Sad day

holdover said:
I have 4 Model As a '29 coupe, '29 CCPU, a 30 AA SB and a '31 AA LB, all have both the safety fuse and a battery shut off switch. I park them in a garage with six other vehicles and I do everything I can so that a electrical fire will not happen. If there was an easy way to disconnect the battery on the modern vehicles I'd do that also. All the wires on the As have been replaced with reproductions, after I noticed that the 85 yr old wires were not in the best of shape. I have insurance on everything to cover value, but that value does not include the many 100s of hours that I have put into them, and at my age I don't have the energy to do them again. They are all drivers and not fine point judging vehicles so exact originality is not a issue with me(in relation to the safety fuse and shut off switch). I also shut off the fuel valve when I park my As and disconnect the battery via the switch, even if they will be left for only a few minutes. My dad use to say an "ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" This is how I do it, your mileage may vary
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This explanation is the ONLY way to be as an antique car owner, i.e.-safety minded in all you do , IMO !
Good for you. I only have one 'driver' , but that was put together with parts from everywhere. To me, it is no less valuable than a 500 point car !
First thing after sitting in my model a, is to reach down and turn on cut-off.
First thing that I do before exiting my model a , is to reach down and turn cut-off ....off. There are other benefits, like theft prevention, etc, BUT I've found that if a problem occurred while driving....like a fuel smell/leak....OFF goes the cut-off switch , then investigation of problem.
Has worked for decades and will never fail if used correctly.
 
Very sorry about your great loss. I hope you can re-restore it. My best to you. Thank you for sharing so we can share with other Model A's.
 
I think many should take a hard look at this and check all their wires, maybe even once a year, replace or fix what might need repair. This is like a warning commercial for us all.
 
1929 said:
I think many should take a hard look at this and check all their wires, maybe even once a year, replace or fix what might need repair. This is like a warning commercial for us all.
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Someone posted these pictures a while back. These "wires" are on the back of an ammeter.
 

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So sorry, Artimus! How many times have I gone out to the garage and seen my dash light on? I leave the dash light in the on position to remind me that I forgot to turn off the cut-off under my seat. A cluttered mind? grabbing the groceries? Gotta prioritize the cut-off! Buy it back. Sell parts or restore that beautiful car.
 
quickchange said:
Very sad to hear , too many fires lately when most can be avoided for $20, Put a master switch mounted in the floor boards easily , GET IN THE HABIT, FUEL OFF, IGNITION OFF , MAINS OFF , then exit the vehicle, simple , it won,t burn, unlikely to get stolen , How many of you run master switches & use them , I know I do, even with new wiring, ??
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I agree. I have a master switch, and I use it EVERY time I leave the car.
 
My guess is the fuel tank vapors had an ignition source (assuming no fuel leaks)... Makes me want to put insulation behind my ampmeter... Dang problem is the tank is ground... The meter should be totally electrically insulated from the tank... I wonder if getting shrick wrap might be snapped in the fuel tank cavity where the meter fits?

Also, for those who carry a fire extinguisher, buy a new one.. Mine's too old so grabbing a new one.
 
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mshmodela said:
My guess is the fuel tank vapors had an ignition source (assuming no fuel leaks)... Makes me want to put insulation behind my ampmeter... Dang problem is the tank is ground... The meter should be totally electrically insulated from the tank... I wonder if getting shrick wrap might be snapped in the fuel tank cavity where the meter fits?

Also, for those who carry a fire extinguisher, buy a new one.. Mine's too old so grabbing a new one.
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that and every connection should be soldered - no chance of corrosion build up in the crimp and start creating resistance (aka heat)

I do agree with the others that say the junction box is entirely too small haha. If it was an inch bigger that would be a world of difference.
 
Also a word about some early repro junction boxes, the live post (After a new harness we used a rubber gasket to mount the box) screws could back out and come in contact with the firewall, that happened in my brothers coupe and it burned the ignition wires out, it was raining at the time and water ran down the firewall on the engine side. We were on a trip and were lucky because when we got home some of the wires had no insulation left on them, just lucky I guess.
 
I've never had an insurance claim. Will they try to determine the origin and cause of the fire?
I'm curious to know what might have started this. Was there any fuel hose instead of all steal?
 
Here is the latest, I took the salvage price and will sell parts to my club members at a reasonable price. I did have a fire extinguisher on the shelf, behind the seat but because I only was going to be a few minutes I FAILED to turn off the battery switch on the floor by the seat. As I always do, I turned off the gas valve. Normally I ALWAYS turn off the gas and battery switch.
 
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