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I needed to mount a fire extinguisher in my car for high speed competition events. I used the one I had made for my C5, but it was pretty hacked up because of the way I mounted it in the C5 (to the seat rather than to the seat frame rails). I decided to make a new mount.
I bought a piece of sheet aluminum at Lowes's. It was 1/8" thick by 1-1/4" wide, 3 feet long. I was looking for a wider piece but they were out of stock. This size turned out to be exactly the right width because of the way the frame rails are made. If you use a wider piece then it must be narrowed to 1-1/4" wide in the area where it mounts to the frame rail studs.
This drawing is to scale if it is printed on 11" x 17" paper. Some things to note: The software I used to make this drawing will not do fractional inches, so the decimal numbers may need to be converted to fractions if you don't have a rule with decimal markings. The holes for the seat rail studs are not centered on the width of the aluminum. The 1-1/8" height is just enough, and the mount will sit on top of the carpet. I cut off the bolts and filed them flush with the nuts in order to prevent damage to the carpet. If this bothers you then increase this dimension. When I started bending the mount, I found that I had to start with the bends on the "top". I clamped the piece of aluminum to my workbench and started the bend by hand and then used a hammer to finish the bend. My workbench is too thick to do the "lower" bends first. The fire extinguisher bracket is not centered on the top of this mount. It has to be offset to one side for the nozzle and handle to clear the frame rail. The 12" dimension is rather critical, as the bracket sits down inside holes cut in the carpet and sound insulation.
This picture shows the mount with the bracket I used. The bracket is a Kidde brand and used to be available at Home Depot, but they no longer carry it. It's quite obvious in this picture that the 3/8" mounting holes are offset from the centerline of the mount.
This picture shows the fire extinguisher bracket attached to the mount. The bracket is offset to one side so the fire extinguisher handle and nozzle clear the frame rail. Some test fitting should be done before the holes for the bracket are drilled. I centered the bracket along the centerline of the mount. You may not be able to do this. I keep my seat all the way back so I have plenty of clearance between the seat and the fire extinguisher. You might need to adjust the position of the fire extinguisher bracket front-to-rear to avoid interference with the seat and seat rails.
I didn't want the unfinished look that would result from leaving off the seat rail stud covers so I notched them to clear the mount.
The finished installation. Note how the bracket is located side-to-side so that the fire extinguisher handle clears the seat rail. The gauge is on the bottom because I wanted the handle to the rear to avoid kicking it accidentally. The body of the extinguisher is very close to the end of the inside seat rail but doesn't touch it.
Thanks Cliff for the information. My son and I built mine today saving a bunch of money. Extinguisher bracket on Amazon for $10, the aluminum bar at Lowes for $5, four screws and nuts for a grand total less than $16, 2 hours of our time vs. $80+ online prebuilt. Plus the satisfaction of a job well done. Here's a few pics, hopefully it helps someone else.
Finished product.
before reinstalling the plastic covers (notice the cuts made in the covers to accommodate the aluminum bar), didn't paint the aluminum bar like Cliff did, still deciding if I'll do that.
Anyone want to make one for my c6z? I will do the install on my YT channel, Froggy's Garage, 15k subs, 9m views. Then you have the start of a "cottage industry" making them. I'll link to your contact info. PM me if interested.
Anyone want to make one for my c6z? I will do the install on my YT channel, Froggy's Garage, 15k subs, 9m views. Then you have the start of a "cottage industry" making them. I'll link to your contact info. PM me if interested.
Hence if you have to grab the fire extinguisher, a great deal of the time is to put yourself out first, and your trying to get it pretty much blindly with your right hand to start with. So as soon as your palm hits the bottle, you want your finger tip to hit the release tab for a pull action so you can pull it as fast as you can in the first place.
Hence it pulls fast, and if someone is over the passenger set, nothing for them to get tangle up in, nor a problem pulling it even with them in the seat (so you can put them out first on your way out, then yourself as your clearing the car yourself).
And lets face it, short of some sprayed oil, or a wire fire, most of the time when a C6 catches fire, it's the fuel line problem with lot of sprayed gas that is on fire, and if you think your going to put the car out with the little fire extinguisher, or even try (much less get the hood open with that amount of heat going on), the fire crew may as well bring smore's to toast off you when it all said and done.
I agree with Dano re: the release clips, I had a BK holder in my c5z and used the aircraft style (2 release clips) clips faced forward for easy access. Also curious if anyone ever had any success putting out their or someone else's car fire with that little tank? You would have to catch it really early/small I would guess. I put mine in the c5z because PCA events required. They are smart guys, right?
Bigger test for the slick type bottles, make sure that with the driving gloves you will have on, once you do get the retainer released one handed, you can pull it one handed quickly from the center as your fleeing the car at the same time.
Hence it's one of the reason that I like the wrinkle finish on the fire extinguishers, since you can palm it with ease to get a good grip on it right after you unsnap the retainer to pull it from the center of the bottle, even with gloves on.
09-08-2013, 04:53 AM
DIY Fire Extinguisher Mount
Nice!
