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Re: Fires - was "oversteer"

To: SloMoIV@aol.com, tigers@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Fires - was "oversteer"
From: Bob Palmer <rpalmer@ames.ucsd.edu>
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1999 11:54:51 -0700
Dick,

You and Mark share my general thinking and apprehensions in this regard. I 
hadn't heard about the vintage Mustangs though. Same guys who designed the 
Pinto gas tank I presume. Of course Lee would tell everyone to get rid of 
their Mustangs; he owns a lot of Chrysler stock now. The idea about 
fabricating a barrier between the trunk and passenger compartment makes a 
lot of sense (although it might make it even harder for Craig to install 
those pesky shocks). I think most racing venues require a fuel cell be 
installed and maybe the barrier too.

Bob

At 02:03 PM 8/28/99 -0400, SloMoIV@aol.com wrote:

>Dont' know about the MG layout, but . . . .
>
>Our Sunbeams (Tigers and Alpine III-V's) have twin saddle-type tanks in the
>wings, with a cross-tube just behind the lower rear valance.  The tanks
>aren't partially exposed, like the side-tank GMC pickups that have had so
>many fires, but I'm sure they could be induced to rupture with a hard enough
>side impact.  The cross-over tube is probably the worst risk, as it, or the
>hose connections, could be broken, or conceivable push the necks into the
>tank(s) in a rear-ender.  The filler neck is mounted high and to the side,
>which might lessen some risks (vs. the early 70's Ford Pinto for instance) of
>the direct rear-ender induced fire.  If I recall correctly, the MGB's filler
>neck is located just over the rear bumper.
>
>One of the reasons often cited to explain Chrysler's discontinuation of the
>Alpine were the then-imminent 1968 U.S. new-car safety standards, which some
>have said would not have allowed, among other things, the saddle-tank design,
>forcing a costly re-design.  Bye-bye trunk space.
>
>An aside: There was a Primetime news segment on NBC a few months ago on the
>original Ford Mustangs, pointing out the numerous times that fire had injured
>or killed the occupants after collisions, partially because of poor fuel tank
>design and layout, but also because of the lack of a metal wall barrier
>between the trunk and passenger compartment.  (It ended with Lee Iacocca
>telling viewers to get rid of their old Mustangs!)
>
>A number of Tiger and Alpine owners, so far mostly racers I suspect, have
>taken the time to fabricate a firewall behind the softtop well.  Those in the
>process of restoration, who aren't concerned with getting 100 points at the
>next concours for originality, might want to consider installing one.  If
>done right, they're unobtrusive, and offer the additional advantage of
>cutting down the decibel level in the passenger compartment.
>
>Dick Sanders
>Seattle
>
>
>P.S.  It would be interesting to be able to gather some real statistics of
>how many Sunbeams have actually caught on fire as a direct result of
>collisions over the years.  The reports that have turned up on this list in
>the past has been few, and often third-hand info.
>
>

Robert L. Palmer
UCSD, Dept. of AMES
619-822-1037 (o)
760-599-9927 (h)
rpalmer@ucsd.edu
rpalmer@cts.com

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