My M37 Electrical Fire Story (Long)

[Carter]

This happened to me many years ago and is a true story.

FIRE!
When the fumes ignited the fire spoke for the first but not the last time, sounding like a large dog uttering a single bark on a dark night after hearing something in the distance, it went WOOF....

When I first started a landscaping business my equipment consisted of a two axle trailer a Massey Ferguson MF 65 tractor with loader attachment and a 1952 M 37 Dodge. The truck was from a trade deal that brought it to me in exchange for a USAF arctic top and fuel burning heater equipped M 38A1 Jeep. I had used the Dodge for several years as a commuter vehicle while working for a local landscaping company and had decided to go into business for my self. At the time no space was available at my home to keep the equipment so I had stored it at my wife's Grandmother's farm several miles away. The property had a large barn and was located down a narrow descending lane about 300 yards from the farm house that was home to Grandmother. No electric, phone or water service was available at the barn but that had never been a problem. Business was brisk and fueling was made easier than stopping at a service station each day due to having a 500 gallon gasoline storage tank with hand pump located at the top of the hill on the lane that led down to where the truck, tractor and trailer were stored. At the end of each day the truck and tractor's tanks were filled and then driven to where they were parked for the night.
At the end of one work day and while gassing up I noticed one of the Dodge's tail lights was not lit. Thinking I would investigate at the barn I continued to pump. Not having my mind on what I was doing and thinking about the non-working light I over filled the tank and gas was all the way up into the filler neck before I noticed. No fuel was spilled on the ground so the cap was replaced, fuel hose hung up and down the hill we went. I left the engine running and the lights on while the out of service light was investigated. After removing the light door and finding the bulbs to be good the wiring was checked. The orig military wires had not been replaced and it seemed they were Ok but as I continued to look and move them around I noticed a small spark. It was not a continuous spark but just a flash. Unknown to me however was that by overfilling the gas tank some had leaked from around the pick-up tube or the sending unit probably due to old dried gasket material and driving down the sloped farm lane had allowed fuel to seep onto the tank's top. Still thinking I might be able to tape the offending wires they were pulled and tugged on to provide some slack and being tired from a 12 hour days work I failed to grasp the the important fact that high amp 24V is a bad thing when grounded, left the lights on and battery connected.
When the fumes ignited the fire spoke for the first but not the last time, sounding like a large dog uttering a single bark on a dark night that had heard something in the distance it went WOOF.... My heart raced as I grabbed the fire extinguisher. After all it was a small fire after the fumes had burned and surely I would be able to put it out, right? Not so, already the heat was expanding the gasoline in the overfilled tank and was continuing to flow from the tank's top. As the insulation burned from the wires the spark became an arc sounding like frying eggs in a hot pan.
The fire blazed, wires sizzled and the extinguisher hissed as more and more fuel to the fire now sprayed from the tank's top. Then it happened, the little dry chemical extinguisher ran dry. In panic mode I did a even dumber thing than not over fueling the tank or not disconnecting the battery. I jumped onto the cargo box of the now blazing truck which contained a cutting torch, hose and bottles which I dumped over the side to keep them away from the ever increasing inferno and by then the tires were burning.
The nearest telephone was located at Grandmother's house, up the hill and over 900 feet away so up the hill I ran and guess what, she was talking on the phone. Told her my truck was on fire and she hung up and handed it to me. Now no dial tone came thru the receiver and it took several min. to get one. Seemed like forever, here I am in full panic and can't get the fire company on the line. Finally got thru to them, told what was going on and where and about the cutting torch, tanks and bulk gasoline tank they would pass on the way to the burning Dodge, they were not happy but said they would be on the way.
I ran back down the hill and found the fire had not spread to the cab's canvas top and attempted so save that. The fire was still confined to the sides and rear of the bed so I cut the straps and ropes securing the top, flipped it over to the hood and out of the retaining slot above the windshield.
Now the tires began to explode with a dull boom and fire was now around the gas cap as pressure in the tank, pushed fuel from under and around it.
As I watched my landscaping business going up in flames and smoke accompanied by all the sounds a fast burning fire makes, boiling, burning gasoline the crackling of the wooden rake and shovel handles, popping of the tires and moaning of the owner I heard another sound in the distance... fire engine sirens.
It had taken them at least 10 min. to get to the fire and had it under control in another 30 but the damage was done, anything at the rear of the now smoking Dodge that could burn had. Rubber hoses, both brake and fuel fill were gone. Wiring was toast also as were the tires the wood seats and lazy backs. Lights and reflectors were beyond use and when I later removed the wheels and brake drums found the rear wheel cyls. and shoes also would need to be replaced.
After the fire was out one of the firemen offered a cup of water to me and as I stood there trying not to spill it because of my uncontrollable shaking most likely from adrenalin overload he said every fire company in the county had been put on alert because no one knew exactly how large the blaze was with the welding tanks and gasoline storage they wanted to be as ready as possible..
The truck was eventually repaired, repainted and put back into service and a much larger extinguisher was carried along with more insurance and much later the truck was sold but the memory of that day and those sounds will be with me as long as I am alive

[WarrenD]

Reminds me of one of the first things I was told when I bought my M37.....24V and gas don't mix. You can weld with the 24V in that thing and add 20 gallons of gas and you have a bomb. It's sitting inside my attached garage, but I'm comfortable in that my first project was to install a keyed electrical disconnect.
Glad you survived and didn't get seriously hurt.

[Carter]

Thanks Warren, I also have installed a disconnect switch on my 909 truck and plan to do the same on the red one when I begin electrical work but now it has no wiring and no batteries so no fire worries there.

