Hi everyone, (how many are here, anyway?)
Just found this list, and thought I'd better sign up, since the Alpine
'bug' has bitten me once again....
Anyway, didn't want to just sit here and 'lurk,' so I'll introduce
myself... My name's Jon, I'm 34, male, living with girlfriend,
heating/AC installer, part time horse farm owner and horse trainer and I
have a 1967 Alpine SV.
It was really pretty sweet when I got it, except that top speed in 4th
gear left quite a bit to be desired..... Anyway, I've owned it for about
5 1/2 years now. Unfortunately, I've only had the fun of driving it for
about the first 6 months of that 5.5 years. :(
A while after I got it, the fuel pump went out. It had an electric on
it, so I just when to the parts store and got another one to replace it.
The new one came with some funky plastic fuel line clamps, and like a
dumb a$$, I used them. A few days later, as I was driving a friend home,
one of those clamps popped off the line right behind the valve cover.
The end that was pumping gas (everywhere!!) was pointed from behind the
valve cover to the driver side front side of the engine compartment.
Apparently, when the engine ran the gas out of the carbs, it coughed and
backfired through the carbs, or something, because the next thing I
knew, there were flames shooting everywhere from the front end of the
car!! All the while, being continuosly fueled by all the gas the
electric pump was putting out. At the time, it was my only ride, and of
course, a big kick to the ego. ;) Soft top convertible, bright red with
flames painted behind the front wheels, and to really snaz it up, it had
(has) BF Goodrich white letter radial TA's mounted on real centerlines.
Sorry.... tangent... When the flames shot up, we were at a red light,
and on the corner was a convenience store, the front door about 100
yards away. It's still all a blur, but I remember running into the
store, screamimg, "I NEED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER!!!" Someone pointed to
one, I grabbed it off the wall and sprinted back to the car while
pulling the safety and testing the extinguisher. The ignition was still
'on,' "D'oh!" but it happened so fast, I didn't think of it. So... I get
back to the car, and my friend looks at me like, "what?" I just yelled
at him 'help me!!' as I tried to unlatch the hood to get a good shot at
the fire. By then, someone had given my friend an extinguisher and we
were on each side, trying to shoot up under the car to put it out. There
were just too big of flames coming out to try to get the hood open.
remember, the fuel pump was still on.
Anyway, we'd get a good shot at it and dowse it down, but then it'd
just flare up again. By now, people were gathering, and some were
yelling at us to get away from it, 'cause it was gonna blow.' I remember
thinking, "No way!! This car ain't goin' like this, I just got it!!"
I then remembered the ignition/fuel pump and went and turned it off.
Huge flames while I did that! It didn't work! The fuel pump was still
pumping and now the flames were enormous!! Back to dowsing the fire....
gain and lose. Ah! Disconnect the battery!! Luckily, I had a big pair of
lineman's pliers laying right beside the battery compartment, and
nothing sitting on the door of the compartment. I yelled to my friend
'Stay on it!!' and dove into the back and got the negative cut. Finally,
we were able to put the fire out. We pushed the smoking wreckage off
the road, and that's when the fire dept showed up. They looked at it to
make sure it was out, and told me they thought the line popped off,
etc... They made a report and left. I called a friend to come tow my car
off and give me a ride home.
My Alpine got pretty toasted under the hood. I rewired it so it ran and
the lights worked. The paint on the drivers side front quarter is toast,
as is the hood and front end body stuff, although the hood scoop is
fine, whew! The clutch went out about a month later and my mom said,
'send it up here to me and I'll put it in the shop for you, get it fixed
right, a gift for helping with the horses, etc, etc.....'
It was up there in washington state forever. Always waiting on a part
they said. Yeah, right. I found out, when I got tired of waiting for
about 4 years, and went out there to get it (from NC), that they never
worked on it and it just sat out in the rain, sun, snow, or whatever.
It's in okay shape now. Safe here with me. :) Though I fread pulling the
carpet out... I have a new wiring harness on the way and a good friend
who does body and paint work. So, one more Alpine, back on the road,
soon. :)
I'd like to do something with the ignition system and the carbs. Any
words of advice?
Ack, that was way longer than I thought it'd be.... sorry.
Best to all! Jon
-- Jon Swenson PO Box 542 Waynesville, NC 28786 Alfasaga Farms Icelandic Horses Phone(828)452-7290 http://www.primeline.com/~tolter/index.htm
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