Came out from Walmart (got a subway sandwich) to see a fire truck in the parking lot huuum right ? Kept walking to my car, which I always park a mile away from others. Well It was my car! All I saw was the hood bent into a pretzel and the windows all black with smoke damage. Water everywhere being sprayed throughout the car. The right side of the dash area i was told was the starting point. The fire melted the paint and most everything inside the car. It also entered the gas tank area melting a lot of stuff. The passenger door gap has narrowed and that can't be good. The windshield cracked along with the gauges seem to be melted. I really can't bring my self to investigate the damage yet as my stomach is notated up 24/7 since it happened. I do have Hagerty insurance but this is the last thing I thought would ever happen. I am waiting to here from the adjuster and I have the car in my garage because this is where it was built. I wonder how the steel in that corner of the car has been effected ?

Ouch! So sorry!
I don't think that will buff out.

sorry to hear about this. once you get over the shock, please keep us posted as to what may have happened. hopefully, our communal knowledge can prevent this from happening to someone else.

I am so sorry to hear this.

Wow....that sucks!!

Sorry for your loss.

i have no words......

Wow, Sorry to hear that! Let us know if you need anything!

sorry to see this!

looks like some old wiring may be the cause?

some times it is the little things : (

jim

Another 914 burns.
It's been a rough year for these little cars.

Good luck with the insurance and I hope you are able to rebuild.

Zach

That is a real shame. Sorry for your loss. Yes, please keep us abreast of the root cause so that we can all be smarter from it.

Andys

There have been a lot of fires lately.

That sucks. I hope insurance will take care if it for you.

I like this idea of the fuse block off of the battery and am going to put one in my car. see here

Ughhh god thats rough, sorry to see and hope the insurance comes through for you!

That's a nightmare. Time to up my insurance :/

That really sucks. I hope the insurance company does you justice.
Read the thread on here that was started in the last few weeks about what to do BEFORE seeing the adjuster.

AND, it seems that ALL of us should consider a battery cutoff switch like in all of our race-cars.

That would have even helped when a previous fire victim said that his car restarted by itself while on fire.....

Stu

OMG! So sorry to see that. Thank goodness you have good insurance. I hope you are made whole again.

You must be in shock, i am very sorry this happened to you and your car.

Holy crap! So sorry!

Those pictures make me want to cry and it's not even my car. Sorry this happened!

Sucks!

CRAP!

Be Safe and pass on any discoveries.

My condolences.

Sorry to hear of you loss. Did you have stated value through Hagerty?

It looks like a check is coming if you do!

Just spotted this. Even though you have Hagerty you should still do your home work. Fires suck.

Damn brother. Just. . . damn.

I am meeting tomorrow with someone connected with Hagerty. I get the impression he's not a adjuster. He said he's hired by Hagerty ? I'm not sure what going on. I do have a stated value maybe 30K or so. Building a car like this takes time and time and time and more time.

That's just terrible! Sorry

Hi drive-ability:

DAMN!! I'm sick to see what the fire did to your car....And what the Firemen TWITS did while puttin it out!!

I know they were trying to save your car, but DAMN, couldn't they pop a door and pull the hood release? Must have been way too much thinking for them...
and then they couldn't use their FIRE AXES.

As another V8 conversion owner, I know how much work, $$ and love go into our cars. I'm hoping Haggerty does well by you! Be sure to let them know that you have the ear of a LOT of 914 owners (and customers).

Be sure to let us know!

Terry

One of two guys, either a fraud investigator or independent auto physic damage appraiser or both. Do your home work. Get your comps in order in the event he is an appraiser. Some of them know old cars specially working for Hagerty, some don't.

Settle it quickly and use the money to buy both the original/6 AND the converted /6 that just got discovered in Oregon. Double your fun.

Read the policy carefully. I thought they had a "drive to events only" clause on their classic insurance.

Eric is hitting on all cylinders for sure. Definitely read the policy before the meeting to make sure you are aware of all of the clauses, conditions, limitations, etc.

Secondly, when it comes to giving taped statements re the claim, don't get talkative. Something like "I drove the car to these store and parked to go inside and shop. I was in the store for XX minutes. When I came out, I saw the fire department had put out a fire in my car. I have no idea what caused the fire. I am extremely upset over this. Thank you".

Best wishes.

They were putting out a fire. They're the guys who rush into burning buildings to save people. It's not fair to ask them to risk their lives any more than necessary to do their job.

That sucks. Hope there is something positive to come from this.


As to the wiring. I think many of us need to examine our wiring and electrical systems. These cars are 40 years old and they they weren't designed with the comprehensive electrical systems like our modern cars. Things get worn, resistance increases, grounds get corroded, connections fail, etc. If you want these cars to last the next 40 years, examine and update your electrical system.

