1983 Ferrari 308QV Engine Fire Victim | FerrariChat

1983 Ferrari 308QV Engine Fire Victim

Discussion in 'Ad Archives' started by jcinflorida, Jan 11, 2015.

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  1. jcinflorida

    jcinflorida Formula Junior

    Oct 24, 2009
    331
    Melbourne Florida
    Full Name:
    John
    #1 jcinflorida, Jan 11, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    1983 QV with fire-damaged motor and deck-lid (fire contained to upper engine compartment). Black leather seats with red piping, stock bumpers, ansa sport exhaust, Original Ferrari 16" wheels and recent yokahama tires. 50K miles. Water intrusion into cylinders and crankcase. Make Offer. More pix and information available on request. Limited time offer. U.S. Spec car, s/n 46307.
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  2. arcticlighting

    arcticlighting Karting

    Oct 5, 2007
    184
    Spokane, WA
    Full Name:
    Brian Chapman
    #2 arcticlighting, Jan 12, 2015
    Pm sent
     
  3. behold

    behold Rookie

    Sep 27, 2013
    1
    #3 behold, Jan 12, 2015
    Hi,can you call me for more info on 308.
    908 894 2928 N.J.
     
  4. Bones2U

    Bones2U Formula Junior

    Jul 13, 2008
    814
    Ontario
    #4 Bones2U, Jan 12, 2015
    What a shame.
     
  5. John_K_348

    John_K_348 F1 Rookie

    Sep 20, 2013
    2,747
    Boston, MA
    Full Name:
    John E. Kenney
    #5 John_K_348, Jan 12, 2015
    Nuts! Would a dry chemical extinguisher have made a difference?
     
  6. JG333SP

    JG333SP Formula 3

    Mar 24, 2010
    1,871
    N Shore, MA
    Full Name:
    Jim G
    #6 JG333SP, Jan 12, 2015
    Is there interest in parting it out? Sorry about the fire-happens too often with these cars
     
  7. GatorFL

    GatorFL Moderator
    Moderator Owner

    Nov 18, 2005
    16,397
    Wellington, FL
    Full Name:
    Duane
    #7 GatorFL, Jan 12, 2015
    Wow, can you post whay happened in the 308 subforum so we can learn from your experience? :(
     
  8. Meister

    Meister F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Apr 27, 2001
    5,516
    Duluth, MN
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    The Meister
    #8 Meister, Jan 12, 2015
    leading suspect would be old fuel lines, but there are other sources
     
  9. brian.s

    brian.s F1 Rookie
    Professional Ferrari Technician

    Nov 3, 2003
    3,806
    Midwest
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    Brian
    #9 brian.s, Jan 12, 2015
    Fairly typical that the hard plastic lines fail, fuel pumps over hot engine and poof! Be mindful that the parts are getting harder to source, and despite Verrell's best efforts, it's getting worse. Used parts are as old as the stuff that failed!
     
  10. jcinflorida

    jcinflorida Formula Junior

    Oct 24, 2009
    331
    Melbourne Florida
    Full Name:
    John
    #10 jcinflorida, Jan 12, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  11. jcinflorida

    jcinflorida Formula Junior

    Oct 24, 2009
    331
    Melbourne Florida
    Full Name:
    John
    #11 jcinflorida, Jan 12, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  12. jcinflorida

    jcinflorida Formula Junior

    Oct 24, 2009
    331
    Melbourne Florida
    Full Name:
    John
    #12 jcinflorida, Jan 12, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  13. jcinflorida

    jcinflorida Formula Junior

    Oct 24, 2009
    331
    Melbourne Florida
    Full Name:
    John
    #13 jcinflorida, Jan 12, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  14. GatorFL

    GatorFL Moderator
    Moderator Owner

    Nov 18, 2005
    16,397
    Wellington, FL
    Full Name:
    Duane
    #14 GatorFL, Jan 12, 2015
    What a shame. Gorgeous car. :(
     
