garage fires?

[Jim Ratto]

Working on a VW always seems to bring risk of inferno with it? How come? I remember about 10-12 years ago, John Bates (stealth67) and I were roommates (separate rooms of course) at my place in Livemore. he had just put his E-War 1776 togehter or something, and was plugging last few wires on and hooking up Weber linkage and so on. I was going in and out of the garage, refilling the mug, and watching John work, and went back inside to swill more, then I hear a starter laboring and complaining out in garage, like it is trying to start an earthmover or something...then POP....BANG!!! Then nothing, then hissing aerosol can, then "rwuh....rwuh...rwu uuuh" starter is still mad at the world. More hissing...more cranking, then BANG, then the door slams open, and John's going crazy.... "Do we have a f**king fire extinguisher?" He's hunting around like a hound after a fox. We run out to garage and it's a-blaze. Remember this John??? I don't remember what happened except carb backfire and ether and K/N filters don't like to party. Was it crossed wires or dist gear in wrong?

I remember the day I took off work to run my cam in on the engine stand in the garage. April helped me lift it on the stand  . The neighbors across the street really thought I was a tweaker freak, wathcing me free rev that thing in the garage, and the stand doing the two-step on one wheel. It was like a dyno in out own neighborhood. Anyway, I lit one off some how that day, battery on floor sparked, lit up some fuel I had in a bucket. Good times.

[Donny B.]

I have 3 ABC fire extinguishers in my garage for reasons you mentioned.

[team97]

I have 3 ABC fire extinguishers in my garage for reasons you mentioned.

2 in garage and 2 in car (1 in front trunk and 1 in glove box) for reasons you mentioned

[Jim Ratto]

how about some good magnesium chip fire stories. Those are always fun.

[Rick Meredith]

how about some good magnesium chip fire stories. Those are always fun.

have you heard about the DKK beach parties?

[Jim Ratto]

how about some good magnesium chip fire stories. Those are always fun.

have you heard about the DKK beach parties?

no but between you and DG i bet i will

[Carlos De Alba]

how about some good magnesium chip fire stories. Those are always fun.

we were at glamis one year riding the bikes and the sand rails........some guys about 4 trailers down from us had some magnesium wheels on fire...... sparks flying everywhere 15 minutes later their entire trailer was on fire.  Everyone rush to help but no luck......... I should look for those pictures........it was a sad night but we had an awesome camp fire..........

[Jim Ratto]

how about some good magnesium chip fire stories. Those are always fun.

we were at glamis one year riding the bikes and the sand rails........some guys about 4 trailers down from us had some magnesium wheels on fire...... sparks flying everywhere 15 minutes later their entire trailer was on fire.  Everyone rush to help but no luck......... I should look for those pictures........it was a sad night but we had an awesome camp fire..........

surprised you didn't go blind.

[Carlos De Alba]

   ..............   

[Rick Meredith]

We'd always go to Huntington Beach... right at the end of Beach Blvd. Someone would have to get there early to grab a fire ring.

  So I think it might have been me that got the bright idea of lighting a VW case on fire. I procured a junk case from the machine shop out back of the auto parts store I worked at.

We had grabbed a second fire ring a couple down from where the club was at. Piled the case in with a bunch of kindling and started the wood on fire... well mag was a little hard to get started with wood so then someone brought out a propane torch.... after working with that for a while, we finally got the thing to light.

A crowd starts to form... 

it gets larger...and larger... one guy says you can see the glare from the mag all the way up Beach Blvd. 
We tried to convince them that a flying saucer had dropped it! 

then the life guards come over to see whats up...

they call the cops....

they call the fire dept. Fire dept.  realizes that water is not gonna put it out so they just let it burn.... it takes a long time for a mag case to burn out   

[Jim Ratto]

My girlfriend at the time (1992) wanted to watch me deburr a case ( ) not sure why. Anyway, I started telling her about the fun possibilities with mag shavings....next thing I know she's touching her spliff to the pile on the floor. She's lucky she didn't go bald.

[louisb]

My girlfriend at the time (1992) wanted to watch me deburr a case ( ) not sure why. Anyway, I started telling her about the fun possibilities with mag shavings....next thing I know she's touching her spliff to the pile on the floor. She's lucky she didn't go bald.

Sounds like a real winner there. KS mentions in his book a few cars catching on fire at the Bug Ins after a hard night drinking. Anyone remember those?

--louis

[sam P]

how about some good magnesium chip fire stories. Those are always fun.

  Don't ask!