Word. Where were you headed after Walmart? Local car show? Club event? Better think that one over carefully and be able to prove what you say.

Wow! really sorry about that.

keep us posted , i am interested in the dealing with Hagarty, as i just switched last year to them.

I know they have the option for declaring a -"to event only" type.
I recall this when filling out the policy application, and i was very specific to delcare that i was driving my car weekly and not just to and from events. But i am going to verify this asap when i go to re-evaluate my declared value, as i have made many changes on the restoration, which is muchmore thanwhat i paid.

hope they are reasonable on that. but most will go by the policy as stated.

phil

I just made some adjustments to the clutch, lubed the shift linkage and T.O. bearing. Was driving to evaluate my work. I was on my way home and stopped to get a subway coke (in Walmart) for the drive home.


*** Unfortunately I had a recorded phone call and don't remember If I mentioned the work I was checking. Insurance co. just looking for a way out first before covering things like this..

That sucks man. I had a close call with some wiring on mine. Didn't get to the point of flames. Just a fair amount of smoke before I got the battery cables off. Scared the crap out of me as it wasn't on wheels. Could have taken my barn/shop up with it .

I hope everything goes okay with the insurance. Hopefully you can rebuild it. If you just want to start with a new car. I might be interested in it for parts. REally just hope you have a semi happy ending

I really feel bad for you. Really, but this happens all the time. "Specialty Car Insurance Companies" are just that. We've had this conversation here before. It's a contract of insurance. Insurance carriers exclude things in the policy to reduce their exposure. In exchange for the things they restrict they lower the premium. Read your policies people. Know your coverage, limits and exclusions. Your company is never trying to get out of paying anything. That is bad faith. As I have done in other threads on insurance I challenge anyone to present a case where an auto carrier has intensionally not paid a claim where an inforce policy meeting the coverage requirements existed.

Should they have misunderstood your reason for having the car out that day or failed to ask for the details and restrict coverage, you'll need to be more specific about your work earlier in the day if you think that will clear things up.

Keep us posted. I was thinking about getting Hagerty next year. It will be interesting to know how this goes.

Terrible loos. I feel your pain brother. I totaled my Cobra 3 weeks ago tomorrow and am currently doing the dance with my insurance company (not Hagerty). If you have "Stated value" you're golden. No appraisal, no negotiation, just write the check. Be careful with that "events only" thing.

Your car will obviously be declared a total loss, even if it's rebuildable and the insurance company will lay claim to it before finalizing the settlement. This is where you might want to do a little negotiating IF you intend to continue in your teener ways. You have a highly specialized car that most salvage companies find little value in. You, however have a unique perspective and can find value where a salvage company cannot. Make a lowball offer and see what happens.

Tom

Uh...I was on the way to my mechanic / car meet and just stopped to pick up a six pack some Cola....

I am bummed for you. I have a black V8 too so it scares the hell out of me. Did the fire dept give you an idea as to the cause. I am sure the insurance company may send an investigator to look at it for a cause and origin determination.

You know the bright side is that it happened in an open parking lot and not in your garage where it could have caught the house on fire.

Anyway, I can only imagine how you feel. Keep us posted on the final results.

EXACTLY!

Best wishes for a speedy recovery
Yours was one of my favorite conversions

Rick,
I do agree with your basic statements about insurance. It is all about the contract.

The fire department suggested it was electrical but wouldn't state it as fact. That's understandable given there main concern was putting out the fire. One thing bad about having a custom car is things are different, like my front trunk opens with an electric switch thus the use of a 6 foot crow bar on the hood. Effective but sure did a ton of damage to the hood and body around the sealing area. I am great-full for there being no injury's to anyone. I understand a guy from a tire shop saw the fire and ran over with a powder fire extinguisher. The powder is nasty stuff, he said the fire department took maybe 10 minutes longer to get there. The guy said the powder extinguisher didn't do the job to well. The fire department pumped a million gallons of water on the flames and that put it out. I didn't see all of this really, can't remember where I entered the seen. I did find out my passenger door gap has narrowed. That can't be good. Maybe the heat in that corner changed some things around a bit. Looks like the wiring under the dash is toast, my 200 mph speedometer is melted as well as my gps, edelbrock fuel computer among other things. The dash is gone and the horn button melted. The passenger seat is toast and the driver seat is not looking to well ether. Well I would like to keep the car but the body worries me due to the heated metal that connects the frame rails to the shock tower.

My condolences for your loss. Best wishes in dealing with your insurance company.

-Stephen