.

flatfourfan posted:

Under the rockers. There is a load of space under there and it's also the lowest point on the fuel system.

Brilliant!

Not sure why I asked Theron when it was directed to FFF, sorry.

 

.....and I hope I never first hand experience the "distinct odor" of burnt fiberglass

Since my fumbling/confused response to the speedster's Hiroshima sized backfire, I've mentally rehearsed exactly how in the future I'd grab the fire extinguisher as I'm swiftly exiting the speedster and pulling the engine lid opening cable, all in one gracefully coordinated dance routine movement. But that cable 'pull' merely unlocks the lid; it doesn't prop it open....and I'm not about to stick my arm into an open fire to 'pin' the lid open!!!

Soooo....Does anyone recall the informative SOC Thread that details the selection and installation of what I recall were kitchen spring door closures? 

Also, is there such a thing as a fire resistant product that can be swabbed inside the engine compartment to temporarily resist open flames for the ten or fifteen seconds that it'll take me to initiate my choreographed fire-fighting routine?!

 

 

Blaze Cut is the most cost effective solution that I've seen.

http://jogrusa.com/products/bl...e-suppression-system
>

Carl,

The short answer to your fire prevention material question is no.  Applications of such materials are useful on house siding, roofs, etc., where flammable substance, such as wood, will be exposed to a heat source.  However, with our replicas, the fire load, i.e., the flammable material, is gasoline, and applying a coating of non-flammable material to the engine bay or underside of the car will have little effect.  Gasoline is the accellerant that allows the fire to burn all the various combustible material our vehicles contain: resin, fabric, foam, etc. 

We all need to use our physical senses of sight, touch, and smell to check for conditions that can lead to a fire.  Every so often, touch your fuel lines, wiggle them, inspect them for cracks, and smell for gasoline odors.  Your role-playing scenario of fire extinguishment is is appropriate.  Consider leaving a pair of gloves by your extinguisher.  Remember the mantra from basic training for grenades?  Pull pin, rock back, HURL!!  Same idea for putting out a fire: pull to side of road safely, shut off engine, remove extinguisher, pull pin, put on gloves, lift engine lid, depress extinguisher handle to release contents.  Nothing to it, eh?  

I always suggest that owners buy the best APPROVED fire suppression system they can afford, much like insurance.  In my opinion, the guy who imports Blaze-cut, or any such importer, should submit his product to the appropriate licensing/inspection agencies, such as UL or NFPA for testing and approval.  Without a UL or other acknowledged ratification, you're buying snake oil, in my admittedly biased opinion. 

Stan Galat, '05 IM, 2276, Nowhere, USA posted:

Troy Sloan posted:

Carl Berry CT. posted:

.....and ouch!

That detailed photo slide show is making me 'double-think' the condition and connections of my fuel lines, and the electrical wiring...placement of the fuel filter...anything that feels damp or is smelly around the carbs....and 'search' back through SOC posts concerning that silly looking fire retardant hose that gets strung up on the underside of the engine lid!

Maybe I'll price out a much, much, larger fire extinguisher too. 

That "silly looking fire retardant hose"  can also be placed at the bottom of the engine compartment,  where it is pretty much out of sight.  It doesn't need to be attached to the lid.

Fires almost aways start in the carbs. The Blaze-Cut apparatus works when fire burns through the plastic hose, releasing the fire retardant. There isn't very much retardant in the hose, so its only chance of being effective is if it releases it's charge pretty early on in the process of the car catching fire.

Putting it low pretty much guarantees that the back half of the car is going to be fully engulfed in flames before the fire makes it's way down to the Blaze-Cut (since the fire starts high and burns up). At that point I'd rather the thing just burned to the ground-- which is a good thing, because that little hose full of halon substitute is going to be like peeing on a bonfire at that point.

I'd put it high, or not bother with it. It's a pretty expensive thing to not work.

I'm not too sure about the statistics of where fires typically start, but I'm pretty sure a large number of them start due to leaking hoses, filters and connections.  In those cases, the fuel drips down and is ignited by a hot exhaust or spark. 

In either case,  I agree I'd rather have the car burn. 

The other detriment to putting a fire out with a hand held is as soon as you open hood, you've supplied a fresh source of oxygen to the fire so flames only increase.

