Check your Fire Extinguishers Today!!!!

[andk5591]

Had an issue yesterday as we were leaving for a show with a car I bought a year ago....pancake engine and the wires between the generator and the regulator melted and started a fire. Fuel line almost burned through. Grabbed the fire extinguisher that was in the car and it was dead. Was able to get a wet towel and put it out. Damage is fixed and was minor. Routed wires differently to prevent this in the future.

FYI most are good for 10 years. There is usually a date code AND there was a recall on a bunch of Kidde extinguishers. (see their website) Going to Lowes later and replacing 4 of them - First Alert 1A-10BC for $19.97....
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D-Dubya Manx clone - 63 Short pan,1914.
Rosie 65 bug - My mostly stock daily driver.
Woodie 69 VW woodie (Hot VWs 7/12).
"John's car" 64 VW woodie - The first ever
Maxine 61 Cal-look bug - Cindy's daily driver.
Max - 73 standard Beetle hearse project - For sale
66 bug project - Real patina & Suby conversion
There's more, but not keeping them...

[busdaddy]

Scary stuff, good to hear it didn't get out of hand.
I prefer the ones with a gauge to indicate charge, nobody needs a suprise when you are counting on it. It's also a good idea to invert a dry powder extinguisher and give it a bump or two on the side and a shake every 6 mo. to prevent the powder from settling into an unsprayable lump.
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Rust NEVER sleeps and stock never goes out of style.

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[Glenn]

Dry powder tends to cake and get hard. You should use a Halon unit.
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Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

Member #1009

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[andk5591]

[Glenn]

[hitest]

Flame-cut mounted in the engine bay(s)- (so far only in my buses- because of value)

Halon extinguishers for me- in every VW

Spare Kidde Cs for the other guys on the road who need help- In every VW


I may drive on 20 year old tires but my fire worries are few.
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[pondoras box]

If you do use powder fire extinguishers, mount them on their side like shown in the picture from Glen. Take them out about once a month or so and shake them. this keeps the powder from packing up on the bottom of the unit.
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Looking for anything from Hal Casey Motors out of Hamburg New York, from license plate surrounds to matchbooks.

1961 23 Window (Bobo)
1965 11 Window (Zelda)
1965 13 Window (Lucas)
1957 Oval ragtop
1988 Cabriolet VR6 conversion
Plus a lot of other rusty junk

[ZENVWDRIVER]

I never had a fire - take precautions - but I once bought a '50 that had an engine fire - if it was not in a fire, I could not ever been able to afford it. So I was grateful for the mishap... felt sorry for the PO's loss - happy for my gain.
Have an extinguisher in my kitchen, at home.

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5/50, pastel green 11G - SOLD
8/50, gray 11A Beetle
6/52, pastel green 11C - SOLD
11/4/52, black Zwitter - SOLD to my little bro.
1954 Porsche, pre A, with VW 36 horse- SOLD
1/54, black 11C Beetle - TRADED
2/55 Iceland green Beetle, on a 1965 pan
3/55 113 Beetle, stratos silver
1955 Messerschmitt KR175 - SOLD, sadly
1960 single cab
1962 SO33, with SO 42 interior
9/63 Pacific blue, Ghia
'87 Toyota MR2
'02 WestFORDia E-150, GAVE TO OUR SON

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