Thread: Ya just never know.........

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........................what the next email will bring.
Some of the longer term hands here might remember the light grey '36 Ford 3w coupe I had some years back. Well, as with all of them eventually, she went down the road just over 2 1/2 years ago to a good fellow down in Phoenix. After he got the car I hadn't heard much from him. I kept an eye out for pictures in various photo collections of rod events in that area, but never saw anything. Now, keeping track of former cars owned isn't high on my activity list, but it's fun to see one now and again. As a side note, I even found some pics of the '30 roadster I sent to Japan last year as it won a trophy at a big show in Yokohama near last Christmas. But I digress....

So, yesterday I get an email from Dave, the buyer of the '36 coupe, asking what size the tires were as they had no markings on them. I had gotten those from Diamond Back and apparently they grind off that info when the bond the white wall. Fortunately I had that info on file, wrote him back, and asked how he had been enjoying the car and what if any changes he'd made. This morning I got his reply. He'd been driving the car quite a bit, was at Hot August Nights a couple weeks ago even. However, while he was there the battery died. He said he'd never had a problem with it holding a charge before, but for the mean time they just got it up on a trailer and brought it home. He put a charger on it and all was well..............until.......... He said he was working out in the driveway when he heard a loud bang noise. He went around the end of the garage to see the coupe and an adjoining '36 pickup in flames! Holy crap! Something inside the battery must have failed and shorted causing it to blow and of course ignite. Fortunately for him it hadn't happened while he was driving the car. Insurance will help going forward and he plans to mostly replicate what he had.....which is why he wanted the tire sizes. Hated to see it, but it is what it is....

Well-at least it probably didn't melt the welds on the suspension or grill or the bondo hair around the door jambs-----------I know, go get a second cup of coffee

Oh my goodness - how sad. Glad no one was hurt and that the damage was quickly contained. Thankfully someone was home adn FD responded quickly. Insurance should help remake beauties.

As much as we dislike paying for insurance, this is an example of why insurance is absolutely necessary. Hope he had one of the agreed value policies for these two cars.

as for the fire damage-lucky it wasn't in an attached garage, hooked to a house with an attic,etc---------just a simple open car port? easy for fire department to get to and he was outside in the yard and heard the bang--------

That's a terrible story, especially when you had a stake in making one of the cars special in it's earlier life. Hoping his insurance claim process goes smoothly, and without any pain. Glad he was home, and that he was working nearby outside! Hope we get to see some "After" pictures in a few months....

Someone said no one was hurt....I beg to differ...I was hurt just looking at the pics!! Ouch!!! That's awful! We can take all precautions but can't always guarantee the outcome. Hope things work out for the rebuild.

Originally Posted by DennyW

What type of battery was used ?

He said it was the same one when I sold it to him, if I remember correctly a typical 12v lead/acid. I had the car for about 4 years, he 2 1/2, and it was in the car when I got it so it was at least 7 years old, probably more.

As for remediation, I forgot to ask him if the insurance was going to declare it a total loss or go for repair (if they've made that determination yet). I did make some suggestions for pieces he might want to keep that were either unique to that car or of such higher quality than norm (e.g. grille) and replace with lesser quality ones if they were going to tow it away. Or he could buy the salvage.............again, if it's a total loss. I expect he'll reply to my morning email and fill in some more blanks.

Well that just does it Bob! Now I'm removing the battery outside somewhere way the hell away from anything flammable when I charge it! By the way what brand of battery was it? Also as stated above wonder what kind of charger and what amount of amps he was running to the battery? Really sad to see two such nice vehicles get burned. Must be hard to see even after you let them go, there is still an emotional investment from the time you start working on any project that always stays with you, unless you learn to hate that project!
Please keep us updated if he gets it fixed!

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

as for the fire damage-lucky it wasn't in an attached garage, hooked to a house with an attic,etc---------just a simple open car port? easy for fire department to get to and he was outside in the yard and heard the bang--------

Luck helps at times. He said he normally has it in the attached garage, but had the coupe in the carport because he was getting the regular stall ready for a 4 post lift install.

Originally Posted by stovens

Well that just does it Bob! Now I'm removing the battery outside somewhere way the hell away from anything flammable when I charge it! By the way what brand of battery was it? Also as stated above wonder what kind of charger and what amount of amps he was running to the battery? Really sad to see two such nice vehicles get burned. Must be hard to see even after you let them go, there is still an emotional investment from the time you start working on any project that always stays with you, unless you learn to hate that project!
Please keep us updated if he gets it fixed!

I chose not to try to go into much more detail than he offered..........seemed like picking at a scab.

As for emotional attachment I'm of mixed feelings there. I've gone through so many cars over the past 50+ years that I really don't have much of an umbilical cord to any of them. However, some post sale contact/discovery is always entertaining if nothing else........or tragic as in this case. As examples, it was nice to see the above mentioned '30 roadster doing well in Japan and the new owner getting and giving so much attention to it. A couple years ago I saw a picture of one of my old '55 Chevs on a forum, dropped the guy a note, and enjoyed hearing of the improvements he's made while sending him some old pics of what it looked like before I worked it over. He seemed to enjoy that. And then there was one of the very few cars I ever regretted selling. My '64 Plymouth Savoy S/S clone. About a year after I let it go I asked a mutual friend if the guy who'd bought it might be ready to sell it back to me. His reply; "You don't want it now." My reply: "Why?". His response: "He got liquored up one night and totaled it!" Sigh..........................

I'm glad no one was hurt...but it is a bummer to see a past special ride destroyed. I went through that years ago with the last MG I restored/customized. After 5+ years spent redoing the car, and with no intent of ever selling it, someone made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Within a few months the guy's girlfriend wrapped it around a tree. I was glad she was OK, but it made me sick when I saw a pic of what was left of the car.

Ex cars are like ex girlfriends.....there is a reason you don't have them anymore so move on to the next one. I agree with Uncle Bob, I've never got emotionally attached to a car, gun, shoes, or whatever. I am emotionally attached to my body parts however.

Originally Posted by robot

Ex cars are like ex girlfriends.....there is a reason you don't have them anymore so move on to the next one. I agree with Uncle Bob, I've never got emotionally attached to a car, gun, shoes, or whatever. I am emotionally attached to my body parts however.

Not being emotionally involved with things is a lesson that frequently takes years of life's lessons to learn...in my case, another 20 years or so. Nowdays, the only things I'm attached to are by medical necessity.

I had a '57 Hillman Minx...the second car I ever owned.
I did a lot to that car and was terribly proud of it.
Sold it before we got married...we've been married 48 years now...and I still feel a pang about what the next owner did to that car.

He married a concrete wall side on, front left hitting first, the left side a split second later.

And that was fifty years ago. Left to a natural life-span the car would be well and truly dead by now...but to die like that...it still hurts...