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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