Near Disaster Fire In 47 Tongiht

[55 Fargo]

Hi all, was welding a patch onto the body in the rear whel well of the Coupe tonight, the patch went on well, the welds were decent too.

I was welding in the last screw hole, when all of a sudden the back seat caught on fire, I immediately grabbed the fire extinguisher, and emptied it onto the back seat fire.

The car was inside the garage, it is evening, and it is getting darn cold, there is now snow on the ground here in Manitoba.

I had to grab hold of this seat and rip it out of the car PRONTO, then the upper back seat was smoldering, I had to unbolt the seat, I did this while breathing in all the fire extinquisher dust, and the smoke from the fire, go this seat out.

Both seats caught on fire again, and I let them burn,my garden hose is put away, I through snow all over the seat, it just kept smoldering.

I then went in the garage, cleaned everything up, drove the car outside, vacuumed the inside, blew it out with the air hose, and then brought her back inside the warm shop, I then washed it out inside, with warm water and Mr Clean.

The car is now drying, with a fan blowing inside of her.

If I was not able to get this seat out, or if I could not slow this firte down, I would have had to roll her out of the garage very fast, and let her burn,could not risk the gargae buiring, it is 10 feet next to my house. My 2005 Dodge Van was inside, my Garage and contents are worth about $40000 to $50000, with vehicles tools and such, the building is a new 24 X 36 fully insulated and heated.

Wow, what a night, I am now out of a seat, I feel a liitle sick from the fumes, and I still cannot get this darn wheel well to bare metal. I am just going to prime and paint her as is with Rusty Metal paint and be done with it. Anybody got an extra back seat, I could sure use one..........Fred

[JerseyHarold]

Scary situation! At least the fire was contained to the back seat.

Maybe you should go to an ER or clinic and get yourself checked-out due to the fumes you inhaled.

Keep us posted.

Harold

[RobertKB]

Bummer! Hope you are OK and do not suffer any lingering effects. Maybe it is time to try you hand at upholstery and redo the seat yourself. I actually did the interior in my '48 Dodge coupe myself. The back seat is probably the easiest thing to do. If you are near a community college they may offer a course in upholstery. If I had a spare Chrysler seat I would let you have it.

[oldmopar]

Sorry about the seat good to hear you are ok. At least you had a fire extinguisher in the garage something I do not have. I think its time I bought one!

ed

[55 Fargo]

Thanx Guys, I'm okay, won't need to go to the Local ER. I have no damage in the vehicle, other than the back seat partially burnt.

As I mentioned above, I washed everything inside of the vehicle, so it looks okay.

Every Garage/house should have a fiore extinquisher, especially if you weld or use torches.

I have a 20 lb and a 5 lb getting refilled right now, I only had a 5 lb one in the car, good thing.

I am going to buy an extra 10 or 20 lb unit, and will buy a new 5 pounder to go back into the car.

I repet this no garage or home for that matter should be without fire extinquishers.

Do you guys think my seat can be re-upholstered if they get burnt up in a fire...........Fred

[Dodgeb4ya]

Don`t know if you belong to the 1946-8 Postwar Chrysler group...

Here it is...http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/46-48Chryslers. On this site a member "Senzabenza" is selling a Chrysler 6 cyl.Business coupe/and a NYclub coupe and is also selling parts too!

Bob

[55 Fargo]

Thanx Bob, I am a memeber of that forum also, usually don't go there much these days, as this website is much more fun.

Will check it out, I am hoping I can find something locally or in the 500 mile from home range. How about you guys in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Sask, Alberta and Ontario. A seat form a sedan would be fine also...............fred

[PatS....]

Fred, glad you had a fire extinguisher handy. The fact the seat was the only casualty is very lucky.

I have a rear seat from my '49 but I don't think they are the same.

Try this place. Lots of oldies apparently. I have not dealt with them yet but heard some good things. If you google the town, check the satellite shot. The auto wreckers is as large as the whole town! (North side of town)

Jensen's Auto Salvage,

Webb, Saskatchewan

306-674-2200 (Chris) Irregular hrs in winter

[55 Fargo]

The question is? Can the frame and springs be recovered into a new seat. I wsas looking at the seat this morning, looks like it didn't burn completely, will pull all the material off them later this morning and have a good look.

What or how can the springs and frame be prepped before they should be recovered, should they be acid dipped, painted or sandblasted?

[Young Ed]

Fred if the metal didn't get too hot I would think you'd be ok to clean it off and recover. You might need some replacement springs if the burnt ones lost their springyness. I've got a seat from a ply sedan but I don't think it'd fit.

[Frank Elder]

desoto dodge chrysler 46-48 share the same bodies from the cowl back. A seat frame from those should work, don't know about the upholstery though.

[55 Fargo]

The seat frame looks okay, will get all the burnt material off, and check things out later today.

The inside of the car is all nice and cleaned up, you would never know there was a fire in there.............Thanx guys Fred

[PatS....]

The question is? Can the frame and springs be recovered into a new seat. I wsas looking at the seat this morning, looks like it didn't burn completely, will pull all the material off them later this morning and have a good look.

