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Re: Sprite with wood floors, DANGER!

To: Glen Byrns <grbyrns@ucdavis.edu>
Subject: Re: Sprite with wood floors, DANGER!
Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2000 12:38:22 -0700
Cc: spridgets@autox.team.net
Organization: WFO Racing
References: <200007071541.IAA19597@franc.ucdavis.edu>
...and, you didn't have to make near as many "pit stops" because of the hole.
Great idea, beats the old air plane piss-tube! (sorry)

Glen Byrns wrote:

> While it would be great to produce new sprites, hold the wood floors.  Rot
> wouldn't be the biggest problem, try fire.
>
> I mounted a pair of Spitfire seats to two-by-fours nailed to the wooden
> floorboards of the MGA I had in college.  One of the nails poked through far
> enough to touch the exhaust pipe.  One day, driving home for the weekend to
> do laundry, the vibration finally allowed the tip of the nail to puncture
> the pipe.  The nail became red hot and ignited the floorboard right at the
> front edge of the driver's seat.  I'm flying down the Riverside freeway with
> flames shooting up in front of my crotch.  I pulled over and went for the
> half gallon of leftover wine in the trunk (hey, I said I was in college).  I
> was just managing to get the flames under control when a Highway Patrol
> pulled up behind me, saw I was running out of wine, and got the gallon of
> water from his trunk and finished off the flames.  After assuring him the
> wine had been in the trunk prior to the fire, he accepted my thanks and sent
> me on my way.  I never fixed the floorboard after that, as the 2" charred
> hole made for some nice local cooling in a car that always ran with the
> heater on FULL.  I just bashed the end of the nail over with a rock so it
> wouldn't hit the exhaust pipe anymore.
>
> The arrival of my two daughters later in life assured me that I had either
> escaped the flames in time or had a very sneaky mailman.
>
> Regards,
> Glen Byrns
> '59 Bugeye


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