Wow, fuel+torch=?

[bud36light]

I was just reading this other forum and really dont know what to say here. Seems this fellow couldnt get the fuel line fittings broke loose on his EFI truck and decided to grab the torch and HEAT THE SOMBITCHES UP!!!Yes he did catch the thing on fire and get burned but it didnt blow up or destroy the truck either. Anyone ever heard or witnessed anything crazier?

[RacerX11]

RE: Wow, fuel+torch=?

This one happened about 4 years ago, and falls under the Darwin Award category.

A local semi trailer repair shop was working on a gas tanker trailer. The truck had just dropped off a full load at a local gas station, then came in for a repair to the fuel level sensor mounted on top of the tanker. Having just emptied, the tank was completely full of gas vapor. The trailer was backed halfway into the service bay, and the mechanic was on top of the tank repairing the fuel level sender. The final portion of the repair involved heating the shrink-wrap tubing on the wires, which was done with a PROPANE TORCH. The vapors in the tank ignited, and exploded. The tank was pealed open, almost looking like a flat sheet of metal. Several hundred square feet of the shop roof and walls had been pealed back. The mechanic was found several hundred feet away (dead, of course) along with parts of the trailer and shop. The driver of the truck had been standing in front of the cab of the tractor at the time, which was still attached to the trailer. Luckily, the tractor shielded him from the blast, and he was only knocked to the ground with cuts and bruises. Luckily everyone in the shop escaped with only minor injuries.

I arrived at the scene about 10 minutes after the explosion, and my first thought upon seeing the building was that a tornado had hit, the damage was that bad. I am still aamzed that everyone but the mechanic walked away from the accident.

Marty

[v6h.o.]

Re: Wow, fuel+torch=?

I was just reading this other forum and really dont know what to say here. Seems this fellow couldnt get the fuel line fittings broke loose on his EFI truck and decided to grab the torch and HEAT THE SOMBITCHES UP!!!Yes he did catch the thing on fire and get burned but it didnt blow up or destroy the truck either. Anyone ever heard or witnessed anything crazier?

Best story from around here was from one of the small towns from where i used to live, this one guy had a 3rd gen T/A, his fuel pump fucked on it, and he desided that it was too much work to try and remove the fuel tank (it does involve quite a assload of work on a 3rd/4th gen Fbody to do a pump) so instead he figured he'd cut an access hole in the rear trunk area to pull the pump...
Sadly the problem was he tryed to cut a hole with the oxy/acetelyne torch right above the tank... The car was good for the front half, the back half was a write off..

I use the torch to heat up brake lines at work all the time. Just did it again today actually. (shudders... 89 crapalac devil) I've had to do heating of parts and or shit around tanks all the time at work. still havnt caught anything on fire yet (knocks on wood)

[Anonymous]

And you all say I fuck up...lol







Hey the fuel lines are a bitch to get, pushing all 4 tabs at the same time, but I managed to get it

[TheProfessor]

damn thats some crazy shit

this one time i when i did the fuel pump in one of my rettas
one of the bolts was just spinning so we had to cut the nut on the other side with a dremel
so were both under the car with the gas hoses disconected with sparks flying everywhere
i figured we would be cool as long as i angled the hose openings away from the spark
we got luck and are still here lol

[LoominaZ34]

I helped my friend weld a panel back onto his second gas tank in his old ford, about 1.5 inches of gas puddled in the bottom. the fuel lit after we had almost finished welding. only way we knew it was on fire was the smoke coming out of the breathers