F**kadoodledo....!!!
Discussion
Jesus THAT was a close shave.... are you all sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.
For the first time in weeks I had all the ingredients for a spin out in the 390 (time, money, weather, nobody nagging for a shag
.
Even though the clutch master cyl. has sprung a leak and is losing fluid into the cabin, I figured that if I took some fluid along, I'd be OK.
So I had a blast down to the coast to hassle the Max boys, posed around Middlesbrough being flagged down by tarts (I kid you not), and then headed off for a countryside thrash.
I happened upon some roadworks and had to stop at temporary lights, and as I dipped the clutch, the pedal went to the floor and I had to wrench the 'box out of gear. No amount of poking the pedal would bring it back, so much to the annoyance of the following cars I took a while to get going again, what with stalling and generally looking a twat I'm sure. Still, it'll give them something to tell their mates, about this geezer who couldn't drive a flash car.... but I digress.
Once under way I could time the gears and made it to 4th, but I decided to stop and top up the fluid, since that was 'obviously' the problem. There's a layby formed when they re-routed a stretch of road, so I pulled in there. It's a local lovers' lane, and there was a rumpypumpathon well under way in the Rover that I stopped behind....
Up with the bonnet, off with the reservoir cap, and in with the fluid; in the dark 'cos I had no torch. Anyway the fluid wasn't low at all, so the first splash went straight over the rim, down the bulkhead and onto the exhaust, whereupon it caught light.
Oh dear, I thought (or words to that effect), now I'm up shit creek; as the flames licked hungrily at the wiring harness and the smell of roasting alloy filled the air.
Then, as the bodyshell melted into a pool on the floor, I remembered I had a bottle of water in the car somewhere, so a bit of frantic searching followed and I tipped the bottle over the engine and jolly well saved the day.
Then I still had no clutch, but reasoning that as it wasn't losing fluid, it must be something daft, I just sat there for a couple of minutes banging the hell out of the pedal until virtually normal service was resumed. I guess that from the noise and the movement of the car, the lovers thought I was tugging myself daft, as I got a thumbs-up from somebody...
Anyway I'm back at home and well into a serious glass of brandy now; the 390 is back in the garage and will probably be out again this weekend, since I'm going to be away much of next week and the tax runs out as well.
Ee, it's all part of the fun...
Ian
For the first time in weeks I had all the ingredients for a spin out in the 390 (time, money, weather, nobody nagging for a shag
. Even though the clutch master cyl. has sprung a leak and is losing fluid into the cabin, I figured that if I took some fluid along, I'd be OK.
So I had a blast down to the coast to hassle the Max boys, posed around Middlesbrough being flagged down by tarts (I kid you not), and then headed off for a countryside thrash.
I happened upon some roadworks and had to stop at temporary lights, and as I dipped the clutch, the pedal went to the floor and I had to wrench the 'box out of gear. No amount of poking the pedal would bring it back, so much to the annoyance of the following cars I took a while to get going again, what with stalling and generally looking a twat I'm sure. Still, it'll give them something to tell their mates, about this geezer who couldn't drive a flash car.... but I digress.
Once under way I could time the gears and made it to 4th, but I decided to stop and top up the fluid, since that was 'obviously' the problem. There's a layby formed when they re-routed a stretch of road, so I pulled in there. It's a local lovers' lane, and there was a rumpypumpathon well under way in the Rover that I stopped behind....
Up with the bonnet, off with the reservoir cap, and in with the fluid; in the dark 'cos I had no torch. Anyway the fluid wasn't low at all, so the first splash went straight over the rim, down the bulkhead and onto the exhaust, whereupon it caught light.
Oh dear, I thought (or words to that effect), now I'm up shit creek; as the flames licked hungrily at the wiring harness and the smell of roasting alloy filled the air.
Then, as the bodyshell melted into a pool on the floor, I remembered I had a bottle of water in the car somewhere, so a bit of frantic searching followed and I tipped the bottle over the engine and jolly well saved the day.
Then I still had no clutch, but reasoning that as it wasn't losing fluid, it must be something daft, I just sat there for a couple of minutes banging the hell out of the pedal until virtually normal service was resumed. I guess that from the noise and the movement of the car, the lovers thought I was tugging myself daft, as I got a thumbs-up from somebody...
Anyway I'm back at home and well into a serious glass of brandy now; the 390 is back in the garage and will probably be out again this weekend, since I'm going to be away much of next week and the tax runs out as well.
Ee, it's all part of the fun...
Ian
I know the feeling wedgie. I once owned a Westfield that decided to earth the loom on the chassis, from the bulkhead right around the engine bay light up like blackpool iluminations, my lovely wife ran out onto the drive after hearing my screams for water, whilst I ran round the car blurting 10mil spanner, managed to cut the live off the battery in the end. I will never forget that day!
nick heppinstall said:Nothing like some highly combustable stuff on the manifolds to get the old heart racing eh !! ?? I had a fuelpipe blow off while the 400 was on the drive. Fuel under pressure directly onto hot manifolds ! Was not funny at the time. Definate change underwear moment..
strangely enough, pouring petrol on hot exhausts is actually not all that dangerous, because the flash point is above the boiling point - it boils off before it catches fire. Oil, especially hydraulic oil, is far more dangerous as the flash point is below its boiling point, if the exhaust is hot enough it will ignite. As Ian was kind enough to show us. 
My favorite is boiled brakes spraying brake fluid onto the exhaust. 
Closely followed by plastic clutch pipe melting where it passes close to the manifold and spraying oil directly at it when you pump the clutch. Oh happy days .... Glad you are OK this time Ian!
Note to self: make sure the torch I keep in the car has some batteries in it!
Cheers,
Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)
...Oh dear, I thought (or words to that effect), now I'm up shit creek; as the flames licked hungrily at the wiring harness and the smell of roasting alloy filled the air.
I suppose you could've pissed on it - but I reckon there would have been a fair chance of following through.
Similar thing happened to an MGB I used to own.
I decided not to pee on it since it was an electrical fire.
Lost the clutch on my 400SE just after I bought it. Felt a right prat parked up outside a poncy pub pumping for all I was worth!
Why do they do it to us!!??
In the oldern days, I used to own an elerly, but immaculate Auster light aircraft. It is mandatory to carry an extinguisher in them. So this Saturday I was tinkering and polishing, like you do when you can't be arsed to hump several jerry cans of fuel up steps to reach the filler caps. Anyway, the airfield owner who wheeled and dealed in aircraft had just imported one of those little Pitts Special aerobatic jobs and had a chap swinging the prop of it to start it, just outside my hangar. Overprimed it, and the carb suddenly was a mass of flames. The Good Samaritan with the Auster rushed to his assistance and extinuished the inferno, only to be told that the insurance value was at least £5K more than he would get selling it....and he didn't buy me a new extinguisher either...
jvaughan said:
I was about to say Richard Aldous is a Johnah ... dont let him neer a wedge.
Jason:
He didn't need to be a Jonah; the car isn't a perfect Wedge anyway! The clutch was playing silly bu99ers, and with his Doc Martens on Richard was pressing all three pedals at the same time...! :-)
At least,that was the excuse he gave me as we spun 360 degrees in my driveway...
Ian
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