When I blew up my old 1200 on the way home from the francorchamps bug show, I had a friend tow my car to his place, as I still was about 50 miles from home.
I had a 1915 engine ready at home, so I figured I'd leave the car on his front yard (he didn't have a garage) and come back a few days later with the 1915 and some tools.
Easy job;
It should drop right in and I could drive my car home, right? Not!
It was allready dark outside when I found out I had to clearance the bellhousing to get the engine in, and the only thing I had there was an angle grinder. I was young, dumb and foolish at the time, but I did now this wasn't the right tool for the job, and it could be a little dangerous. Nevertheless, I badly wanted the engine in the car.
So, grind away...
After 15 minutes of grinding and test-fitting, everything was covered in magnesium dust.
"Carefull now, just a little bit more and it'll fit..."
Suddenly, WHAM! I dissapeared in a big ball of fire! I had two friends there and they said the bright flare lit up the whole garden. I started running and managed to take of my burning overalls. Luckily the car wasn't on fire.
I however had severe burns on my hands and neck, and I was rushed to the hospital with both of my hands in a bucket of water, as that was the only thing that could take away the pain.
All in all, I consider myself very lucky. A week later I put the engine in the car with some help and drove it home. My hands were sore, shifting and steering, but driving my car never felt so good. My skin healed, and it didn't even leave a scar.
Good times indeed!  

Now tell me  some more stories, I can't be the only one in here this dumb!  

[Jim Ratto]

I knew there had to be a bellhousing story out there somewhere.... 

My dad almost did the same thing with his 59 single cab.

[Tony M]

At our old shop we did machine work - had a 55gal drum for chips - my dads partner came in and wanted to cut some steel - he put it on top of the chip drum and was getting ready to start cutting with a torch - i'm only 14 at the time and i told him that i would not do that - he did not listen and lit the torch and boom - a 55gal drum of mag chips went up with a bang - good thing the roof was about 25FT tall - the flames went to the top - the dumb ass got a bucket of water and tried to put it out - well as you know it realy went then - i came over and put the lid on the drum and it finaly went out. 

[stealth67vw]

Every damn engine I build, I put the distributor drive out 180. I should just start putting them in out 180 from the start so they are right when it comes time to fire it up.  Why did I have the air cleaners on already, I don't know. All it took was one hiccup and poof Weber Tiki Torch.

[Jim Ratto]

Every damn engine I build, I put the distributor drive out 180. I should just start putting them in out 180 from the start so they are right when it comes time to fire it up.  Why did I have the air cleaners on already, I don't know. All it took was one hiccup and poof Weber Tiki Torch.

John do you remember the original neighobrs across the street? When we all first moved into 1288, well before you moved in there, it was me and Flaugher and Russ...  The guys that left their Turbo 400 out on the lawn for a week, and some Q-jet carb on the sidewalk for a few days? It was every night over there, some mystery fluid running down their driveway and into the gutter. And the night they came over asking to borrow a gear puller in exchange for a dime bag or something? I felt like saying "uh looks like you've used your teeth before, why not this time?"
You know what I will just start a new thread about living @ 1288 Heather.

[Lemonade]

We'd always go to Huntington Beach... right at the end of Beach Blvd. Someone would have to get there early to grab a fire ring.

  So I think it might have been me that got the bright idea of lighting a VW case on fire. I procured a junk case from the machine shop out back of the auto parts store I worked at.

We had grabbed a second fire ring a couple down from where the club was at. Piled the case in with a bunch of kindling and started the wood on fire... well mag was a little hard to get started with wood so then someone brought out a propane torch.... after working with that for a while, we finally got the thing to light.

A crowd starts to form... 

it gets larger...and larger... one guy says you can see the glare from the mag all the way up Beach Blvd. 
We tried to convince them that a flying saucer had dropped it! 

then the life guards come over to see whats up...

they call the cops....

they call the fire dept. Fire dept.  realizes that water is not gonna put it out so they just let it burn.... it takes a long time for a mag case to burn out   

Oh boy, I sure remember that! We tried burning a Fuchs rim @ one of the Bug-In Saturday  campouts, didn't work; it just melted. That nite on beach was funny as hell! Let's do it again!

BTW-I like typing Fuchs!
Kevan

[nicolas]

My girlfriend at the time (1992) wanted to watch me deburr a case ( ) not sure why. Anyway, I started telling her about the fun possibilities with mag shavings....next thing I know she's touching her spliff to the pile on the floor. She's lucky she didn't go bald.

oddly enough there are pics of that incident on the net.

[Jim Ratto]

My girlfriend at the time (1992) wanted to watch me deburr a case ( ) not sure why. Anyway, I started telling her about the fun possibilities with mag shavings....next thing I know she's touching her spliff to the pile on the floor. She's lucky she didn't go bald.

oddly enough there are pics of that incident on the net.

  oh wait sorry this may be not VW related and it's causing the demise of the Lounge.

