gogetemturbo Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 Watch the video first. Be warned, it's pretty depressing. There is nothing graphic or un-suitable for children, just a very sad day for any Comanche owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogetemturbo Posted June 27, 2010 Author Share Posted June 27, 2010 That's my truck. This happened on Thursday on my way home from work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 That sucks :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogetemturbo Posted June 27, 2010 Author Share Posted June 27, 2010 It was strictly on the interior. The fire never breached the firewall. How it sits for now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogetemturbo Posted June 27, 2010 Author Share Posted June 27, 2010 So here's the story... Since I put the ZJ Grand Cherokee trans in (42re) with a manual valve body, the overdrive is on a switch on the dash (ugh WAS on a switch on the dash) and it’s been acting up and not working right. Well on my way home from work Thursday it wasn’t working. I was taking it slow but the motor still started to get really hot. So I pulled off the freeway to find a spot I can stop for a little while to let it cool down. I should have turned right instead of left so have a parking lot to stop in so I went to the first light to flip a u-turn. Sitting in the left turn lane my right leg started to get really warm. I looked down and saw smoke. For a split second I though of jumping the median to get the truck to the side of the road but the light turned green. I got to the side of the road, got out and tossed a soda onto the flames but it was already too big. While on the phone with 9-1-1, I grabbed my tools and a couple other things out of the truck before it got really big. Anaheim Fire Department was there pretty quick but the damage was already done. The fire never breached the fire wall of the engine compartment, so the engine and everything seems to be ok. All in all, I am safe. No one was hurt other than my most beloved material possession. I am extremely happy it is only a material possession that is destroyed but it hurts none the less. Seems to have been an electrical short somewhere in the dash. It's impossible to figure out what exactly went wrong with the charred mess that is left in the cab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogetemturbo Posted June 27, 2010 Author Share Posted June 27, 2010 So now I am trying to decide what to do with it. I could slowly fix it, sell it whole, part it out or strip it and build something else. I am leaning towards slowly fixing it but with a spin. I have a 5 month old daughter that makes a standard cab truck very impractical. Eventually I am going to want more seats for when we all go out wheeling so I am thinking about doing something like this... Image Not Found I was playing Photoshop yesterday and this is a work in progress. With a full cage all the way back. Cut out the back of the cab and the front of the bed and add a second row of seats. Would allow me to keep my MJ but have something more practical for family wheeling. What do you folks think? I'll post up better finished photoshops when I get around to getting them done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unglar Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 Major bummer! Good idea, the full roll cage will be a must, also, doesn't the missing cab provide some structural integrity? Would have to come up with a way to re-inforce the remaining cab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Automan2164 Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 Wow. Not going to lie, that was a tough video to watch. But, you are ok, and that is the most important thing. But just having to stand there and watch your baby go up in flames when you are powerless to do anything had to be rough. Overall, nothing I saw there was irrepairable. Fire is a weird creature with vehicles. While it seems to destroy all, it leaves the entire shell whole, and in decent shape. (As long as it didn't get hot enough to destroy the metal. Looks like with some cleaning, an interior swap, windows, and some paint, and you would be in good shape. I wouldn't tear it up just because of the cab fire. Oh, insurance? Rob L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasbulliwagen Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 Been there done that... 1972 VW Beetle. Fan belt broke, cutting the fuel line which squirted gas on the the header, and POOF! All I could do was sith there and watch. Fire dept came and got the fire out... squirted the motor and interior, got it out. So then I called the tow truck, but they wouldnt tow it because it was leaking gas. So I sat there for another 1 1/2 hours while the gas dribbled out into the parking lot and called them back again. All this was while I had a badly sprained knee and was actually on my way back from the doctor getting it rechecked. I re did the top end of the motor, and the engine compartment wiring, and gutted the rear part of the cars interior and kept driving it. Yours appears to be fixable, just gonna be a lot of lowrk. Glad youre safe, and good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJ is dead Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 Major loss man, but I'm willing to bet you'll carry a fire extinguisher from now on. Almost lost my Pathfinder to an electrcal fire one day. Sent my buddy into the house, while I threw the hood open and ripped the positive cable off the batt. after that I bolted an extinguisher to the b pillar :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogetemturbo Posted June 27, 2010 Author Share Posted June 27, 2010 I'll have to try and get a picture of it but the roof is sunk in about 4 inches, hence the cutting it off. I'll post up a pic later. I still haven't decided which way to go yet. first thing is to get a vehicle to drive to and from work. My commuter Honda Civic got stolen about a month ago. It was recovered within a couple hours of being reported stolen (LoJack is great). The insurance company ended up totaling it out. I decided to let it go because the payment plus gas and insurance was more than the insurance and gas on the MJ (it's paid off). Saving me some money. But then this happens. And yer right "MJ is Dead", I will be putting a fire extinguisher in every single vehicle I own! