Prior to the below events, someone (71Shark) asks for an 11/16 open end wrench.  He is under the car, I'm working the tranny bolts from the top.  I grab the wrench, look to see floor beneath the balancer and drop the wrench.  I never was much of a pool player, so carom shots don't mean much to me.

The wrench caroms off the balancer, into the shroud and straight down (darn gravity) into Tim's (71Shark) forehead.  Two perfect indentions.  Of course, his wife has to come in about that time...

Somehow, I'm still not sure, Mike Ray ends up with screwdriver damage to his person.

So, the motor comes out of the car in about 2 hours.  After stripping the various stuff off, to include the fuel pump with the steel line from the carb still intact, the power steering pump, and the exhaust manifolds, they end up on the workbench.  Oh yeah, and the new MSD Streetfire Distributor, complete with wires is also on the bench.  OK so far.

The Fuel pump is contributing some fuel and a few vapors to the bench top, the PS pump is contributing PS fluid as well, and who knew that Mike Ray has been spraying PB Blaster onto the exhaust manifolds to loosen the plugs for the AIR so we can put solid plugs in and grind them off flush.  I had tossed some rags with fuel/oil/grease/blood/etc. onto the bench BEHIND the items above.

I go back to the block to pull some more stuff, Mike goes over to do something and Tim puts one of the exhaust manifolds in the vise to begin grinding off the plugs in the AIR holes.  Grinding tends to create sparks causing friction that generates pieces of hot meta that become airborne.  When these pieces of hot metal occupy the same space as the aforementioned liquids, they tend to react in a somewhat volatile manner.

Mike yells  fire in the hole, (Tim & I think he is passing gas again) yells it again LOUDER and we turn to see about a two foot flame coming off the workbench.  We quickly notice the nipple end of the fuel pump tube is alight about two inches down and increasing by the second.  Mike grabs this and puts it out, quite possibly spilling fuel on my left arm and side.  I reach in to pull the rags off the bench as the flames are down to about 8" at this point.  The flames light off my shirt.  Mike is trying to put the flames out on me with oil soaked nitrile gloves on.  They tend to melt.

Tim (Mike is the retired fire chief) grabs a fire extinguisher and hoses down the bench with dry chemical.  Now we can't breathe since the doors are shut in the shop. 

Once the fire is out, Tim says "I am sure glad this thing worked, it is only about 15 years old".

His wife sees smoke billowing out of the shop and comes up to check on us.  Luckily the fire was out by that time.

NEVER a dull moment!!!

Wow guys!! Is it Three Stooges hour or what?!?!?!   

So everyone is alright, right?? Glad to hear at least the garage is still standing and the vette is still alive!   

OH Pleeeeeeease tell me ya got video???!!!!
Wow...sounds like youse guys had a blast. Three stooges indeed!

You just can't make up stuff like this...glad ya'll all survived without killin the cars, the garage, or each other!

And people think Moe, Larry, and Curly are dead.

I do love those old Keystone Kops movies!!

Kinda reminds me of the time when I SUDDENLY found out that the starter motor wire was'nt covered. It just about welded an oil filter wrench to the thing.

Kinda like monkeys and a football...

Glad everyone is OK and no real damage.