Since I'm in the process of building my car, I have a potential fire concern and wanted to hear some opinions on the subject. What is prompting my thoughts is, back in May 2009, a good friend of mine was killed when his restored big block Nova was rear ended while he was waiting to turn left into a car show site. A woman hit him with her SUV, driving at a good rate of speed, and his gas tank was ruptured. Somehow the CAM 2 gas got into the interior of the car upon impact, at the same instance the back of the driver's seat snapped and the driver wound up in the back seat along with the gas. There was ignition and sadly the car became an instant inferno. Craig Leer from Mountain Top, Pa. did not survive that day. I think of him often while working on my car. My thoughts then move to my stock car building days when everyone was using a fuel cell and the rules were requiring that there be a steel firewall seperating the driver and the fuel cell. This wall was designed, that if the cell was hit and there was fire, it would give the driver some time to get out of the car. I am using a Jaz 16 gallon fuel cell built into the trunk of my 70 in the same way as my stock tank was installed. The cell is encased in a .030 steel can (also required by my old circle track rules) and the cell hangs under the car like the stock tank did and the top of the cell is part of the trunk floor. What I am thinking of doing is installing a .030 piece of steel up against the back of the rear seat as a firestop to the interior. I would need to do something under the rear deck with the same material maybe boxing it in but still leaving room for speakers. I would also need to caulk the seams with some sort of fire resistant material. I'm absolutly positive that, if this accident had not happened in the way that it did, I would not be thinking about doing anything to give me any sort of a buffer in case of fire. Not seeing Craig around this year during the holidays had me doing some thinking today.
Sounds like a good plan. I think that instead of steel though I'd use aluminum sheet. Easier to work with bending in tight places.
I have a 69.5 and have been meaning to do that for years. Craig Selvey has a template for a speaker board across the back seat, and it might work to cut out a metal plate to go back there.
I had to remove the entire gas tank well because it was so rusted apart and instead of rebuilding it, I decided to use a cell that I already had. The bail cap will not be used. Instead that aluminum fill flange, sitting on the cell, will take it's place and hook up to the existing rear gas cap using a neoprene hose to connect the 2 points. The cell will be vented to the outside and also has a roll over valve (here's hoping I never need that). With the higher compression my engine now carries, I need to up the octane and I got to thinking about the accident involving Craig and his Nova.
If you come up with a good design, let me know. I'll be looking for some material to make one out of. Good luck!
parents just added a metal cover for the gas tank of their jeep gran cherokee loredo. There was apparently a recall or something due to a lack of protection for the gas tank. got me thinking of doing something similar for the mav in the future. anybody else thought of just like a steel cover or something to mount around the gas tank?
The way I'm looking at it...if the impact is hard enough to rip the seat out of the floor then wouldn't the whiplash been enough to be deadly? I think it’s more of a mind game to feel safe. Would you rather get killed instantly or be burned alive while they get the Jaws of Life to cut you out of the wreckage. I’m sure the car being on fire would be the least of your troubles…it may be a blessing. I know I wouldn’t want to be a vegetable the rest of my life.
I don't see anywhere that I said "impact is hard enough to rip the seat out of the floor". If something was in place to give him any kind of a time buffer, he might have lived. There were people at the car in less than a minute and the passenger side door was still able to be freely opened. It happened right in front of the car show site and there were hundreds of people on the grounds.
First off let me say I’m very sorry to hear about your friend. If the seat snapped then it was a very hard hit. Who knows if this time buffer could have made any difference in the outcome of this tragic event. I still believe getting hit that hard would snap a person’s neck immediately but every accident is different.
The impact was great. I won't deny that. The entire rear of the car was crushed but the passenger compartment was vertually intact. The fire that got into the interior, upon impact, took whatever slim chance of survival away from the driver. If I was laying there with a dozen bones broken and someone was able to pull me out of that passenger door right before the fire engulfed the interior of the car, I certainly would be grateful I had that slim chance. I'm not saying that barriers should be built in everyone's car but I was close to this tragedy and I am going to put in this firewall for that reason alone. I have attached a link to the newscast video of the crash. A news crew was already on scene when the crash happened. http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=82851
i know at the strip you have to have a steel or aluminum "firewall" between the trunk and passenger compartment if you use a fuel cell.in my 69.5 i am using a cell and dont feel comfortable with the tank hanging through the floor like the factory one,so i put a "floor" in the bottom of the hole to mount the new cell on.then i will put a "firewall" on the rear deck and behind the rear seat. mashori just had to put in the firewall in his car to goto the track,he has some pics in the thread.
Thank you. I was going to ask the drag racers, on this forum, what their track's rules had about firewalls. If they stated a certain thickness or material, I would look into using that material.
First is my condolences to all those involved with this tragety. After viewing pics and tv coverage, that Nova had its rear bumper under the back window. that would of twisted all metal outta shape and thats probably what allowed gas into the interior so fast. That crash broke either the seat bolts(hold it to floor) or the seat itself to break enough to allow driver to fall back into rear seat area. Horrendous crash resulted in extreme shear pressures to metals. I don't think a metal barrier between trunk and passanger area would have help this time. Liquids flow thru any crack and when they are ignited the flames travel very fast. Again sorry for your loss, but what are the odds of this same situation happening to anyone of us. very high against repitition.JMO
NHRA rules state that steel must be .024 " thick or aluminum must be .032" thick. Good luck, I know it can't hurt to be a little safer.
I've always thought about doing something like that, they make them for vintage Mustangs. I think it's a good idea, either way.