Ok, I did wipe my VW down last night...

[Carlos De Alba]

My girlfriend at the time (1992) wanted to watch me deburr a case ( ) not sure why. Anyway, I started telling her about the fun possibilities with mag shavings....next thing I know she's touching her spliff to the pile on the floor. She's lucky she didn't go bald.

oddly enough there are pics of that incident on the net.

  oh wait sorry this may be not VW related and it's causing the demise of the Lounge.

Ok, I did wipe my VW down last night...

I agree with Ratto........... Please Nicolas stop this teenager bullshit...  This is not a chat-room.........   

[The Ideaman]

My first ida motor was in 1981, and I knew even less then than now.  We had hooked up a holley blue pump and regulator to my 66 because the local shop didn't have a red one in stock.  Initially, the new engine ran okay with me watching the oil pressure gauge at 2500 rpm or so to break the cam in.  Later that night, we tried to restart the car, but the needle and seat wouldn't hold.  It coughed and set one of the carbs on fire.  I'm running around looking for the fire extinguisher, and my Dad comes over and puts it out with one smack of his hand.  He walked back inside the house, and comes out with a fire extinguisher mumbling about burning down the house.  The next day my neighbor who was into sandrails tells me the blue pump is fine, but we need a red regulator.  Voila, no more carb fires.  Scared the hell out of me.  Learned my lesson young.

[nicolas]

My girlfriend at the time (1992) wanted to watch me deburr a case ( ) not sure why. Anyway, I started telling her about the fun possibilities with mag shavings....next thing I know she's touching her spliff to the pile on the floor. She's lucky she didn't go bald.

oddly enough there are pics of that incident on the net.

  oh wait sorry this may be not VW related and it's causing the demise of the Lounge.

Ok, I did wipe my VW down last night...

I agree with Ratto........... Please Nicolas stop this teenager bullshit...  This is not a chat-room.........   

you mean i got up at 6 in the morning and post something all for nothing?
come on guys where is the Love? 

[Carlos De Alba]

  ..........   

[Jason Foster]

here I am reading about V.W. related garage fires and then BANGO an off the wall picture of some bald lady just pops in there out of nowhere having nothing to do with V.W.'s at all.   The nerve of some people   GEEZ.....

[Rune]

Car fires are scary...
First bug I had... (The blue 61 JHU  ) First thing I did was to put in a new battery to see if it would start. Just a couple of seconds after I put the kables on smoke pours out from under the front hood.. Pfsssssssssssss, complete wireing harness just gone. Prevous owner had been fixing some bad connections 

Another time, was going to move a friends car to another garage, 65 bug with a 2332 superflowed ex rallycross motor running Kügelfischer mechanical fuel injection (Never got that thing to work, anyone have any experience with this type of injection?)  Gets the thing started, jumps in and drives of. No decklid no plates no nothing, out on highway pedal to the floor (Only position the thing would run on) Me trying to follow in another car.. I see him about to pass a car and just when the two cars are side by side the beast back fires, big flames all over.. Air filters looking like blow torches. That was kinda interesting..

[Jim Ratto]

always wondered how the Kugelfischer would work if it would at all. maybe it is flat out only.
Cool motor!!!!

[Rune]

It seemd to be on/off.. But this was back when we first got into hi po VWs and had no real experience with it.. The motor had some issues.. Home made half assed linkage gave us hell, never like to run on all four for longer periods of time, spat oil up through breather box and so on... It ended up blowing a hole in one of the heads.. My friend still has the motor.. Now in parts.. The head has been professionally repaired, but restoring an old house, work and life in general occupies most of his time. Hopefully the motor gets back together someday, was a beast... Sorry for derailing..

[yvre]

Chris' garage fire. This one was not funny


This is what's left of the rust free 66 that was in the back of the garage.



Luckily he managed to save the '72. But it was very VERY close...

[Jim Ratto]

At our old shop we did machine work - had a 55gal drum for chips - my dads partner came in and wanted to cut some steel - he put it on top of the chip drum and was getting ready to start cutting with a torch - i'm only 14 at the time and i told him that i would not do that - he did not listen and lit the torch and boom - a 55gal drum of mag chips went up with a bang - good thing the roof was about 25FT tall - the flames went to the top - the dumb ass got a bucket of water and tried to put it out - well as you know it realy went then - i came over and put the lid on the drum and it finaly went out. 

good thing it didn't catch that pretty blond hair on fire, Tony. You'da been a goner.