  15. jcinflorida

    jcinflorida Formula Junior

    Oct 24, 2009
    331
    Melbourne Florida
    Full Name:
    John
    #15 jcinflorida, Jan 12, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  16. jcinflorida

    jcinflorida Formula Junior

    Oct 24, 2009
    331
    Melbourne Florida
    Full Name:
    John
    #16 jcinflorida, Jan 12, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  17. jcinflorida

    jcinflorida Formula Junior

    Oct 24, 2009
    331
    Melbourne Florida
    Full Name:
    John
    #17 jcinflorida, Jan 12, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  18. jcinflorida

    jcinflorida Formula Junior

    Oct 24, 2009
    331
    Melbourne Florida
    Full Name:
    John
    #18 jcinflorida, Jan 12, 2015
    I was driving at the time doing about 45mph when I looked in the rearview mirror and saw the fire behind my head (no loss of power as I was accelerating). I shut the engine down immediatly and coasted for about 10 seconds to an intersection. I pulled out my "1.5lb" Halon extinguisher from under my seat and attempted to put it out. As you can see, 1.5lb was not enough. Just so you know. I was lucky as it could have been much worse.
     
  19. Badabing!

    Badabing! Formula Junior

    Mar 30, 2014
    731
    NYC
    #19 Badabing!, Jan 12, 2015
    Sorry for the loss. That was a nice car. Hopefully someone car bring it back to life.
     
  20. arcticlighting

    arcticlighting Karting

    Oct 5, 2007
    184
    Spokane, WA
    Full Name:
    Brian Chapman
    #20 arcticlighting, Jan 12, 2015
    Please call me sent a PM this morning, very interested.

    Thanks, Brian
     
  21. HotShoe

    HotShoe F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 3, 2008
    7,529
    Lake Worth, FL
    Full Name:
    Anthony Lauro
    #21 HotShoe, Jan 12, 2015
    Sorry about your car. I'm glad you are OK.
     
  22. 308gtsqv

    308gtsqv Formula Junior

    Feb 12, 2008
    610
    Mass/Cape Cod
    Full Name:
    Mike
    #22 308gtsqv, Jan 13, 2015
    I would legit be devastated. This makes me want to change those small plastic fuel lines this winter.

    Good luck with your sale.
     
  23. oneconnoisseur

    oneconnoisseur Rookie

    Jul 24, 2014
    25
    NorCal
    Full Name:
    Doug
    #23 oneconnoisseur, Jan 13, 2015
    Just out of curiosity, How much more Fire extinguisher do you think you could have used? I carry a 2.5 Halon...would that have made a difference?
     
  24. BigTex

    BigTex Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 6, 2002
    79,221
    Houston, Texas
    Full Name:
    Bubba
    #24 BigTex, Jan 13, 2015
    +1

    Very sorry to see this and I hope all things work out for you, on the loss.

    That said, this is a great chance for someone to get into a car, as there enough wrecks out there in salvage to replace this motor and rock on down the road.....

    Not the end, IMO..

    I do carry TWO fire extinguishers in my carb car.
    5GPM does not sound like much flow, until it's feeding a blaze
     
  25. jcinflorida

    jcinflorida Formula Junior

    Oct 24, 2009
    331
    Melbourne Florida
    Full Name:
    John
    #25 jcinflorida, Jan 13, 2015
    Thank you everyone for your support during this ordeal. It was a dream-come-true to own such a beautiful machine and drive it for 5 years. It was covered by insurance, but not enough to replace her completely. Prices are going up so be sure to check your valuations regularly. The exact cause of the fire, other than fuel-related, may never be known. I do know that having a small-bottle extinguisher under my seat was not enough. I also know that precious seconds were lost coasting to a stop, getting out, releasing the bottle from it's harness, and getting into position to pull the trigger. And make no mistake - I was well aware of those two full fuel tanks right there in the engine compartment that could have gone off. Although the fire did not damage the tanks, I did not know that at the time. I knew better than to try to open the decklid for fear of enraging the fire with more oxygen. It is easy to "say" how one would react, but another to put your a$$ on the line. I had no idea how long the tanks insulation would last but I knew it would not be forever. I acted on instinct to save my baby but could have ended badly. It was a risky move, not to mention firing that extinguisher was like holding onto a rocket. To Ferrari's credit, I think the tanks are well insulated. In hindsight, I should have not "cheaped-out" with the bottle-under-the-seat and instead opted for the engine-bay installation with manual and thermal triggers. That would have allowed activation earlier and probably saved it. It was a $700 vs $130 decision at the time (2009).
    At this point the car is sold to a reputable buyer who has the skills and resources to do a proper restoration. Thank you all again for your support and hopefully everyone can gain some insight from my experience. I will return to Ferrari ownership again in the not so distant future.
    JC
     
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