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Posted by: DEC Aug 2 2009, 02:58 PM

Today we would have a trip to a Beetle meeting
After a few kilometer this was happend....






only the hair of the owner is now a little bit shorter

Posted by: jsayre914 Aug 2 2009, 03:02 PM

sorry for your loss

holy shit, if that wasnt a kodak moment

Posted by: 1970 Neun vierzehn Aug 2 2009, 03:07 PM

Man, that's sad. Hopefully the owner is insured fully for that loss.

I hate to see a 914 destroyed by fire, somehow it seems preventable.

Paul

Posted by: roadster fan Aug 2 2009, 03:08 PM

That is sad! Glad the owner is all right.

Jim

Posted by: watsonrx13 Aug 2 2009, 03:09 PM

Wow... ... Glad to hear the owner is safe...

Posted by: Gustl Aug 2 2009, 03:10 PM

holy shit

any idea what happend in detail ??

very nice car ... a real six ??

Gustl

Posted by: SirAndy Aug 2 2009, 03:20 PM

Posted by: iamchappy Aug 2 2009, 03:27 PM

A fire system is cheap insurance and reassuring to have aboard. Looks like a
handheld may have been used first by the residue seen on the ground.

I hope you are able to save it, such a nice car i am very sorry for you.

I lost my SUV to a fire last fall such a helpless feeling watching it burn to death.

My 914 now has a fighting chance if it flames on.....


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Posted by: DEC Aug 2 2009, 03:32 PM

Yes a real 72er six
Mathias is fully insured but the lost of the car is very hard after
3 years of restoration and only 1 year of driving.
His heart is broken.

What really happend? Nobody knows

Posted by: r_towle Aug 2 2009, 03:34 PM

Send our best wishes....hopefully he does not scrap the car..

Rich

Posted by: hcdmueller Aug 2 2009, 03:54 PM

Glad to hear he is okay. It hurts to see those pictures.

Posted by: carr914 Aug 2 2009, 05:33 PM

Very Sad, especially since it's a Six.

However my views on saving what's left are less than others. The heat from the fire would affect the tensile strength of the metal that's left. Also the chemicals used to fight the blaze will start the rust cycle immediately. Not to mention the state of mind of Matthias after his restoration efforts.

T.C.

Posted by: McMark Aug 2 2009, 05:49 PM

OMG! My greatest sympathies for the loss. That's something that truly gives me pause and makes me wonder, have I done enough to keep my car 'safe'?

Posted by: SirAndy Aug 2 2009, 07:25 PM

Posted by: Johny Blackstain Aug 2 2009, 07:44 PM

That is just fuching awful! Glad he's OK & hope for a full recovery for that six.

Posted by: jim_hoyland Aug 2 2009, 08:43 PM

How did you plumb front the front to the engine compartment ?

Posted by: iamchappy Aug 2 2009, 10:12 PM

The kit comes with carbon tubing that i ran down the center tunnel then plumbed the nozzles in the engine bay. The tubing press fits into all of the connectors for simple installation.
I purchase my SPA foam system through Pegasus on sale for about 300.

A fire system may have been able to prevent the loss of a beautiful car like this.

I think the hand held extinguishers only buy you a little time until they run out.

I sure hope this car can be saved.


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Posted by: kwales Aug 2 2009, 10:14 PM

Looks like he tried to put it out judging from the powder on the left rear wheel arch...

If you get an extinguisher, a halon or CO2 is better. The halon is heavier than air and will fill the engine compartment if it is sprayed in.

Posted by: rick 918-S Aug 2 2009, 10:25 PM

Holy! I'm sad for him. That really is sobering!

Posted by: Ferg Aug 2 2009, 10:37 PM

I hope he gets a big fat insurance check and it comes back better than ever.


Ferg

Posted by: championgt1 Aug 2 2009, 10:47 PM

Posted by: ClayPerrine Aug 3 2009, 08:22 AM

Having lived through this, I have to admit this brings back some horrid memories for me. There is nothing worse than watching your beloved 914 burn.



Betty's 914 burned as bad, and it is back up and running. It was a lot of work to bring back. But seeing her car back on the road was worth it.


So.. get out there and fix it. You will regret it if you don't. If you need moral support on the repair, contact me. Betty and I have lived through it.

Posted by: dr914@autoatlanta.com Aug 3 2009, 08:54 AM

[quote name='DEC' date='Aug 2 2009, 01:58 PM' post='1198415']
Today we would have a trip to a Beetle meeting
After a few kilometer this was happend....






only the hair of th


What in the HELL is happening here??? This is the third burn to the ground 914 I have heard (or experienced) in the last month!!!!!!!! We cannot afford to lose these cars like this!

Posted by: 6freak Aug 3 2009, 09:05 AM

when we know what cause the fire then we can do something to prevent it ..tell then its all knee jerk stuff.someone keep us posted about the cause ...I`m very sick about the mans car

Posted by: tat2dphreak Aug 3 2009, 09:12 AM

man, this blows. I hope it can be fixed.


chappy, VERY NICE setup! I am totally impressed!

