Model A FIRE safety suggestions

mshmodela

mshmodela

Well-known member
Looking for the experts to chime in on a list of things owners should do to prevent tragic fires. Thank you.
 
have fuses and main disconnects on cars, dont leave oily rags in a pile, dont run heaters unattended in garages, have 2 fire extinguishers - one by the people door and one by the work bench (diagonal from each other). Dont weld/cut anything then leave the shop as sparks can travel a long ways and be smoldering for a long time before a flame will appear.

Dont leave things plugged in that dont need to be (like powertools, welders, drill battery chargers etc), dont leave battery tenders/chargers left unattended.

Best is make the mental checklist of things as you enter/leave the car and check them if any doubt. (key off, mains off, in gear, etc)
 
SeaSlugs said:
have fuses and main disconnects on cars, dont leave oily rags in a pile, dont run heaters unattended in garages, have 2 fire extinguishers - one by the people door and one by the work bench (diagonal from each other). Dont weld/cut anything then leave the shop as sparks can travel a long ways and be smoldering for a long time before a flame will appear.

Dont leave things plugged in that dont need to be (like powertools, welders, drill battery chargers etc), dont leave battery tenders/chargers left unattended.

Best is make the mental checklist of things as you enter/leave the car and check them if any doubt. (key off, mains off, in gear, etc)
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Plus 1
There are way to many things plugged in all the time now days. And a lot of the things are not that well made.
 
Something that may not be "common" with model A's and therefore may be foreign to most owners, if you use linseed oil for ANYTHING (a lot of people use it on wood) NEVER ball up a rag with linseed oil on it and throw it in the trash, or even leave it balled up on the bench for that matter. It WILL spontaneously combust. If you have a rag with linseed oil on it, soak it (and leave it) in a pail of water until you dispose of it.
 
Really, the cars do not catch fire easy if you build them right.

I watched a unrestored A truck with a farmers fixed wiring system have a bunch of wires glowing red while they went for tools to pull the battery. It did not catch fire.

If you properly install the correct good wiring there is not much to go wrong.

Then you have the people that seem to think it is normal for the carb to leak gas (up to a quart an hours maybe some people have expressed as normal?). That may be a fire hazard. Personally I would place any changes to the stock fuel system that add in parts that can melt as an increase in the chance of a fire. A minor fire will melt the part and now the gas tank can throw gas on the fire till empty.

Really the A was not known for fires. My guess is most fires can be traced to failure to replace or repair the car correctly and modifying the car.

About the leaking gas. I know of one person who thought a steady stream out of the carb was just the cars character.

So as I always seem to go. Rebuild the A back to factory and do not really worry about it much. The car will just work.
 
If your car does not have a fuse .... they did not have one from the factory!

Remove the ground cable from the battery BEFORE working on electrical wiring.

This is especially true of removing the dash panel (speedometer panel).

When removing the panel the wires are disturbed and if insulation is bad a short will most likely happen at this time.

I can tell you from personal experience that the car will burn to the ground before you can remove the floor board screws and disconnect the battery cable!

I was lucky that floor boards screws were not installed when my car caught fire in 1962 after removing the dash board to repair a leaking gas gauge.

Then install one of the fuse kits from the venders.
 
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If you park the car in a garage with a water heater or furnace it would be best to fix any gasoline leaks !!

I am going to replace the diesel oil furnace in the garage with a gas furnace that has the burner isolated from inside the garage. That way any gasoline spills will not be ignited by the burner when it turns on.
 
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oh and use the good on off $35+ click style disconnects - those cheap thumb screw green things that go directly on a battery terminal absolutely suck and cause many problems - not so much fire but starting, running, charging problems

also avoid the ol cheap plastic red plastic handle ones that harbor freight has - fine for a test stand but ive seen those get worn out, then the terminals get hot, then melt as its incased in plastic.

Also make sure you use star washers or lock washers everywhere for 100% connection and less chance to loosten up.

yes model A's should not leak fuel from anywhere.
 
