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St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Great thread. Lots of good advice offered and thanks to Mike for posting his findings for the rest of us. I have battery cables on my list of things to do. This is a good reminder.
I always carry an extinguisher in any car I own, a fellow club member lost his '69 427 coupe to a fire caused by a displaced positive battery cable, it had been in a repair shop and as he returned home on the freeway, he was being flashed by other freeway users, it turned out he was trailing smoke. Of course he stopped and the fire got a hold of the fiberglass and that was that. Total write off. If he had carried on it may have been ok as long as he had a place set up that could extinguish it, it sounds funny but the fireman who attended said if it ever happened again, head to a gas station (obviously not into the forecourt) as they always have extinguishers and supposedly trained people to use them.
But better to keep it safe by having your own extinguisher, make sure it is big enough (3lb or more).
I keep mine right between the seat backs just behind the console pad.
I installed a 200 amp ANL type fuse inline with the negative battery cable.
It's very inexpensive, I spent $9.99 for the holder & fuse. Just two mounting screws, cut the battery cable & strip about 1/2" from the ends and they plug & tighten into the ends of the fuse holder and you're done.
Replacement fuses range $2.00 to $5.00 if needed. It's a real sturdy heavy duty fuse holder definitely beefy enough for the car.
You can get fuses from 50 amp to 300 amp. I found it through ebay.
Got it in two days. I've been driving all around with the fuse and so far
nothing has gone wrong. If the wiring ever shorts again, I will blow the fuse instead of lighting up the wires red hot!!
HI, I am thinking if you would like to get some information about Glow Wire Tester? It can help you to determine the fire hazard of electrical parts and components subjected to malfunctions.
kaiserbud said: " makes you realize how the overlooked fire extinguisher is REALLY WORTHWHILE". Many years ago I watched a Vette burn up less than 1/4 mile from the fire department. The fire started small and could easily have been put out with a small fire extinguisher.......which the driver did not have.
Don't forget (or neglect) the fact that Kidde has recalled virtually all the fire extinguishers they've made in the last 20-30 years.
Search the forum for a thread with links to get a free replacement if you have one of these.
They shipped me 2 after I submitted my on-line requests using the serial #s of each. Once was in my car, the other in the shop.
You'd hate to have one of these, end up needing it, and then have it be a dud!
Don't forget (or neglect) the fact that Kidde has recalled virtually all the fire extinguishers they've made in the last 20-30 years.
Search the forum for a thread with links to get a free replacement if you have one of these.
They shipped me 2 after I submitted my on-line requests using the serial #s of each. Once was in my car, the other in the shop.
You'd hate to have one of these, end up needing it, and then have it be a dud!
Thanks for the reminder.
I still need to check mine.
kaiserbud said: " makes you realize how the overlooked fire extinguisher is REALLY WORTHWHILE". Many years ago I watched a Vette burn up less than 1/4 mile from the fire department. The fire started small and could easily have been put out with a small fire extinguisher.......which the driver did not have.
I take it you didnt have your extinguisher with you to save the day?
Now that's a good link Richard! Although I put side post connectors on my cables. But with a large batt cable running practically the length of the car, there is lots of possibility for a short circuit to ground.
I still like the idea of a large solenoid at the battery switched on with the key, with a small 5a fused constant circuit in parallel to run radio and ecm memory. Switch the car off and the batt cable gets disconnected.
OP was really lucky that he had a way to cut the battery cable.
Now that's a good link Richard! Although I put side post connectors on my cables. But with a large batt cable running practically the length of the car, there is lots of possibility for a short circuit to ground.
I still like the idea of a large solenoid at the battery switched on with the key, with a small 5a fused constant circuit in parallel to run radio and ecm memory. Switch the car off and the batt cable gets disconnected.
OP was really lucky that he had a way to cut the battery cable.
I know this is an old thread, but I just had a 66 catch fire at the battery terminal. Something i did use for the rest of the battery cables, to insulate them is the thermoplastic fuel line, like they use on modern vehicles. Just shove the cable thru it. If you need a slight bend, grab a heat gun, heat up slowly and it will bend. Got lucky on the 66 as it caught fire, just had to sacrifice the end of a finger by getting burnt when pulling the quick disconnect from the negative terminal.
05-14-2008, 06:59 PM