[Cal_Gary]

That's a tragic story Carter, glad you weren't hurt. Fire is my big fear, too, keeping fire extinguishers in the front and back of the garage and one in my M37. I also replaced my wiring harness and have also installed a battery kill switch to ensure the electricals are "dead" until I need them.
Gary

[HingsingM37]

WOW. That sounds like it was some day. You were very lucky you were not hurt. A good lesson learned and a safety reminder to all of us

I set my 74 Nova ablaze when I was a kid. I was working on it and for some reason had the fuel line off at the carb AND the coil wire off laying on the top the cap. I forgot about the coil wire being off and decided with my lack of experience to crank the engine and check to see if there was fuel flow The fuel ignited, and the engine lit from the arc jumping into the cap. I had a flamethrower hitting the hood & windshield as the fuel pump pushed gas throught the line. I turned off the engine, grabbed an extiguisher and all ended well. I washed the powder and soot off the engine and drove it later that day.

[T. Highway]

Carter,

Your story brought back something that I haven't thought about for years. I know first hand the sounds you are talking about.

I had a 1980 C60 single axle dumptruck with a electric in the tank fuel pump. I know why GM discontinued that design from first hand experience. The power connection in the tank would go bad and cause sparking in the tank. I was hauling broken concrete one hot summer day and when I was checking my load before hitting the road I noticed a rumbling or boiling sound coming from the tank. At this point I learned a valuable lesson, it's OK to boil gas in a sealed tank but when you remove the cap to further investigate, things go very bad in tenths of seconds.

Bert

[Carter]

Thanks all for reading this, had been a tough day at work, I was tired and had my brain in idle mode.
Gary I have several fire extinguishers of various sizes that I carry and have a big Co2 in the garage, never again will be without enough to put out a fire.
David, lady luck was with you that day.
Boiling gasoline, that's a sound not to be forgotten isn't it Bert.

The "fire truck" several years before when my childern & I were young and the driveway was unpaved, March 1973

[w30bob]

Carter....great story. I guess I'll take the 24V system a bit more seriously now. I really handn't given much thought to it and it's fire potential. With the wiring harnesses in my M being basically junk I think I'll take the time to carefully check them before the next time I fire her up.

thanks,
bob

[DAP]

Shame on you all. You are all thinking negatively. A fire like that was probably the easiest way to demount those 1952 bias ply tires welded to the Budd rims. I am sure he was left with just steel chords and such. I beat on my 1954 tires for 5.5 hours and got 3 of the 4 off. I have someone working on the 4th tire until my blisters heal, my shoulders stop aching and my back stops hurting.




















I sure hope you guys know I am kidding.

[Carter]

Carter....great story. I guess I'll take the 24V system a bit more seriously now. I really handn't given much thought to it and it's fire potential. With the wiring harnesses in my M being basically junk I think I'll take the time to carefully check them before the next time I fire her up.

thanks,
bob

If I have helped you learn that orig. old wires are a fire waiting to happen then all the hunt and peck typing I had to do to get this story in print will have been worth it Bob. New wires are costly but think how you would feel if what happened to me instead happened to you.

Dan, it was easier getting those tires off but it was a dirty, sooty messy job. I actually dismounted an old 9:00x16 yesterday using my trusty hand tools and it only took about half an hour to break both beads and pull the tube and flap, no it was not a sawsall job but done the old fashoned way.

[DAP]

Wow I wish mine had been that easy! The 3 I got off left chunks of rubber bonded to the steel rim. I had never seen that before. I took a scraper and had to work to get the rubber residue free of the rim. No wonder the bead broke with such difficulty. The good news is that I think the rims look worthy of sandblasting and reusing. But first I have to spin them to make sure they still run true. I am holding off until I see if my friend can get the 4th tire free.

[RMS]

Great story Carter reminds me of the time my m37 caught on fire. mine however was not an electrical fire. it was an oil fire.
One night a few years ago i was painting my Datsun late in to the night in a friends barn. seeing that it was 3am we packed up for the night and i started my 35k trip home. tired and a little intoxicated from isocyanates i neglected to fully disengage the E brake. flying down the dark and empty highway, i noticed a dim red light appear in my passenger side mirror. i did a shoulder check and there was nothing behind me. unfazed by the strange light i continued down the highway and around a soft bend. the wind changed and i could smell burning, i checked my mirror and the strange red light was still there. then it hit me, Im on fire! needing to stop i stomped on the clutch and the back tires locked up.........it all came together in my mind the weeping seal on the t case the oil soaked brake band and my inebriated state. i reached over fully disengaged the e brake, knocked her into neutral and grabbed the fire extinguisher. i drifted on to the shoulder opened my door and reached down as far as i could and emptied the little red bottle. no longer seeing a glow reflected back at me from the puddles on the soft shoulder. i grabbed a gear and kept heading home.

[Carter]

Small World ...My father had the same thing happen to him while he my sister and I were riding in his 1953 Plymouth Meadowbrook. One Saturday he and done a brake job and at that time also tightened the emergency band to much he found out later. Sunday morning on the way to drop us kids off at Sunday School a passing motorist yelled to us your car is on fire. We stopped to look and saw grease flaming and dripping from the rear of the tranny where the band was mounted. With no fire ext. in the car we drove like mad folk to the local gas station to borrow one only to discover upon getting there the mad dash speeds had blown out the blaze and it was only smoking hot but not on fire.
I have often wondered since then, what was he thinking when he decided to drive a burning car to a gasoline filling station?

[Monkey Man]

Typical Carter, had to have the first "Hot"rod M37 in the states.....
Glad you didn't go up in smoke, we'd have a poorer forum for it.

MM