1700 miles in a Mondial

just aheads up, i've started a thread that can be sticked in the 308/mondial section on replacing the fuel lines and servicing the tanks...

 

Good thing you got the fire out and no one was hurt, car can be fixed.

At least get a ABC chemical extinguisher, Halon works well for fuel and oil fires though they are expensive, Halon has been replaced with Halotron which I am unsure of its performance.

 

The Karma train needs to seriously run over this SOB:

http://www.***********.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=16740

 

I'm sorry to read this news.
I've been away from F-chat for while, and missed BW concoure on 6/3. SO this was the first time I got this news. Hope you'll recover the car fully to your satisfaction. Make sure to find the cause of fire (well, I know Mike & James already think that, too)

At least, you had fun road trip w/ Dave, and met more f-chatters along the way to make more friends. Aren't you glad Dave is your friend now because he's FarmerDave to help you deal all this aftermath.

 

Manny - Any updates?

 

Yeah, my tools are back!!!

And, that band-aid came in very handy when I banged my head laughing.

Dave

 

Manny, can you give us an update?

 

anny must be all tied up with the insurance guy.

I was on the phone with him the other day.

The insurance guy indicated to him that totalling the car was an option that they were considering.

Didn't make him all that happy, until he realized he then could buy it back even cheaper than before, (with a salvage title) fix it up....

Then drive it to Georgia or Alabama and give the title a quick rinse...

Just kidding about the last part, I think.

DM

 

</flamesuit on>

 

Manny my wife said if you never drive it another mile, you drove it more than some people ever drive theirs

Plus I KNOW you had FUN !!

 

AL became a title state around 1974 or 1975. A lot harder to do that type of stuff now. However, we would love to see Manny and Dave again.

No offense taken.

Drew

 

We'll find a place for your car here if you need us to.

 

Yesterday Jano from 4M Bodyworks and I went to Norwoods to see what kind of body damage if any the car has. They had the car jacked from the rear and it was pretty easy to see the whole under body.

First thing that caught my attention was that, with the exception of a ~ 10 in^2 area and that the tanks straps were rusted, the underbody looked great .

James from Norwoods told us there was a 1/8in hole in the tank which birthed a crack. He said it was wierd because it was like a perfect hole. It was near a screw which holds the bottom of the rear seat. Then it dawn on me...

As I was cleaning the car for the auto show I removed a screw from that location. I believe it was there to keep the nut on the bottom seat covered with the carpet. This happened before I took my wife out and filled the tank.
My guess is that there was no leak because the fuel level was bellow the hole. We could smell gas which, I attributed to the car running rich and me just putting the belt for the auxiliary air pump.

Now the good news is that Jano took a look at it and said that it was not bad. It needs undercoating and repainting. He said there are a couple of little things that could be addressed too.

Tomorrow Jano and Mike will get together and complete the estimate for the insurance company. We beleive it is within the range they will allow for repairs. Tuesday I will know for sure if it will be totalled or fixed.

Thanks to everyone for their support.

 

Thanks for the update. Glad to hear things aren't as bad as they could have been. I guess you know now how the fire spread so quickly into the passenger compartment.

I really hope that the repairs can be made without totaling the car. That thing has made some memorable moments for you in the two weeks you've had it. Once you get the issues sorted out, you will be able to look at the Mondial and smile at the things you have done.

 

There is nothing like a long drive in a new (to you) Ferrari. I have picked up a TR in Michigan, a Mondial t cab in Rochester, NY, an F40 in CA, a Lotus Esprit in NJ and a 348 in FL, and driven them to AZ.

The open road...a Ferrari..............AHHHHH! Enjoy! Try not to back into anything else with that rear valance!!

 

Talked to the insurance guy today. They will pay for the repairs to the car

Mike and James at Norwoods will start the mechanical work (changing the fuel lines and some electrical cables) as soon as they can. I am buying the interior off a Mondi we found in CA (Thanks Tillman and William ) It is cream but we are staining it Tan but the carpet is red... I will go with it like that. If I do not like it after a while, I will think about replacing it.

After the interior is complete, it is off to 4M Bodyworks in Lewisville, TX. Here Jano, Raffi and their team will do that boodoo they do and finish the undercarriage plus any other miscellaneous stuff.

I am looking forward to drive the car from Norwoods to Jano's shop. Hopefully I will have the car back in about 3 weeks.
Now, I am leaving to Puerto Rico and then Dominican Republic on June 30. So it may be a month before the car makes it to my garage

 

OMFG... I just saw the recent updates on this thread. I am so sorry about what happened, I'm glad you're o.k. and the damage was only "material things".

Maybe the car was tyring to say, "Hey Manny... you gave me the trip of a lifetime --- bet 1700 miles I ever drove. I'm tired. I'm headed over the rainbow bridge back to Maranello."



Naaa.......


Glad you're ok!

 

Holy crapote! I couldn't believe it. Glad everything is ok, Manny, and that everyone was safe.

 

Great story up to the point it went up in flames! Really glad it turned out as good as it did.

I'm curious, does the Mondial have steel or fiberglass for the interior floor? My '84 400iA has fiberglass and I had a fire situation (overheated cats from FI problems) and it could have burned to the ground if I hadn't had a good fire extinguisher and a case of 32 oz sport bottles of water in the trunk (was on the way back from a run to Sams). Steel flooring would have been much better in my case.

Al

 

it's steel, but in mannys case a hole drilled thru the floor into the tank created a nice vent pipe with which to burn the fuel vapors. still curois as to the start of the ingnition. and thank god the tank was full, near empty would have produced a hollywood effect.

this brings up a point, no internal bladder huh? thought there was a DOT reg on that. the lack of bladders on the pintos was another 'hot' spot.

 

Steel is better. I understood about the screw hole, just wondered what the risk is and with steel it's much less. Was it just gas vapors in the interior? They collected on the floor and burned the carpet? Guess I don't know if gas vapors are heavier than air or not.

 

That is AWESOME!

What did James and Mike say about the shifter/floor issue, is that repairable too?

 

I told both Norwoods and Jano about the shifter... My guess is that one of the two will fix it. I will make sure on Monday.

 

Thanks for the update Manny & I'm glad you found that parts supplier useful. Hopefully I'll see your car again when I get back from the USGP.