Catalytic Converter on a 65 Slant 6?

http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/implementation/air/mobilesource/vetech/catfire.html



Precautions To Take

The EPA regulations require that any emission control system used by vehicle manufacturers "shall not in its operation, function, or malfunction result in unsafe conditions endangering the motor vehicle, its occupants, or persons or property in close proximity to the vehicle."

The vehicle manufacturers are aware of the need to provide protection from possible hazards or discomfort associated with high catalyst temperatures for both the vehicle occupants and vehicle components. In addition, protection is also necessary to avert possible fire hazards associated with driving vehicles through tall grass or other vegetation. The exact means taken by the different manufacturers to provide high temperature protection vary, and include such approaches as insulating the entire catalytic reactor so that the outside surfaces are not hotter than mufflers, installing protective metal shields between the converter shell and vegetation, and using thicker carpeting materials inside the car to protect the occupants from experiencing high floorboard temperatures. In addition, some cars have temperature-sensing devices to deactivate the catalytic reactor or alert the driver to abnormally high temperatures, which might be caused by misfiring spark plugs, etc.

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Fires May Still Happen

The EPA has received reports of vehicle and vegetation fires in which catalysts were involved from both vehicle owners and from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an organization which has been monitoring the frequency of such incidents with individual manufacturers. In some cases, it appears that combustible undercoating material had been applied to the catalyst and other exhaust system hardware.

In most cases, vehicles were also reported to have been running badly with evidence of nonfiring spark plugs or other ignition system defects. If an abnormal amount of unburned fuel is fed to any catalyst, which occurs when the engine is misfiring in one or more cylinders, the catalyst will attempt to "do its job" by burning this fuel instead of simply expelling it out the exhaust pipe as the case with older cars. When this happens, the surface temperature of the catalyst container and the exhaust pipe can become abnormally hot, possibly leading to charring or burning of undercoating inadvertently sprayed on the catalyst or exhaust system, charring of floor mats in the car, or ignition of dry vegetation if the vehicle is operated off-road. Vehicle service manuals caution against applying undercoating on the catalyst of exhaust systems.