Posted by: Betty Aug 3 2009, 09:24 AM

When I saw that first picture, all I could think was "oh look... a picture of my car". It hurts so much to look at those pictures.

ABSOLUTELY the car can be fixed! My car burned from the engine forward through the passenger compartment. The windshield melted into the car from the heat. We had one hand held extinguisher that we used. It took two huge chemical extinguishers on board the fire trucks that responded, and half the contents of a tanker truck to get my car put out. The magnesium fan shroud had gotten hot enough to light off and they had to cool it down enough to quit burning.

My car has been up and running for many years now since "the incident" (we find it difficult to talk about still) and we have not seen any structural issues from the fire. The longs have not been reinforced, it gets autocrossed hard and it is a daily driver (the odometer is at over 325,000 miles).

Yes it was totalled by the fire... yes it took a few years for us to even find the heart to fix it up again... but yes it has absolutely been worth it. Like Clay said; if you need any encouragement, help, parts or whatever... let us know! We are all here to help if you need it.

It would have been harder to live with if we HADN'T fixed him back up!

Posted by: tat2dphreak Aug 3 2009, 09:30 AM

Betty, you and Clay are like the St. Jude of 914-dom

Posted by: ConeDodger Aug 3 2009, 10:24 AM

I feel so sick right now...

Posted by: Sleepin Aug 3 2009, 10:38 AM

This is terrible. The good thing is that cars can be replaced, people cannot! I am glad the owner is ok!

In case anyone is interested in Chappy's setup, it can be found here: http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productselection.asp?Product=2437

And Tangerine fuel lines http://www.tangerineracing.com/stainlessFuelLines.htm

Fire is no joke...

Posted by: Garold Shaffer Aug 3 2009, 11:01 AM

Both are TOP on my list for this winter's project

Posted by: RobW Aug 3 2009, 11:07 AM

Geez. Very tough to see and go through... Let us know how we can help!

Posted by: dw914er Aug 3 2009, 11:16 AM

I hate these threads


Poor 914... a 6 at that... a 72 six at that

Posted by: 6freak Aug 3 2009, 01:34 PM

I dont know all there is about Chappys system but seems to me that if the fire is below the engine tins it wont really do any good ..Maybe plumb something under the tins and above ... fight it from top and bottom.. if a fire bottle is all you have and the fire under the tins your s.o.l....Cause of this blaze may never be known its so burn up ...JMO
MikeC


Just looked at the pix again and it does appear chappy has nozzle`s on the under side as well ....good think`n sir

Posted by: mojorisen914 Aug 3 2009, 02:06 PM

The sight of that 6 on fire blows ass! I had a 69 Mach 1 burn up; it is truly enough to make you throw up. Glad to hear the driver is ok. Just remember: man made it; man can fix it.

Posted by: effutuo101 Aug 3 2009, 02:12 PM

that sucks.

Posted by: iamchappy Aug 3 2009, 02:22 PM

I have a total of six nozzles on my system - 4 on top - 2 below all are pointing at the stuff i worry about.
I went with the big bottle that can support this many nozzles, weight wasn't a concern.

I have first hand experience in car fires, pictures from last years hunting trip.


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Posted by: Garold Shaffer Aug 3 2009, 04:49 PM

Let me guess, exhaust from one truck cought grass on fire and took the other two with it? BTDT also. Watch a friends New 88 F150 4x4 go up in flames because the BroncoII a few feet away parked in tall very dry grass / weeds. Grass bust in flames from heat from the CAT I think. We were 3/4 mile a waywhen we smelled smoke and no one had a way to put it out.

Posted by: iamchappy Aug 3 2009, 05:53 PM

Lesson learned, dont all park in the same spot. We were pretty far away from it when they went up, I was deep in the cattails- try moving fast through that!
The fire burnt down 3/4's of the wetland area too....thats why we are standing well upwind of the fire.

Posted by: Rav914 Aug 3 2009, 06:58 PM

Thanks for the gouge on the foam system Chappy. Looking into it this week. Don't want to lose my cars.

Posted by: SirAndy Apr 28 2010, 05:37 PM

I met with Mathias last night.

He, Wilco and Tobi are currently in the US scouting for possible shells and/or rollers.

Still breaks my heart looking at those pictures ...


We spent a lot of time washing down the pain with good German brew at my favorite local dive-bar!
Andy

Posted by: pcar916 Apr 28 2010, 08:51 PM

Seeing these pix is so sad. This very thing happened to a friend in 1973 to his '71 teener. I had made a highway repair on the injector hoses by shortening and clamping them when two of them broke while we were on a backpacking trip in North Carolina. It got us home...

Where I made him PROMISE to replace the parts at the dealer immediately after we got back to Columbia SC.

One year later it burned to the ground in front of us at the dorm. He leaned over while the firemen were trying to put the fire out and told me he probably should have replaced those injectors. Nuts

Good luck with this project.

