First, I'm glad you and the 'bird are ok. That is very repairable damage, although that doesn't make it any less frustrating!

Having had an oil fire in the engine compartment last year during the GG autocross, I can attest to the importance of having an extinguisher at quick disposable. So much so that after that event, I ordered a second one. I now have 2 inside of TOW, one behind each seat attached to the rollbar. I can't find a picture at the moment, but this is what I used to attach them.

http://ok4wd.com/media/catalog/produ...exmntdor_1.jpg

Given how that mount works, I think it could be attached to about anything with the 2 holes in the base, although I use stainless bands to attach to the rollbar.

Also, I have a Halotron extinguisher. I do not remember the details at the moment, but the different extinguishers are designed to tackle different types of fires. As I recall, the Halotron is a clean agent that doesn't leave residue (ie: much easier cleanup) and is designed to target chemical fire moreso than a material on fire.

Point being... Don't just buy the cheapest product you can find, as some may not be good for the type of fire we are most likely to experience. This is a place that research can be time well spent!

Jay, keep us posted on what you find, although there may not be enough evidence left to get a good answer. Oil and gas fires are no joke!!! At the COTA event I attended earlier this year, there was a car that burned to the ground due to a gas fire. He pulled the extinguisher system as he got out, but a fuel like ruptured and just kept feeding it. Scary!

Gasbag and others have good posts here.


Something I learned from my "big" boat days..... Wires should be fastened every 6 INCHES..... so they can't chafe. Think about that small little shielding -- and as you drive it's vibrating with every little bump.

Ditto fuel and brake lines --- fasten the damn things so they can't vibrate and crack! Stainless steel isn't very good at "vibration".

Inside that shielding is copper wire.... wiggle that a few times and see how long it goes before it breaks... then that break creates high resistance.... If I recall 8th grade shop class... a toaster is "high resistance". :>)

Thanks Bryan and Greg and others for the posts. I got lucky and was prepared.

Glassman, I am beginning to chalk this one up to the light brown wire from the tank. The shielding vibrating, chafing, getting hot, melting away, and then coming into contact with the fuel filler neck to the tank creating the ignition source. I am not sure I will ever know for sure but it has to be replaced. I will post a pic of what the wire looks like now after I can get it loaded.

Time to start thinking about some mods to the wire routing, exhaust, a different style gas cap/fuel filler neck, and what I might do with the paint on the back of the car.

In a sick sort of way a repair becomes a new project. I think you guys all get what I am saying. We all seem to have the same illness.

Wow that was a good save. A little more time and that would have been 1 Hot Bird

Scary. God I hate these posts. And they also bring me fear to put my car in the garage (that is underneath the living room) once it's done.

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps3797f07e.jpg

at the 7 sec mark you can see my fire extinquisher mounted to the seat. The drake seat mount are too big so i shaved them and redrilled. The only downside i see is the fact that i probally have $400 to $500 into the setup. If i ever have to use it I'm sure it will save me a lot more than that. I pray i never have too

https://www.facebook.com/randy.dicke...0907897323766/

heres another look of it
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...820_204804.jpg

I also mounted one in the drivers side trunk. This is one thing i researched and wanted to make sure that if i had a issue putting out a fire wouldn't cause more issues.

heres the one in the trunk

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...0_204821_1.jpg

Jay thank god you caught it in time!

Let's not forget extinguishers in the house and garage, either :thumbsup:

No kidding TC.

A friend of mine lost his 69 camaro to a fire yesterday... David Hamilton if anyone else knows him. They were welding rear sway bar brackets to the frame, caught it on fire and the car and his friends shop they were working in were a total loss.

It's sickening... scary... and totally preventable with a little bit of safety preparedness. How many times have any of us skipped a safety step or two in the sake of time? I know I have...