Causes of fires & protections:

Defective Terminal Box. In the past, there was a reproduction terminal box that had the terminals protrude from the back of the box. Once installed, the terminals had the potential to ground on the firewall. Some of these terminal boxes may still be in Model A's today;

Deteriorated Wire Insulation. The insulation on original / old electrical harnesses and cables deteriorates leading to short circuits;

Garage Heaters & Appliances. Model As parked in garages have a habit of dripping gasoline from the carburetor. Moreover the cowl tank is vented to the atmosphere. Any flame source in a non-ventilated garage such as a household appliance pilot flame / electrical gas ignitor on a water heater / furnace, electric heater element, kerosene / propane heater flames have caused cars and homes to burn;

Ammeter. Using a 20A ammeter with an alternator may cause the ammeter to overheat and burn. Use a 30A ammeter with an alternator;

Wire Chaffing. See Figure 916 on Page 462 which depicts a potential short circuit condition for the instrument panel light.
See Page 462, Figure 921 which depicts a potential short of the ignition cable terminal on the popout switch.
Yet another wire chafing condition is depicted in Figure 929 0n Page 465. In this case, the headlight wire can chafe on a radiator support.
Refer to Page 468 of the Ford Service Bulletins. There are 2 brackets that mount on the interior side of the firewall which hold wires for the cowl lights and the dome light. Wires will eventually chafe at these brackets, so install round rubber grommets in the brackets.

Fuses. A single fuse in the classic location at the starter switch is effective when the engine is not running. However, it is safer to have a fuse in the primary hot lead to all of the electrical devices on the vehicle. Not only will this protect for short circuits when the engine is running, separate fuses facilitate locating a problem device / wire.

Battery Cutoff Switch. A great way to disconnect the battery when the vehicle is parked;

Gas Lines. Gas lines with sections of rubber hoses and an add-on filter add leak points in the vicinity of the exhaust manifold;

Loose Battery has a propensity for a short of the hot battery terminal against its hold-down bracket;

Electrical Tape. No matter the quality of the tape, it should be understood that the use of electrical tape as wire insulation is temporary because its adhesive will not standup to the operating environment of a vehicle. Always replace frayed / damaged wires;

Fire Extinguisher. Must be rated for use on gasoline and electrical fires.
 
SeaSlugs said:
oh and use the good on off $35+ click style disconnects - those cheap thumb screw green things that go directly on a battery terminal absolutely suck and cause many problems - not so much fire but starting, running, charging problems

also avoid the ol cheap plastic red plastic handle ones that harbor freight has - fine for a test stand but ive seen those get worn out, then the terminals get hot, then melt as its incased in plastic.

Also make sure you use star washers or lock washers everywhere for 100% connection and less chance to loosten up.

yes model A's should not leak fuel from anywhere.
Click to expand...


I have fixed 2 other make cars that the "green knob battery shutoff caused a fire when they melted

Having the fuse between the generator and battery caused a fire in my car when the generator cooked up becaus of the fuse holder connection--- most cars don't have a fuse between the charging system and battery

I consider the "dirty leg " fuel system modification a fire hazard if there is a accident with the passenger seat occupied--- too easy to break off with foot or knee
 
A CARBURETOR AIR FILTER can collect any gas drippings and store them until the right moment.
Plastic after-market fuel filters anywhere near the exhaust manifold can melt and Boom.

Not shutting the fuel off, or having a defective turn-off switch can permit, with a stuck float to fill your garage with fuel or fumes.
 
The cheap repro battery hold down frame is a hazard. I bought a roadster that had that piece of crap, and it warped up enough to contact the negative battery connector, and the resulting arc melted the top of the battery and it caught fire. Luckily I had a fire extinguisher and extinguished the fire. I removed the hold down frame and threw it away. Good thing the floorboard was not screwed down.
I always stay in the shop at least half an hour after welding or grinding.
I always unplug all equipment and extention cords after use.
Fire extinguishers in every vehicle, in the shop, by the parts cleaner, and in the kitchen. (I am the cook!)
 
3.6rs said:
I didn't know that:confused:
What is the reason for that ?
Click to expand...
I don't know why. I build flintlock rifles for years and linseed oil is a common finish for them. I know of a couple guys that have had it happen but caught it before doing any real damage. It MAY only be with certain materials (cotton perhaps?), this I don't know but no point in taking a chance. For some reason it will create it's own heat until it gets hot enough to combust. More than a few shops have burned down because of it in the past.
 
See POST #11 above "Wire Chaffing".

The dome light / wiper motor wire on '29s is routed up the passenger side "windshield post". I have seen wire chaff at top of post where the wire makes a 90 degree turn ... exits and goes over towards the driver's side wiper motor.
 
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I like this setup, I found on EBAY Fire_E_sleve.jpg
Fire_E_sleve.jpg

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The nec requires arc fault circuit breakers on all new homes except in Michigan the Mrc does not require it but it is the first electrical device that constantly monitors the wiring of the whole circuit including what may be plugged into the socket you can add them on to older electrical panels and as long as your wiring is in good reliable condition it will protect,the wiring in existing home with circuit breakers. A good electrical system in anyone home is important in preventing fires
 
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