Bill - 29 Buick Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 As many of you know, I had two carb fires on the trip home from the BCA National this summer. It was brutally hot out (40+C / 100+F) and the first fire started immediately after I turned on the electric fuel pump when the car started to vapor lock. The second started after I'd stopped for a few minutes and needed to use the electric pump to restart a very hot car.We couldn't find an apparent cause except perhaps the "regulator" installed in front of the occasionally used electric fuel pump decided not to regulate and too much gas was pushed into the carb bowl and out through the hole in the top of the carb bowl. This would have meant that the needle and seat (actually one Grosse-Jet and one needle and seat) on 2 carbs had to be faulty.The Canadian 1929 McLaughlin Buicks have a Dole Primer pump installed for cold weather starting - these were standard on all 1929's sold in Canada. This pump sucks raw gas out of a connection in the gas line and pushes it into the intake manifold through a series of small pipes.Today, we found something interesting. The rigid pipe connection between the fuel pump and the Dole pump valve in the gas line had simply worn smaller at the Dole pump valve - allowing gas to drip out with a new, low pressure electric pump, without the car running. As this valve is very close to the exhaust pipe it's not hard to imagine that gas squirting out this valve would catch fire.In addition, the mechanical pump was likely sucking air in at this worn connection which may well have been the cause for some of my vapor lock problems - especially on very hot days.FYI.-- Bill McLaughlin --Editor & Publisher - 1929 Silver Anniversary Buick Newsletter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Glad you found it, Bill. Perhaps no more problems. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Bill :Thanks for the update. I was wondering if you had found the culprit! Very feasable senario. Again we are glad you were not injured (except emotionally about the damage done to the car).How are the repairs coming. I am hoping to see you and your 29 in South Bend. Larry DiBarry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill - 29 Buick Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 Ben & Larry:Thanks ! It's good to know that the problem is likely solved. I plan to be in South Bend and go on the Pre-War after tour.Repairs are coming along. Mechanical repairs are well underway and ripped top (on truck on way home from fire) is about to start in next couple of weeks.Bill McL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unimogjohn Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 (edited) Bill, was the hood/bonnet trashed in the fire? I loved the patina on it.Posted a couple of pics of your car from 2009. I think that you might be able to see the patina I am referring to. Edited December 11, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 A few years ago I restored a Stewart Warner vacuum tank back to operation for a 1932 Hudson Eight Brougham. It is a medium blue wood wheeled dual sidemount car in Oklahoma or Nebraska now (I think). We threw away all the "improvements" including a pressure regulator between the vacuum tank and the carb! It's gravity feed. And we corrected the wiper vacuum supply so it didn't draw off the tank, too. Sometimes the updraft carb will leak a bit and if it spits back due to a lean mixture of the timing being off or the advance lever out of adjustment you can get a little fire going. I am overcautious; I start those cars with the hood open.Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_B Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 I'm glad you figured it out but I'm especially glad no one was hurt in the fire and that you were able to put it out. Another few minutes and it would have been a total loss. This is every old car owners nightmare. Call me crazy but I've got two fire extinguishers in the '28 now. On the other hand it is remarkable how durable these things are. The engine catches on fire and you change out a few parts and your back on the road.About the top getting torn while being transported on the roll back: As you recall it was so hot (100s) that week after the National meet and the '28 was getting vapor lock all over the place. There was no way I was going to make a 400 mile trip in that heat. So I rented a U-Haul truck and trailer for the trip home. It was an open trailer and my top pulled apart too. I guess they are not made for sustained 65mph winds.Anyway it's good to hear you're back on the road.Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill - 29 Buick Posted December 12, 2012 Author Share Posted December 12, 2012 John:No real damage to the hood. The clear-coat (which I had put on to protect the patina of a hood with most of the paint rubbed off) was scorched but the metal wasn't damaged.Bill McL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill - 29 Buick Posted December 12, 2012 Author Share Posted December 12, 2012 Tried to add photo of hood in above post but it didn't go through. Maybe this will.Bill McL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill - 29 Buick Posted December 12, 2012 Author Share Posted December 12, 2012 That's hood after fire. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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