The Dodge Challenger Message Board

Real flames versus burnt orange... I don't like those colors....
The fire was in November 2008, the other picture taken today.

Some more photos

Who's car was that? What was the story?

it needs to be said, get a fire extinguisher in your cars ,they have inherent problems,that cause fires, i had my steering colume catch fire and i was able to put it out right away, not sure why this happened but just the same get a fire extinguisher!

Good advice Drew, I carry two.

Wow, that's such a shame. I'd be so bummed if that happened to my Challenger.

After looking closely those bumpers don't seem half bad.

After all the work we've all put into our Challenger's.... SHOCK!!!!

Wow that is cruel, I have two extinguishers in my car also. Had a minor scare on the way to the Nats last year so I got one more just to be sure.

more pics....

Perhaps this could be a topic for conversation guys, apart from the normal areas where else could fire occur, where else on the car might a problem like this happen, I mean I would have never guessed that a steering column would catch fire.

I know Eddie had a superbird go up on him back in the day, it can happen.

RedRaven wrote: I mean I would have never guessed that a steering column would catch fire.

I thought you were a Health and Safety bloke Wayne?

Fires tend to fall into three types.

Fuel, oil and electrical.

Fuel and oil fires are caused by leaks onto something very hot like the exhaust.

Electrical fires are caused by short circuits in the wiring or electrical components. Sometimes heat is involved here too as insulation can melt on something hot and a wire then can get shorted to earth. Buy often shorts are caused by cuts or breaks in the wiring. Once a wire short circuits the full power of the battery can run through it. Causing the wire to heat up like an electric fire element. Which in turn will set fire to anything around it.

The steering column for example has a lot of wires running into it that can carry a lot of current. Your turn signal and ignition wires. If one of those shorted to the inside of the column you would get a lot of smoke and the whole length of wire effected could burst into flames.

The steering column for example has a lot of wires running into it that can carry a lot of current. Your turn signal and ignition wires. If one of those shorted to the inside of the column you would get a lot of smoke and the whole length of wire effected could burst into flames.

exactly what happend since the wires sit in a plastic unit if that plastic breaks the short will occur since the flasher has power to it all the time it will short, the other place is the connection from the amp gauge through the firewall that is another bad connection and again it has power to it all the time and this unit is plastic also and if it shorts it will melt the plastic until it touches another wire or metal, and has been a problem since these cars were built,if any one knows of other inherant problems like this post it here im sure i am forgetting something

Can someting like this........

....become something like this ???

Perhaps I'll do a fibreglass model out of it ??
....I've always wanted more luggage space,...and with a 1 year old son, wife requires bigger tent when camping....he he...

It wasn't crushed! How misleading of you Johannes!


I say go for a restoration.

Heartbreaking to see a Chally like that!

What happened Johannes? Tell us...


I carrie a fire extinguisher in my car, but after seeing those photos, i feel like getting one more...

That trailer idea is awsome!!! The best looking one is in the upper right corner.

A Challenger II missle on wheels.

Ha!

Johannes, an engine is necessary for that trailer. Maybe a 360? You know, just to move it around the yard without hooking it to a car....

A Dual axle carries more weight. 2nd down, on the left is my vote.

Needs an alignment, hitch, then ready to go.

burdar wrote:That trailer idea is awsome!!! The best looking one is in the upper right corner.

My vote also, but is it really out of rescue for restoration? "New hood, fenders, roof, trunk...."

Something that heat damaged is not going to be structurally sound ever again. Not to mention the greatly accelerated rate of rust.

You can buy pretty much every panel on the car these days, so maybe something could be done.... but it would be incredibly expensive, even here in the US.

I am saying this as much to convince myself of the fact that it can't be restored as anyone else.

I cant watch, brings back too many horrible memories. Yeah, a fire bottle is mandatory. I have one in every vehicle and in almost every room in my home as well as 2 in my shop. My SuperBird didnt burn that hard, thanks to a stranger with a fire bottle. But it was bad enough I had to sell it. That kind of fire is only good between the piston and head!! Good Luck-- whatever you decide

The sad story....
I friend of mine was driving this -72 Chally, when he noticed that it was misfiring or something....
He pulled out on a bus-stop, and opened the hood, without finding anything wrong...the car was ideling smoothly..

Opening the door, he saw flames comming out of the defroster ducts....
Short of calling the fire dept. there was nothing he could do....no extinguisher in the car....

The flames spread fairly quickly,....the engine still ideling.

****************************

The car IS beyond rescue....and I'm sadened by the current condition of the wreck.... dings etc.... due to brutal handeling at the dismanters...

I had to save it from the crusher last Tuesday, even if I'm a bit short on time rigth now... got a house to paint, a hemi to rebuild, etc, etc.....

I welcome ALL suggestions on how to make the trailer....and how to make a hidden hitch.....

...perhaps an administrator could move this thread to the "trailer hitch-thread" I started some time back ???

Regards;
Josh.

There is another guy rebuilding a T/A Challenger that was burnt. I'm followinig his thread on another Mopar site. I will say that the damage his sustained was way less than this Challenger.

I think building that trailer is the perfect thing to do with that car. It will look 100% better than that Prowler trailer from the 90's.

Top right, for sure!

make a trailer,it will make our cars more valuable

johannes wrote:...perhaps an administrator could move this thread to the "trailer hitch-thread" I started some time back ???

Regards;
Josh.

Instead i will just post a link to it HERE.

I remember that one. Great series of posts!

Dave called them guys "Vultures". I laughed so hard readin that.