TheSamba.com :: View topic - Anyone ever lit a Volkswagen case on fire?

Sat Jan 03, 2004 11:22 pm

I know a guy who likes to burn V.W cases cause the magnesium makes them burn so hot. He and his buddies like to burn old slash fires in the mountains in Oregon. He burnt several until one time he got brave and decided to shoot at the fire with a shotgun. Real redneck fun, shootin at fire. well he happened to hit the block and it shot melted magnesium all over his body. He was pretty messed. the metal was stuck to his face and the closest hospital was 2 hours away...

Sat Jan 03, 2004 11:50 pm

thats what he gets for trashing fine german cases! j/k

Sat Jan 03, 2004 11:53 pm

Yeah, the Full Moon Bus Club has a case fire at a lot of their campouts. But we all have the sense not to shoot at the fire! :shock: We have learned not to throw on a stump that was sitting in the rain, though... One guy was driving into the campout one night and ran over this stump and it bent his dogleg all to hell. So he decided to throw it on the case fire the next night. Of course, it was raining when he pulled in, and the stump was still pretty damp... Ever thrown water on a magnesium fire?

Sun Jan 04, 2004 3:14 am

I threw 1/2 a case (bad) on a fire. The fire dept came a knew what it was just by how bright it was. It had some yellow smoke comming off it, I would be careful not to breathe that shit!

Sun Jan 04, 2004 3:17 am

seen a few go up in smoke at FBC camp outs... shit studs in the ashes the next day..

Sun Jan 04, 2004 5:13 am

I once saw a guy set his case on fire while trying to weld behind #3. He dragged it to the backyard and dumped it into the pool to put it out. Only problem is that magnesuim doesn't need air to burn and will still burn under water. It burnt a hole through the bottom of the pool and did alot of damage.

Needless to say his parents were not happy.

Mon Jan 05, 2004 10:24 am

Anytime I grind out a bell housing or make an engine test stand. I have fun with the magnesium. I almost set my garage on fire one day when I kicked a burning piece and it exploded. Like you guys said they burn one at all the FMBC campouts and at high country a guy had a leaf blower to boost the effect. Add air and its like stareing at a weld spark. I have a tranny case I am saving for the small country campout.

Mon Jan 05, 2004 10:47 am

A few years ago at the SCAC (Salt City Air Coolers) Christmas Party, we burned a bad engine case. It was seen from I-15, which is a couple of miles away. When the fire department, police and paramedics got there, we got a verbal whoopin'! The fire department saw that we had the fire well contained and they left after telling us to never do it again. I could not believe how hot and bright that fire was.

Tue Jan 06, 2004 12:01 pm

Here is a link to the case burning at our halloween campout this year:

http://www.aircoolers.org/gallery/album239/138_3859

Tue Jan 06, 2004 12:17 pm

73fback wrote: Here is a link to the case burning at our halloween campout this year:

http://www.aircoolers.org/gallery/album239/138_3859

That's great! Looks like you're standing about 30-40 feet away. Damn those things are HOT!

Tue Jan 06, 2004 12:55 pm

[email protected] wrote: Anytime I grind out a bell housing or make an engine test stand. I have fun with the magnesium. I almost set my garage on fire one day when I kicked a burning piece and it exploded. Like you guys said they burn one at all the FMBC campouts and at high country a guy had a leaf blower to boost the effect. Add air and its like stareing at a weld spark. I have a tranny case I am saving for the small country campout.

I don't remember the case fire, was it on Friday night? I got there Saturday morning (went to the Journey, Styx, and REO Speedwagen concert the night before; got about a half hour of sleep that night).

Tue Jan 06, 2004 1:11 pm

It was Saturday night. If you were in the area you couldn't have missed it. It looked like 100 guys welding in one spot. Are you going to make FMBC campouts this year? Our club is doing one at the Outer Banks in NC.
I should hope Taylor K. can make that one. It isn't too far for him.

Here is our schedule. http://www.tidewatertype2.com/events/

Tue Jan 06, 2004 1:13 pm

Nice picture Robb.... :shock:

Tue Jan 06, 2004 2:10 pm

Mr. Electric Wizard wrote: Nice picture Robb.... :shock:

I posted it just for you :lol:

Wed Jan 14, 2004 10:53 pm

i know that at one of the earlier campouts that my club went to they threw old broken cases into the fire and some idiot decided to pull up next to the fire pit and set up camp. the whole side of the bus was warped and the paint was blistering because of the heat.

Thu Jan 15, 2004 8:56 am

[email protected] wrote: It was Saturday night. If you were in the area you couldn't have missed it. It looked like 100 guys welding in one spot. Are you going to make FMBC campouts this year? Our club is doing one at the Outer Banks in NC.
I should hope Taylor K. can make that one. It isn't too far for him.

Here is our schedule. http://www.tidewatertype2.com/events/

I don't know how I missed it, then. Maybe I didn't, but just don't remember? Either way, oh well. I won't be able to make any until this summer, but after that, I will probably make it to most of them. By then, my bus should be lowered rolling a type IV engine. :shock:

Sun Jan 25, 2004 3:20 pm

Never seen one burn, How long do they take to burn??

Sun Jan 25, 2004 4:16 pm

i heard a 1500cc case takes like an hour to start burning, but i could be wrong.

Sun Jan 25, 2004 6:54 pm

my65vert wrote: Never seen one burn, How long do they take to burn??

You know, with as many case fires as I've seen, you'd think I'd know this...

Sat Feb 28, 2004 7:35 pm

As a firefighter it is always interesting to pull up on a VW on fire. Especially when the owner is going ape over why his car is going up like it is.

P.S. You all will get to see more magesium fires now since the new F-150's have it too.

Scoopy