Posted by: campbellcj Apr 29 2010, 12:49 AM

Wow, very sad sight but hopefully it will be saved and returned to glory.

I have a 4L AFF Spa system and hope it would do its job if ever called upon...

Posted by: patssle Apr 29 2010, 12:30 PM

So what are the most likely causes for a 914 to catch fire?

Posted by: sean_v8_914 Apr 29 2010, 12:35 PM

I am sorry for your loss

Posted by: flipb Apr 29 2010, 12:37 PM

I would think #1 would be the old, brittle fuel lines. Are they the same on a /6?

(not trying to diagnose what happened to the original poster's car, just answering patssle's question!)

Posted by: GTeener Apr 29 2010, 12:38 PM

Hurts to see something like this. Hopefully there will be a rebirth in the future....like with Andy's shell

Posted by: charliew Apr 29 2010, 12:53 PM

I am not familiar with the fi fuel pump wiring on the 914 but on a lot of gm cars the pump is started by the ignition sw in the start position and when oil pressure comes up the oil pressure sw keeps the pump running. No oil pressure no fuel. I do think that the additional oil and stuff on the motor probably helps keep the fire going and then any magnesium lights off on a air cooled motor. I guess a extenguisher system should be in the plans.

Posted by: SirAndy Apr 29 2010, 01:21 PM

Just to clarify, they went through 3 fire-extinguishers but had no luck putting the flames out.

This was a normal /6 street car. I doubt anyone here has a full race fire system or even more than one extinguisher in their street car.

In the end, all they could do was watch the car burn down and take pictures ...
Andy

Posted by: RobW Apr 29 2010, 01:33 PM

So what's the best course of action? Fuel cut off, changing fuel lines every 3-5 years?

Posted by: Root_Werks Apr 29 2010, 02:23 PM

Is this 914 being rebuilt?

Posted by: campbellcj Apr 29 2010, 05:30 PM

I would say #1 thing is to check all fuel lines, connections, tank and induction system thoroughly and frequently.

Years ago I could have lost my previous D-Jet 914 2.0 due to a cracked injector. It was spewing gas right on top of the engine, over the heat exchangers. Fortunately an angel or something gave me a nudge and I popped the lid and noticed it before driving to work that day.

My current car is track-prepped of course so everything related to fuel (and brakes) has been replaced and upgraded, but "stuff" can still go wrong at any time.

Posted by: Porcharu Apr 29 2010, 09:21 PM

I hate seeing this thread every time it gets bumped - such a nice car. Exactly what I want mine to look like.

Posted by: charliew Apr 29 2010, 11:41 PM

You know I think about my sons suby, when we first fired up the new motor we ran it for about fifteen minutes at 2500 to try and break the new cams and buckets in and it was after dark. We were in my shop with the door open for the exhaust to go outside with the shop lights on and I put a fan on in front of the radiator and just happen to look down for leaks and the headers were glowing dull red, I can see how easy it would be to have a bad thing happen. I haven't checked any of my fire extenguishers in several years. I hate to say it but if it had caught on fire I would have pushed it outside before going for the waterhose.

Posted by: Cairo94507 Apr 30 2010, 06:24 AM

I have heard of 914's catching fire before and burning to the ground. Very sad whether the car is a 4 or a 6. I can guarantee you when my six is being re-built it is going to have an on-board fire system installed with sufficient nozzles to hopefully address any problem should there ever be a problem. Very awakening pictures. Hopefully we will all give this some serious thought. Very sad loss.

Posted by: SirAndy Apr 30 2010, 12:03 PM

I'm not sure. The fire has weakened the metal and made it very soft.

You probably would have to find a '72 chassis and do a VIN swap ...
Andy

Posted by: DEC May 1 2010, 05:38 AM

Posted by: cary May 1 2010, 09:21 AM

Weeping fuel injectors and aged fuel lines. The car I'm refreshing right now has both.
I'm refreshing the $1000 car my oldest drove thru high school. It will be my forever daily driver. Might think about putting in a fire system after seeing this. Both sons were taught if you smell gas. Don't start the car, call dad.

Posted by: DEC Jun 19 2012, 04:25 AM

The six is on a good way for a rebirth.
But the hunt for good OE sheet metal is the challenge.
We are on the way to get the last missing parts.

The engine will be again a 2.7S but now converted to carbs
away from the cr@ppy high pressure K-Jetronic.

The six is actual 60% done so I think it will be back on
the street in the next 24 months. .....hopefully

Posted by: porbmw Jun 19 2012, 07:40 AM

Nice!
Please keep us posted....
and of course

Posted by: Cairo94507 Jun 19 2012, 09:55 AM

Very glad to hear this car is on the way to being back on the road again. Hopefully a fire supression system is in the build sheet.

Posted by: SirAndy Jun 19 2012, 10:45 AM

Posted by: racerbvd Jun 19 2012, 12:10 PM

Glad to see that you are saving her...



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