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJM/78 Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 I sorry that happened to you man , that sucks . On a good note that cab can be fixed , looks like sheet metal drooping , that can be replaced no problem . It looks like all the major support beams and pillars are all in good shape still , nothing a little fiberglass and sheet metal won't cure . If you were closer I'd help you fix it . Might be a good time for a sunroof ... :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakjeep93 Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 damn man that sucks. but it does appear to be repairible. good luck with the repair Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddzz1 Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 I'll have to try and get a picture of it but the roof is sunk in about 4 inches, hence the cutting it off. I'll post up a pic later. I still haven't decided which way to go yet. first thing is to get a vehicle to drive to and from work. My commuter Honda Civic got stolen about a month ago. It was recovered within a couple hours of being reported stolen (LoJack is great). The insurance company ended up totaling it out. I decided to let it go because the payment plus gas and insurance was more than the insurance and gas on the MJ (it's paid off). Saving me some money. But then this happens. And yer right "MJ is Dead", I will be putting a fire extinguisher in every single vehicle I own! Thats sucks , man. and it had to be a 92 which makes it worse. Side story, Years ago my father was driving when the car caught fire. It was mostly the engine bay that was damaged. He put the fire out himself and the insurance company was REFUSING to pay because he put it out himself. Not sure what ended up happening, it was a long time ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpdocdave Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 was a very nice truck, sorry to see that happen to ya. insurance?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogetemturbo Posted June 27, 2010 Author Share Posted June 27, 2010 Thats sucks , man. and it had to be a 92 which makes it worse. Side story, Years ago my father was driving when the car caught fire. It was mostly the engine bay that was damaged. He put the fire out himself and the insurance company was REFUSING to pay because he put it out himself. Not sure what ended up happening, it was a long time ago. That's weird that they wouldn't cover it. Sounds like a cop out to me. I only had liability on my truck so the Insurance company isn't involved at all. They wouldn't have given me much money anyhow since all the aftermarket goodies we're part of they're insurance. I didn't want to pay extra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpdocdave Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 bummer, i have full coverage on my jeeps, it only costs me like 6 bux more a month each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinkrun Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 Thats hard to watch and to have it happen to such a well done truck. We should all learn from this and go get some fire extinguishers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kastein Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 That really sucks :( I have fire extinguishers in all my roadworthy jeeps anyways as it's a NAXJA requirement (for trail rides, which theoretically I attempt to ride in...), though I'm really not sure it could have saved you from this. It can be damn hard to get the spray onto the right thing, especially on an electrical dash fire. BTW, don't get those silly little "recreational" fire extinguishers that you can wrap your hand around. Get one of the kitchen ones or bigger. By the time you notice a dash fire or engine compartment fire, you are going to need way more than one of those. They are suitable for one thing, meeting the rules of your club for trail rides. Good luck fixing it up! I'd hesitate to, since metal that has deformed from a fire is probably completely detempered and has none of the same strength it did originally, but if you tube it out, I guess it might work. (I say that as a complete metallurgy idiot, anyone who knows better should tell me I'm wrong if I am) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
500 MJ Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Thats rough. Before I owned my Jeeps, I owned a few S-10s. One had an interior fire in it and I bought it from a junkyard with all the parts to fix it. Worked out well, that truck got me through 4 years bridging high school to college before I sold it to my best friend, he is still driving it. Your fire looks like it was a bit worse though. One thing I've learned from seeing a few guy's MJ's go up in flames is that I carry a fire extinguisher in both of my MJs. It sits right at the floor on the drivers side of the cab, VERY accessible at a seconds notice. I'd say start sanding the worst spots of the steel before you cut the roof off. You never know, that steel may still be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 When I saw the first pic I was crushed, but after seeing the closeups, it doesn't seem all that bad. Sure the interior is toast, but the steel doesn't look ruined. Needs sand blasting and some paint. New interior and wiring and it should be good to go. All depends on how much of a project you're looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeepcoMJ Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 rebuild it...doesn't look like it got too hot to melt the cab down, just to melt the plastic to it. a nice, slow rebuild will fix it. do NOT scrap it. it's still saveable. and, next time...keep a fire extinguisher next to your driver's seat. and pop the hood and pull the battery cables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Automan2164 Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Tips from a firefighter in case this happens to you: Engine fire: Don't open the hood, let it work for air, don't make it easy. Spray whatever you got through the grille. Turn the key off... Hard to remember in a hurry, but don't let the fuel pump keep feeding it. If you can, and its that bad, stab a hole with an axe or hammer in the hood, and spray into there with a fire extinguisher. If its an engine fire, usually we will do this for you when we get there(depending on the severity). Interior fire: Close as many windows as quickly as possible if you can. Again, make it starve for air. Key off. Same reason. Turn anything off that was on, again, only if you can. Unlatch a vent window if you can, and spray into it, if possible with the extinguisher. The most important things are to keep it as air deprived as possible, and keep an extinguisher on hand. You'd be surprised at how much fire one of those little guys can put out. Aim for the base of the fire, in a sweeping motion. You wouldn't think it, but here's a good video showing just how effective a dry chemical extinguisher does on a pretty big fuel fire: Rob L. :cheers: Things to keep in the cab: Fire extinguisher, like stated in another post, get about a kitchen size at the least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pioneer Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 :agree: with rob. Engine bay fires are best fought through the grill, or if possible from underneath. Our old mini pumper had pre piped piercing nozzle on it strictly for car fires. Definitely sucks it happened, hopefully you can rebuild it to its former glory :drool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyc Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Holy crap! That was you? My buddy told me that he saw an MJ on fire on Weir Canyon and asked if it was anyone I knew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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