Machspeed Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 I saw the below pictured truck on a Bullnose Facebook group and thought it incredibly sad. Man, I'd be devastated to see this happen to mine. Seems I've read somewhere that our trucks are prone to fires. If this is true, what are the typical causes for these fires? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 I just saw the same post. Sad! One fire starter is the 2G alternator that came out in '86. They, or the the connections thereunto, are suspect. But my guess is that a lot of the problems are due to fuel system leaks. For instance, some of the carbs have vulnerable places, like accelerator pumps that can leak externally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 I saw the below pictured truck on a Bullnose Facebook group and thought it incredibly sad. Man, I'd be devastated to see this happen to mine. Seems I've read somewhere that our trucks are prone to fires. If this is true, what are the typical causes for these fires? This stuff actually worries me a bit. In the past few years, I've seen a half a dozen or so Bullnoses on fire (via the Facebook groups). On top of that, I've seen several more on Craigslist for sale that had engine bay fires and were for sale for parts. Locally, I've also seen a couple classic cars catch fire randomly. At one of the car shows I was at this past summer, a car started smoking just parked...it wasn't even running. It was one of those late 70's Mustang II's or whatever they are called. It was clearly an electrical fire. Anyway... Something I've noticed a lot on the Facebook groups, and in pictures on Craigslist are rubber fuel lines laying all over the place...loose, too long, not fastened to anything, and just laying on engines, etc. I mean no offense to anybody on here with one of these fuel lines, but they are something that would cause me a bit of stress if not secured tightly. I now carry a new (decent size) fire extinguisher behind the seat, and I was thinking of adding one to the passenger side as well. Another issue is electrical. One that I've heard of that is somewhat common is heater box fires. The box gets filled up with leaves and debris (or critters, building nests), and the blower fan resister is wide open in there to ignite them. I think it's worth it to make sure the blower fan housing and heater box is clean inside. I think a good thing to do with these old trucks is to make sure the wire harness(es) are all fastened in place where they are supposed to be, and not loose. Make sure all grounds are nice and clean and the wires are in good shape. Sorry...I don't mean to sound like I'm preaching...lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machspeed Posted January 1, 2021 Author Share Posted January 1, 2021 Sorry...I don't mean to sound like I'm preaching...lol. No Corey, there's truth there and that's what I'm looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 Sorry...I don't mean to sound like I'm preaching...lol. No Corey, there's truth there and that's what I'm looking for. It would break my heart for my truck to burn in front of me. Prior to having the truck painted, I only had public liability insurance on it, which would pay nothing in the event of a fire. I reluctantly put Hagerty Insurance on it after having the body all done...and I say reluctantly only because of the limitations they put on the use of the vehicle. The good thing is that it is currently covered for what I have invested* in it. It's bad enough that the street value of the truck is only 1/2 of what I have invested in it...or if I was power ball lucky, maybe 2/3 of the value, but when and if I sell it, that is fine as it will be my choice and I'm OK with it. To see it burn in a parking lot and turn into $0 value in minutes would be a tough pill to swallow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Sorry...I don't mean to sound like I'm preaching...lol. No Corey, there's truth there and that's what I'm looking for. It would break my heart for my truck to burn in front of me. Prior to having the truck painted, I only had public liability insurance on it, which would pay nothing in the event of a fire. I reluctantly put Hagerty Insurance on it after having the body all done...and I say reluctantly only because of the limitations they put on the use of the vehicle. The good thing is that it is currently covered for what I have invested* in it. It's bad enough that the street value of the truck is only 1/2 of what I have invested in it...or if I was power ball lucky, maybe 2/3 of the value, but when and if I sell it, that is fine as it will be my choice and I'm OK with it. To see it burn in a parking lot and turn into $0 value in minutes would be a tough pill to swallow. I agree - I'd be really, REALLY sad to see it burn. I doubt I could get half of what I have in it, but I'm ok with that as I'm not selling. As for the fire extinguisher, I plan to put one in the behind-the-seat storage unit. But I haven't and must! On the insurance, I talked to a friend that is an insurance agent and he's researching what we might be able to do to get decent insurance but still be able to use the vehicle. After all, I built it to use so Haggerty is out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salans7 Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 I agree - I'd be really, REALLY sad to see it burn. I doubt I could get half of what I have in it, but I'm ok with that as I'm not selling. As for the fire extinguisher, I plan to put one in the behind-the-seat storage unit. But I haven't and must! On the insurance, I talked to a friend that is an insurance agent and he's researching what we might be able to do to get decent insurance but still be able to use the vehicle. After all, I built it to use so Haggerty is out. Judging by the snow, I wouldn't be surprised if it was a heater box fire, but it really could be anything. Rubber fuel lines terrify me. I've seen what happens to the rubber vacuum hoses in the engine bay of my Rangers, and I wouldn't want to see the same with a fuel line. Unfortunately with these old trucks, you have to be almost paranoid with checking them over. I'm that way with my Ranger, and it's paid off more than once for me. I also keep a fire extinguisher in my trucks, although you can never have enough of them or one big enough. A small extinguisher is rarely enough to put out a fast growing fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Judging by the snow, I wouldn't be surprised if it was a heater box fire, but it really could be anything. Rubber fuel lines terrify me. I've seen what happens to the rubber vacuum hoses in the engine bay of my Rangers, and I wouldn't want to see the same with a fuel line. Unfortunately with these old trucks, you have to be almost paranoid with checking them over. I'm that way with my Ranger, and it's paid off more than once for me. I also keep a fire extinguisher in my trucks, although you can never have enough of them or one big enough. A small extinguisher is rarely enough to put out a fast growing fire. Yes, a fuel-fed fire is really hard to put out. Years ago we were selling our house in PA and people called to say they were coming to see it. As it was in November and we had leaves down in the yard, I jumped on the mower to mulch them. Halfway down the hill I realized the mower was going left no matter what I did so stopped as I was being taken into the wild rose bushes. When I jumped off I smelled burning leaves and realized that the leaves had packed up under the mower to the point they'd not only lifted the front tires off the ground, but they were jammed up against the exhaust and were smoldering. And then they burst into flames, so I ran to get my fire extinguisher. When I got back, which wasn't long, things really "took off". In their infinite wisdom the "engineers" had put the plastic fuel tank directly above the exhaust, and sure enough the tank melted through. To borrow a phrase, suddenly we added fuel to the fire. And my puny little extinguisher didn't make a dent in the fire. Nor did the one my neighbor brought. Yes, in a truck fuel fire maybe the engine will die or be shut off and the fuel will quit flowing so the fire will be smaller. But if it is a carb'd vehicle you still have the gas in the carb. And there's all the other combustible materials under the hood. So a fire in a vehicle isn't going to be easy to put out. Oh yes, the people drove by the house and wondered why I was burning my mower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzFace2 Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 As for the fire extinguisher, I plan to put one in the behind-the-seat storage unit That was one of the first things I did shortly after my truck got on the road and it is in the storage unit. Also car shows I have been to up north you had to have fire extinguisher to be able to display the car and had to be by the left rear tire so everyone knew where it was if needed. Dave ---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 As for the fire extinguisher, I plan to put one in the behind-the-seat storage unit That was one of the first things I did shortly after my truck got on the road and it is in the storage unit. Also car shows I have been to up north you had to have fire extinguisher to be able to display the car and had to be by the left rear tire so everyone knew where it was if needed. Dave ---- Can we talk about the pond of gasoline I just noticed at the back of my intake manifold? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts