Another fire, this time with non-K-Jet swap

[81dmc]

Hard to say it burned because it has a carb. That fact doesn't necessarily lead to that conclusion. What probably is of greater concern is how the carb conversion was done, what kind of hoses, fittings and seals. Another factor is how resistant the parts were to the newer fuels containing Ethanol.

Agreed!

Here's what the seller stated...

This item was rebuilt on a rebuilt/rebuildable title in Washington State. It was built as a show car with an upgraded engine to a Chevy short block V6 engine with super charger. The car had mirrored panels installed in the engine compartment with lighting for presentation at shows. The car recently caught on fire while on a cruise through town and sustained damage to the engine compartment, rear of the vehicle, seats, doors. I will post pictures to try and accurately show as much of the damage as I can. The car was running fine prior to the fire and we think the fire was started from a ruptured fuel line that had been recently installed.

So, it comes down to this. Don't go el cheapo on fuel lines! For example, even $50 for a high pressure line is definitely cheaper than a $5,000+ mistake!

[Citizen]

I would think the frame might have some value, though not sure how hacked it became with the engine conversion. The binnacle looks OK. Maybe the doors aren't warped? The RF fender may not be as valuable as the LF but still value there. Point being, at the current price up to a point, this could still be lucrative.

I would consider it if I had the room just for some body panels and odds and ends, assuming all the panels including the hood are in good shape.

No one's mentioned the wheels and tires yet. Could be worth $600 and $250 respectively.

...

[81dmc]

No one's mentioned the wheels and tires yet. Could be worth $600 and $250 respectively.

...

Don't forget things like the pedal box too!

[Jonathan]

I saw that too about there being recent fuel line work. So it wasn't necessarily carb vs K-Jet and it wasn't necessarily cheap fuel lines vs "good ones". At least there doesn't seem to be enough info to say that one way or the other. It does serve as a reminder that new problems often come from whatever you worked on most recently. Sometimes a nuisance issue, other times much worse.

I don't know what the story was to require the recent fuel line work, but some things on our cars are better left alone than proactively replaced. Like I said, no idea if the fuel lines on this one were damaged or were fine and this was just an upgrade. Anytime you get working on a system doing replacements that are aimed at avoiding future problems, you can land yourself a current problem instead sometimes. Not by the notion of replacing things in advance all on its own, more to do with the potential for making a mistake of some kind or a failure in a new part that wasn't expected.

~

Just another comment on kinks or bends in the fuel lines... the fuel lines aren't "rubber" and they aren't "stainless" either. Whatever the outside material is, it is just there for exterior protection from rubbing, heat, or getting cut into by something against it. The real line material the fuel actual travels through is plastic, if I'm not mistaken. It's what is inside that outer protection and is the portion that can get kinked, like David said. And you won't easily see the kink either because it's hidden under the outer layer.

Same concept for stainless braided brake lines and so to for that weaved looking hose you can get for the water line going up to the back of your toilet. All of that is just the exterior protection and the important material is what's underneath.

~

I'd say there is a pile of parts worth well over $5,000 in that car as it sits. What Michael was getting at though, I think, is that his time isn't worth $0.00/hour and neither is yours. So all the time and effort (and real costs) of trailering it somewhere and having somewhere to store it, and then the slow and tedious process of taking parts off, advertising them, boxing them up and shipping them and cashing in on them is really going to eat into your profits especially if you add up all the costs associated with your time.

If you already have a large storage spot for this and can get it there cheaply AND you don't end up feeling rushed or hurried to tear down this parts car, then yea, this would be a nice one to have off to the side. It would be more of a benefit to the community or a fun learning experience for someone than it would be a good investment from purely a dollars and cents perspective.

[steve.s]

hi Guys...Steve here from the UK

i am considering a bid...but to rebuild, i certainly do not believe in breaking any classic that is save-able.

i have rebuilt one other so know what's needed. May be able to source a rear pontoon. over here we have a few choices of prv to get a cheap enough engine.

so judging if it is cheap enough...obviously with shipping. Advantage is our import duty would be very small. but have to make sure it can be registered here with a salvage title.

and yes fuel line connections were always a weak point. after having mine burst above the tank, and fuel gushing over the whole tank and cover plate i installed lines with racing line connections (which were impossible to come apart). For carbs surely the HP tank pump would be just way to high.......

my worst job had to be the fuel accumulator....lovely petrol running down your arms!.

Steve
ex owner vin 1621

[Dangermouse]

That would be great if it could be saved.

Let us know what you find out about the title.

[content22207_2]

For carbs surely the HP tank pump would be just way to high.......

Obviously you can not push much more than 6 PSI into a carburetor otherwise the needle valve won't be able to shut off fuel inlet when the bowl is full.

An option is to use a high pressure fuel pump and a regulator to reduce fuel pressure (massively reduce -- less than 10%) before it enters the carburetor. I recommend against doing that, but not all owners feel the same way.

I strongly suspect this car had a high pressure pump in the tank and a regulator in the engine compartment -- not a setup I recommend (and not a setup I provide with my own carb conversions).

Device sitting on the air filter housing appears to be either a regulator or an inline pressure gauge used to set a regulator.

Bill Robertson
#5939

[SamHill]

Speaking of fuel pumps: I have been using an Airtex E84070 with a Bill set up since April 2013. I honestly had to look up the pressure, I had no idea. It's mounted on the Bill supplied blank plate which covered the former charcoal canister. DMCMW installed their gas gauge and sealed up the tank. No vapor lock. Not a recommendation of any sort but seems solid so far. It also gets good reviews, for what it's worth.

[content22207_2]

5 PSI according to Airtex.

I wouldn't worry about vapor lock. It is highly overrated. Most people don't even know what it is. Really only ever a problem on engine mounted pumps in low flow situations while the engine is abnormally hot, such as stuck idling in a Los Angeles summertime traffic jam. Even then it is rare.

Side wall of the engine compartment is hot, but not hot enough to vaporize gasoline between the tank and your pump. It is of course physically impossible to vaporize between your pump and the carb (that is why vapor lock can not happen on cars with tank mounted pumps).

Bill Robertson
#5939

[dustybarn]

Obviously you can not push much more than 6 PSI into a carburetor otherwise the needle valve won't be able to shut off fuel inlet when the bowl is full.

An option is to use a high pressure fuel pump and a regulator to reduce fuel pressure (massively reduce -- less than 10%) before it enters the carburetor. I recommend against doing that, but not all owners feel the same way.

I strongly suspect this car had a high pressure pump in the tank and a regulator in the engine compartment -- not a setup I recommend (and not a setup I provide with my own carb conversions).

Device sitting on the air filter housing appears to be either a regulator or an inline pressure gauge used to set a regulator.

Bill Robertson
#5939

Before I converted to the Airtex mechanical pump, I used the original Bosch pump. I installed a Holley bypass regulator, though, that worked exactly like a FI regulator, popping off at the pressure setpoint and recirculating excess fuel back to the tank. I believe I set it to 4 psi for the Solex carbs. Operating this way, the pump is only allowed to make 4 psi and higher pressure never occurs anywhere in the system. I think this is a better solution than a shutoff-style regulator, but I think a mechanical pump or a low-pressure electric pump intended for carburetors is even better still.