Wasn't it MangoSmoothie that added hose and jets to a standard fire extinguisher (or  canister.  Just pull pin in car and woosh 5# of suppressant.  Easy cheap refill too.  In car systems like that are available (Stroud/Safecraft) but they are $500). 

Carl Berry CT. posted:

.....and I hope I never first hand experience the "distinct odor" of burnt fiberglass

Since my fumbling/confused response to the speedster's Hiroshima sized backfire, I've mentally rehearsed exactly how in the future I'd grab the fire extinguisher as I'm swiftly exiting the speedster and pulling the engine lid opening cable, all in one gracefully coordinated dance routine movement. But that cable 'pull' merely unlocks the lid; it doesn't prop it open....and I'm not about to stick my arm into an open fire to 'pin' the lid open!!!

Soooo....Does anyone recall the informative SOC Thread that details the selection and installation of what I recall were kitchen spring door closures? 

Also, is there such a thing as a fire resistant product that can be swabbed inside the engine compartment to temporarily resist open flames for the ten or fifteen seconds that it'll take me to initiate my choreographed fire-fighting routine?!

 

 

Ken Vela offered a latch pin that was spring loaded. It really is the way to go...

Mangos mod looked like a winner.

I have one of the spring pin gizmos on my engine hinge. Works well. I need to embiggen the hole in the hinge a bit so that it doesn't require 'exact' hinge placement.  What I really need is a spring to pop my decklid up just tiny bit when I pull the plunger.  Right now I have to wedge my finger in there and lift/pull at the same time. 

No fun.

 

Troy Sloan posted:

Stan Galat, '05 IM, 2276, Nowhere, USA posted:

Troy Sloan posted:

Carl Berry CT. posted:

.....and ouch!

That detailed photo slide show is making me 'double-think' the condition and connections of my fuel lines, and the electrical wiring...placement of the fuel filter...anything that feels damp or is smelly around the carbs....and 'search' back through SOC posts concerning that silly looking fire retardant hose that gets strung up on the underside of the engine lid!

Maybe I'll price out a much, much, larger fire extinguisher too. 

That "silly looking fire retardant hose"  can also be placed at the bottom of the engine compartment,  where it is pretty much out of sight.  It doesn't need to be attached to the lid.

Fires almost aways start in the carbs. The Blaze-Cut apparatus works when fire burns through the plastic hose, releasing the fire retardant. There isn't very much retardant in the hose, so its only chance of being effective is if it releases it's charge pretty early on in the process of the car catching fire.

Putting it low pretty much guarantees that the back half of the car is going to be fully engulfed in flames before the fire makes it's way down to the Blaze-Cut (since the fire starts high and burns up). At that point I'd rather the thing just burned to the ground-- which is a good thing, because that little hose full of halon substitute is going to be like peeing on a bonfire at that point.

I'd put it high, or not bother with it. It's a pretty expensive thing to not work.

I'm not too sure about the statistics of where fires typically start, but I'm pretty sure a large number of them start due to leaking hoses, filters and connections.  In those cases, the fuel drips down and is ignited by a hot exhaust or spark. 

In either case,  I agree I'd rather have the car burn. 

Ted, here's what I did to get my rear deck lid to pop up a bit when I pull the plunger. Simple 5 min job... I installed a small spring on the catch latch ( after drilling a small hole on the catch latch to put the spring through. , When it's released it pulls the lid up.

( the spring in the latch is just not strong enough to to lift the light lid... I tried replacing fit with little luck, so I just put an external one. .. 

Nice 60 cent fix!

+1

I'll be doing that next as my lid never opens up when I pull the release.

it'll buff out.

Mitch, from one poopiehead to another, your latch would've worked just fine if you hadn't spilled the red glue all over it...

Will Hesch posted:

Mitch, from one poopiehead to another, your latch would've worked just fine if you hadn't spilled the red glue all over it...

Will,

You've cemented your poopiehead status as that was Luis' latch and not Mitch's. In fact further proof of your poopiheadedness is that Mitch hasn't even posted on this thread yet. Now that you've called him out he might show up. LOL

Robert M (Not a Poopiehead)