Thanks Patrick.
I think my Saturday project will be to take the FE out of the trunk and
mount it!
Laura G.
Vita brevis est: rapide agite, vigore strigate!
----- Original Message -----
From: Patrick Bowen <pabowen@mediaone.net>
To: Laura Gharazeddine <Laura.G@141.com>; Dave Terrick <dterrick@home.com>;
<spitfires@autox.team.net>
Sent: Friday, March 17, 2000 4:45 PM
Subject: Re: favorite fires and extingusher location - long and huorous
> Laura, not a whole lot of answers on vandals, sorry, maybe you could move
to
> a better location. Question is where in the world would that be.
>
> AS for the heat, don't worry about it.. These bottles are extremely high
> pressure tested (some larger ones in the 5000 psi range) and they are
> tested to withstand fires! I would not worry about that at all.
>
> Patrick bowen
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Laura Gharazeddine <Laura.G@141.com>
> To: Dave Terrick <dterrick@home.com>; <spitfires@autox.team.net>
> Sent: Friday, March 17, 2000 5:06 PM
> Subject: Re: favorite fires and extingusher location - long and huorous
>
>
> >
> > Great idea-
> >
> > But still my big question is:
> >
> > What about vandels grabbing a FE from an open car and making mischief?
> >
> > Maybe I'm just paranoid since my car being vandalised last June-but...
> >
> > My other concern being the affect of heat (and the cockpit sure does get
> hot
> > in a so. Cal summer!) on the FE? Last August, on a ride through the
> > Valley-the outside temp was well over 100o, I had the heater on to keep
> the
> > engine at 3/4 -so, go figure how hot it was for me in the drivers
seat-How
> > hot was it? It was so hot, my fingers went NUMB! What would a couple of
> > hours in that sort of heat do to a FE mounted just under the glove
> shelf-and
> > so close to the source of much of that heat. Or even next to the brace
on
> > the floor of the passenger side seat. (That's where I keep my take
out-to
> > keep it warm on the way home, btw.)
> >
> > Laura G.
> > Vita brevis est: rapide agite, vigore strigate!
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Dave Terrick <dterrick@home.com>
> > To: <spitfires@autox.team.net>
> > Sent: Friday, March 17, 2000 1:50 PM
> > Subject: favorite fires and extingusher location - long and huorous
> >
> >
> > >
> > > All:
> > >
> > > Happy St. Patrick's Day! Our sports car club meeting was it the local
> > Irish
> > > Association last night, and I must say I've never seen a room so full
of
> > > fresh kegs o' Guinness! Seriously. We have met there for many years
> and
> > I
> > > have never been witness to EACH line being flushed, rinsed, and tapped
> wit
> > > the fresh stuff (never worked in the bar, though! :) )
> > >
> > > Now, the two subjects, from personal experience.
> > >
> > > The fire extinguisher issue is easy. Ahead of the passenger seat,
> behind
> > > the crossbrace. A standard 2a 5bc handheld will fit nicely and will
not
> > > roll around much in a car with later heats. Early cars may need the
> > > bracket. This was my preferred location when racing, as I could reach
> the
> > > bottle when strapped into the racing seat and harness.
> > >
> > > Now, the fires. I've had two, one in the GT6 and one in the TR4a.
> > >
> > > 1987. Kid has just turned 19 and is proudly driving his
rust-primer-red
> > > (several different shades) TR4a in the local solo II race - the big
one
> > that
> > > gets video taped, of course. The car has been, shall we say,
neglected
> > > (only had 55k mi, had been sitting, rotting in a damp garage since
> 1977!),
> > > but my times in stock class were good. I was into this (just the
> > beginning
> > > of my racing career) and flailing around quite hard in the stock
> > > non-retractable 3 point seatbelts and stock steering wheel, flimsy.
> > >
> > > The light switch gets flicked on in a hard corner. Several turns
later,
> a
> > > baaaad and very unfamiliar smell..... the rheostat has decided to turn
> the
> > > entire string of gauge light wiring into a kind-of-electric BBQ
> ighter -
> > > all smoke and glow but no flames.
> > >
> > > Yikes!!!! I'm on the far side of the course, and nobody had really
SEEN
> > the
> > > smoke (who would watch a rusty TR4a?). By the time the fire "had not
> > > started", the hood had been semi-pried open, the battery cable cut,
and
> > the
> > > better part of a 10abc bottle spewed under dash.
> > >
> > > 5 miles home, in tow behind Dad's car. Looked like I'd been dipped in
> > > pollen!
> > >
> > > (note: the car suffered worse later, but this was the escapade that
> > caused
> > > me to buy the 2a5bc bottle)
> > >
> > > Lucas1, Terrick naught.
> > >
> > > Round 2.
> > >
> > > Gimli, MB. One month to the day after the Big Crash at same location.
> > Sept
> > > 1998.
> > >
> > > ...and all that remains of the original GT6 racer is the tub. Most of
a
> > > parts car was sandblasted and epoxy painted as spares. Maybe 80 hours
> of
> > my
> > > time has gotten the car back together after "Last Rites" was given in
> turn
> > 1
> > > (The Healey has still not see a spanner thrown at it!). The car
should
> be
> > > happy, right?
> > >
> > > It's about 40 deg F, rainy and windy. Perfect LBC weather, if you own
a
> > > GT6. The car should be happy, right? I've just finished my final CFP
> > exam
> > > and am on the way to a Large Beer at the race track. Boy, Is Everyone
> > Going
> > > To Be Surprised to se MY Car here under it's own power !!! Am I
right
> to
> > > have thought that thought?
> > >
> > > Without a word of a lie the following happened exactly as told.
> > >
> > > Turning off the main highway, there is 2 miles of blacktop, then a
turn
> > into
> > > the old WW2 Airport racetrack - a 1/2 mile gravel road. You can see
> the
> > > track as soon as you pass the hangars - about 1/2 way up the blacktop.
> > >
> > > Aaaaah, home.... turn onto the
> > blacktop....2nd....3rd......4th.......what's
> > > that smell?!?!?!?! Yes, you guessed it, an electrical fire. But this
> car
> > > has a kill switch, so I did. Quickly. All that was lost was the
stereo
> > and
> > > the fuel pump wire.
> > >
> > > Yes, fuel pump wire. This is a Racing Car, remember. It came with a
> > Facet
> > > Blue top and Aeroquip stainless lines. And it needs electricity to
run
> > but
> > > the power wire is melted into little pools on the carpet (unfused
(read
> > your
> > > comp.prep book), a dead short turned it into a mini-welder). The
fuel
> in
> > > the bowls got me off the highway and about half way down the gravel.
> > >
> > > So I find myself arriving at the gate, soaked to the bone and freezing
> > cold,
> > > requesting a tow into the pits (now flooded). And I was greeted with
> > > surprise, but certainly not for the anticipated reason!
> > >
> > >
> > > The Moral of the stories? Street cars are not Race Cars. Nor vice
> versa.
> > > Even a Lucas fuse can be seen in a good light sometimes. Interior
> mounted
> > > kill switches can save the use of an extinguisher. And yes,
> extinguishers
> > > are messy but they work.
> > >
> > > Dave T
> > > Winterpeg (again, sorry to report)
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>
>
>
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