newsflash: i am an idiot

[diymirage]

when I installed the 360 into my duster I had to clearance the K member for the oil pan
since I spun a rodbearing I now have the chance to weld those cuts up and make it a little stronger

so I borrowed a little 110 stick welder from a coworker

it has been a long time since I used a stick welder so I grabbed me some scraps of metal and decided to do some test welds first

I made some room in the garage and cleared out a section I could weld on

about 10 minutes into it, it suddenly hit me...the area I cleared to work on was the cover of my parts washer
I was welding about 10 inches above 5 gallons of mineral spirits :banghead:

 

[RustyRatRod]

Happens to the best of us. Glad you're still here to tell about it.

 

[67Dart273]

I can tell you a real story that really opened my eyes, "back then" in the early eighties.

Friend of mine had a drafty old wooden shop, maybe 40x40. Part of the floor was sand/ gravel. This was a "warm" winter night perhaps 35 degrees F. So it was thawing, but cold. The shop that night was not heated, so the shop was cold

He used a tub of diesel for "rough" cleaning, and then we'd rinse things off in gas. So I was down on the sand in one corner, rinsing parts in a low pan.

Gary was in the far corner, fired up the torch to cut something. I can STILL REMEMBER that flame front traveling across the floor. Seemed like slow motion. I was tensed just about to get up, when it "came." I managed to roll over and immediately get my hands down in the sand / gravel floor, and rub them out. It singed some hair, but was so quick it really didn't burn me at all.

But this COULD have been "a thing."

 

[73 Swinger 8]

No boom , no doom ...at least your still here to learn from it...don't sweat it.

 

[mguner]

I can tell you a real story that really opened my eyes, "back then" in the early eighties.

Friend of mine had a drafty old wooden shop, maybe 40x40. Part of the floor was sand/ gravel. This was a "warm" winter night perhaps 35 degrees F. So it was thawing, but cold. The shop that night was not heated, so the shop was cold

He used a tub of diesel for "rough" cleaning, and then we'd rinse things off in gas. So I was down on the sand in one corner, rinsing parts in a low pan.

Gary was in the far corner, fired up the torch to cut something. I can STILL REMEMBER that flame front traveling across the floor. Seemed like slow motion. I was tensed just about to get up, when it "came." I managed to roll over and immediately get my hands down in the sand / gravel floor, and rub them out. It singed some hair, but was so quick it really didn't burn me at all.

But this COULD have been "a thing."

Similar story about the same time frame. I had pulled the tunnel ram of the dragster and set it in a cubby hole of the tiny garage we had at that time. I went back to pull the rocker shafts and caught something out of the corner of my eye. Apparently I had tapped the 50cc pumps on the tunnel ram setup and the fumes set off as the water heater came on a couple of feet away. It was out quickly but got my attention!

 

[diymirage]

glad to hear I'm in good company

 

[Bad Sport]

Glad you didn't go


BOOM!

 

[A38Valiant]

A dozen years ago or thereabouts, I had bought a locked-up 318 from the local yard for $40 because I wanted the 302 casting heads. It was in the back of my shop, and late one evening I decided to confirm the casting numbers on the heads. Pulled covers and used an old screwdriver to scrape away the first inch of sludge. Grabbed a can of carb cleaner and sprayed thoroughly, then rubbed the numbers a bit with my finger. Grabbed drag light, turned it on while it was away from the engine, then got down to have a look. Gave them another shot of carb cleaner and stretched to grab a rag on the floor. Turned back to face the engine just as the drag light hit one of the rocker arms, which managed to get through the cage of the drag light just far enough to hit the bulb and break it.

WOOOFF!! The blast blew my hat off my head. My eyebrows were gone, along with half my mustache and the skin on the end of my nose was burnt enough to peel. To top it off, now the grease and oil in the crankcase of the engine is on fire, and I am dazed enough to watch it stupidly for about a full minute before grabbing an air hose and blowing it out.

 

[cannucky]

last winter in my 10x20 old wooden garage I forgot to screw the fuel rail into the carb , I start the car and I'm revving it but it keeps stumbling when it occurs to me what I've done , the fuel is shooting into the fitting on the carb across a 1/4 inch gap ,half of it is missing , the air gap is full up to the end rails and gas is running down the back end of the motor yeehaw you are not alone brother .

 

[fishmens67]

fuel squirting on distributor with engine running. I almost lost my car to that fire.
thank god for my neighbor and his fire bottle.

 

[magnumdart]

I caught my frayed jeans on fire once.