JPSC Forum

Has everybody seen this...
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthr ... tid=121622

Get an extinguisher fitted! Don't just have it on the "To do" list.
I've got a handheld one inside by me and an automatic one under the bonnet. It might look expensive but it's cheap compared to the damage a fire can do once it gets hold.
This is what I've got...
http://www.flameskill.co.uk/flexiTec-auto-systems.php

The vast majority of car fires are electrical in origin. The other big threat is brake fluid which if spilled on something hot (like a manifold) will ignite due to its relativly low flash point. Make sure your brake resevoir is secured (zip tie around it as a min' as that coming off in an accident causes the majority of post-crash fires.
The movies with thier expoding cars are a red herring. Petrol does NOT ignite without a spark or flame. So a simple leak will not cause a fire unless there is a stray spark or there's already a fire. It's flash point is far above it's vapourisation point, so pour fuel on a manifold and it'll just boil away. Once a fire gets established and melts through a fuel hose then things will quickly escalate. If you suspect a fire, get the fuel pump switched off quick!

adrian

Sadley this warning is too late for one Stylus builder who'd only just finished the build and put a few miles on the clock. He had altered the rear wings to take 15x50x235 tyres with 215's up front . Put various bulges in the bonnet to allow fitting the latest Nissan turbo 350bhp on boost along with all the right bits , intercooler etc etc , silicon hose everywhere . He went for an evening blast through the country roads when he saw flames from the bonnet scoop/ rear exit , got out quick and phoned the fire service but it was all on fire leaving little when the fire service arrived . Spent at least £15000 on the build . I'm always banging on to guys about getting the hot air out quickly not just getting enough into the engine bay . There should be at least as much area for the exit as the grill and scoop if fitted , in my oppinion

Having said that he's not really sure what started it but there was very little space in the engine bay when it was at my STYLUS garden party meet --- the orange car.

Thats the link at the top of my post.

adrian

Not the nissan man? he's spent a lot of time and £ on that build....

any more ideas on what started the fire?

One more reason i`d like to stay na as those snails get a wee bit hot.

Gutted for him as i know he was always planned to sel the car once complete, although it had a hefty price tag on ph.

This reminds me of a few years ago, i was testing a brand new Bentley GT at bruntingthorpe and had just finished a few runs down the runway at 180 when traveling back round on the retern road the engine started to stutter due to fuel starvtion and the check engine light came on, mt firt thought was she was out of fuel because at full chat they consume 26 galons of fuel an hour (Two flying laps of the nubergring and shes out of juse....... ) as i strted to slow down she got to 30mph and ka boom up she went. A flame shot out of the wheel arch reminisent of a scene from stargate and shot down the side of the car and over the roof. Now there is nothing like seeing the car your ing engulphed on fire to pucker up the old botty. Thankfully i get her stoped baled out just in time before she was a total fire ball. The cause of the fire wa put down to a ruptured retern fuel line which hhad been damadge when they stuffed the engine up into the body.
The fuel line ruptured spraying fuel all ove the engine bay and down the side of the car, as we slowed down the vapour with the engine bay droped onto the hot turbos and that was that NO SPARK was needed.........

Mark,

Wasn't it you that rolled a Bentley at Bruntingthorpe, or somewhere similar ?

Pete

Yep.............
I was trainimg at the time PC plod (VIP protection squad) and the driver i was teaching paniced during a high speed slalom and rolled her into the center section of Brunters at over 100, I can recomend OMP helmets as mine survived (sort of) having 2.5 tones bouncing on it as we fliped an my head was hitting the floor, unfortunatly my neck was nat as strong and broke two of the vertibra. The Fire was my fisrt time back after the crash and the spooky bit was it all happend within 30 yards of the roll over. I sort of guessed somone was trying to tell me somthing so i quit the driver training role.

Trouble now is i miss it, espeshaly the trips to the nubergring.