Let me set this up I did the financial (transfer of money etc) between my bother in law and this Professor for a 53 Buick Woody.  The wood is shot but everything is there.   So during that time we share a lot of chit chat.  This is what he just sent me

" Well.....  hopefully you can relate:   

I wanted to flush the radiator and the engine of years of gunk.  So I drained the crank case....    put some radiator flush and crankcase cleaner in the crank and two quarts of Mystery Oil....    brought in a battery and figured.... hmmmmm.  

I wonder if I can start it given that all this stuff wants the engine to run for 10 minutes.      

I found an old volvo fuel pump....   hooked it all up to a 5 gallon can of gas....  let it run for about 30 seconds...   and low and behold... stepped on the gas pedal and the thing started.   I put it in gear...  drove out to the end of the drive way and the car died.   

Ok.   SO far so good.        I hooked up the fuel pump for five seconds and got back in the car.   Stepped on the gas....   couldn't start....  tried again and the engine "coughed".    Like a small back fire.    

Five seconds later...  the car was engulfed in a fire ball of flame.   Seems the wire for the fuel pump touched the car body in a point of contact and kept running.     

So... there is nothing worse than sitting in a burning car ... a woody no less and seeing it all go up in one horrendous fireball. 

SO I managed to get out...  run up the drive way....  turn on the hose.....   (( don't put water on a gas fire right?)     and within about 30 seconds...   put the damn fire out.  Including the driveway itself.         

Much to my surprise... there was no damage and the engine is now much cleaner.    Huh.   And it starts really easy now!!!   Who would have guessed?     

SO....   I unhooked everything once I drained everything out.... and drove it back into the garage.    And decided to go take a nap.    

Fortunately my wife was out of town....   so I wasn't scolded and there was no one to see me look like a complete idiot and fool.   

I seem to have gotten away with it.   

I don't suppose that is what the directions meant by ... let the engine warm up for 10 minutes and then drain fluids.   

DO you?" 

Is this for real...............YIKES!

Eye kin relate....
I had an '82 Eldorado burn down in my driveway....I had just driven home, and went around back to look for a trailer hitch I thunk I had. By the time I got back around front, prolly 5 minutes at the most, the car was nuttin but a fireball....
Never did determine what caused it(really dint care, either), but always suspected an electrical issue. But, it was fun spraying water on it after emptying a fire extinguisher on the engine.....que sara-sara....

So Gil...was the Burick salvageable after that?

Joel
Said it was mostly his pride and driveway that got hurt.  Nothing substantial burned in the car.   It seems that it was more of a flash fire and did not really catch anything on fire.

You know the steel on those old cars could take some abuse. 

I gave the document to my brother in law (previous owner).  He told me that before they sold it they used diesel fuel to clean off the engine and it did a good job just left everything with a little shine.  I'm guess now it was the diesel fuel that burn off and that there was not enough on the engine to cause any real trouble.

That story reminded me of the fire in the garage story that was posted about 5 years ago. 

As far as the driveway is concerned he is hoping his wife does not notice it.


Gilbert

Interesting story!! Hate to hear about anything burning up!!