What or how can the springs and frame be prepped before they should be recovered, should they be acid dipped, painted or sandblasted?

For a temporary fix, take the measurements of your seat and scout the Pick N Pull for a rear seat close to those measurements.

If you take the cover off the donor seat by removing the factory hog rings, it all comes off like a set of seat covers.

Buy some hog rings and hog ring pliers and attach to your springs.

If you take your time, they'll look like they were factory.

1/10 the price of an upholsterer and be OK till you are ready to splurge for the good stuff.

[55 Fargo]

For a temporary fix, take the measurements of your seat and scout the Pick N Pull for a rear seat close to those measurements.

If you take the cover off the donor seat by removing the factory hog rings, it all comes off like a set of seat covers.

Buy some hog rings and hog ring pliers and attach to your springs.

If you take your time, they'll look like they were factory.

1/10 the price of an upholsterer and be OK till you are ready to splurge for the good stuff.

Pat, I likey the idea, you from the "North End Winnipeg", or as we call it here "Wholesale City"............Fred

[John Reddie]

Fred,

Sorry to hear about your fire. I'm glad it wasn't worse. I had the same thing happen to my '67 Fury convertible. I was welding a small piece underneath and the rear seat caught on fire. The problem was that I had an army blanket over the rear cushion because the cover was split. When I discovered the fire, the floor carpet was smoldering and and I pulled the blanket off of the seat to smother the carpet. The fire then took off like lightning. Now if any welding takes place underneath, all my interior pieces come out first. The car is repaired and back in service (see attached photos). Good luck on finding your parts.

John R

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y202/plymguy/fire81305.jpg?t=1226942835

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y202/plymguy/furyinteriorAug1907-1.jpg?t=1226943495

[Young Ed]

John I remember seeing the article about your car in the POC bulletin. Didn't realize you were on this site. Glad you were able to fix the car. Sounds like there might be a blurb in a future issue about my crashed car too.

[John Reddie]

Hi Ed,

Best of luck with your car and it's repairs. Hang in there. It will all come together. I am looking forward to seeing an article about it.

John R

[Young Ed]

Its not quite back to its former glory but on the road again

[55 Fargo]

Hi Guys, had a good look at the seat, the frame, springs should be fine for re-upholstery, they do not seem to be effected, just all the material is burnt off, and the padding of course, actually some of the material didn't burn, a few small pieces..........Fred

[Norm's Coupe]

Sorry to hear about your fire. At least you didn't have too much damage. Maybe your story will help someone else though. We should remove any flammable interior parts when welding close to it. Doesn't take much of a spark to start that straw or foam on fire.

Everyone should have fire extinguishers around. I have two hanging on the garage wall and one in the trunk of the coupe. Also have one in the shop in the basement and one near the fireplace inside the house, plus one in the kitchen closet. You don't have to be welding to start a fire.

[hkestes41]

Fred,

I have been watching your progress from afar. Don't look at this as a set back but as an opportunity. You have not seemed to be hesitant to try new things on your car, maybe it is time to try your hand at upholstery. Buy some material, foam and give it a shot you may surprise yourself.

[55 Fargo]

Fred,

I have been watching your progress from afar. Don't look at this as a set back but as an opportunity. You have not seemed to be hesitant to try new things on your car, maybe it is time to try your hand at upholstery. Buy some material, foam and give it a shot you may surprise yourself.

Hi, the damage is minor eally, only wrecked is the seat, absolutely no damage to the inside of the car, tha is real luck, I feel very fortunate, this could have been a real disaster.

I will try and do a re-cover on my seats by myself, what the heck if it doesn't come off well, it can always be redone by a pro.

I have the seat frames cleaned up, still need to get a a little more of the burlap off, but will clean the frame, and then paint them.

If I can get my car to be half as nice as your ride, I will be a very happy man...........Fred

[Plymouthy Adams]

Fred..why in the name of Sam were you thinking to be welding with the seats in the car...even griding you can start them smoldering..I hate to even weld with undercoating still in place with the interior stripped....invest in a fiberglass blanket if you continue this type of work on an assembled vehicle...your sanity is worth that much...

[55 Fargo]

Fred..why in the name of Sam were you thinking to be welding with the seats in the car...even griding you can start them smoldering..I hate to even weld with undercoating still in place with the interior stripped....invest in a fiberglass blanket if you continue this type of work on an assembled vehicle...your sanity is worth that much...

Hi Tim, yes I may have gone Insane if this car went up in flames. Although she ain't finished I have a lot of blood ,sweat and tears invested in her.

I was welding on the exterior of the car, did not think I would have created a fire on the inside. I was filling in a few screw holes on the patch, when she went up.

Live and learn, thank God it wasn't a catastrophe.........................Fred

[Brendan D25]

Fred, sorry to hear of your mishap and glad to hear you had the presence of mind to get the upper hand on the fire before it got out of control. Do you have an appraisal for insurance purpose on your car. Even project cars can be appraised and insured. Brendan.