mobey Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 ...and then, there were the mid 70s Chevy Novas. Not5 to mention Pontiac Fiero's, and what were those 60's or 70's cars with the engines in the back that caught fire?? Hmmm, can't remember.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted March 20, 2009 Author Share Posted March 20, 2009 When Volkswagen Beetles were new in the US, a gas station attendant reportedly asked the driver of one where the gas tank was, so she searched with him until they located a cap, which they unscrewed and filled what later turned out to be the car's radiator... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brentoli Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Mythbusters - Episode 15 Car caper 3: Bullets blowing up car Jamie had some well-placed shots (tight cluster) through the gas tank showing off his marksmanship. Nothing happened. busted ---- You have better chances of catching on fire while refuling, if you get in and out of your car and create a static spark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard B the EMT Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 When Volkswagen Beetles were new in the US, a gas station attendant reportedly asked the driver of one where the gas tank was, so she searched with him until they located a cap, which they unscrewed and filled what later turned out to be the car's radiator... I thought the VW bug was an air cooled engine prior to the 1970 models? That was supposed to be why so many had engine compartment fires until then. (Don't hold me to the year) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERBIE1 Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Don't forget the famous Ford Pintos and their exploding gas tanks! In 25 years, and thousands of car crashes, I have never seen an exploding gas tank. Cars on fire, yes, and even those are pretty rare for simple crashes. We all know about calls for auto fires and they turn out to be powder from air bags or steaming radiators. Like was mentioned above, the movies have conditioned people to think that every time someone has a fender bender, their car is a ticking time bomb and the street surgeons need to drag them out to save them. Remember, public stupidity means job security... I thought the VW bug was an air cooled engine prior to the 1970 models? That was supposed to be why so many had engine compartment fires until then. (Don't hold me to the year) I had a 66 VW convertible bug, and that era of VW engines was famous for going up in flames- don't know why. I let my sister use it while I was away in college and received a phone call one day, saying it caught fire while she was on the highway and burned to a crisp. (She was fine) Came home and saw what looked like a rather large charcoal briquette sitting in my driveway. Damn shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbanmedic461 Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Believe it they can explode...see video for proof Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard B the EMT Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Heck, if set up with a stick of dynamite, any vehicle, not just a toy car, can BE blown up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPINFV Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 The Myth Busters always seem to be able to get their cars to blow up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestSideBorderPatrol Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Lets not forget about the magnesium engine blocks that used to be in VW's and Ford Exploders! Magnesium reacts violently with water, and it took awhile for the fire departments around here to figure out why the fire just wouldn't go out with a hand line. Eventually someone figured it out and tried using a class "D" extinguisher, it worked perfectly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Star Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 (edited) Not5 to mention Pontiac Fiero's, and what were those 60's or 70's cars with the engines in the back that caught fire?? Hmmm, can't remember.... The Pontiac Fiero is a mid-engined sports car that was built by the Pontiac division of General Motors from 1984 to 1988. Here's a video of 'worst case' where one might expect the car to 'blow up'. You'll notice that the vehicle is fully involved, and no explosion. Notice the 'reaction' around 0:27; THAT's what happens when water hits something made of magnesium alloy. The biggest problem with magnesium and magnesium alloys is that magnesium by nature is a 'self oxidizer' which means that once it starts burning, it will continue to provide it's own oxygen source. Edited March 24, 2009 by Lone Star Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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