<VV> Electrical Fire

[Ewell Mills]

I reported some months ago an electrical fire that I experienced on my 67
Monza.  In defense of the general, it had nothing to do with any wiring
harness that came on the car.  A P.O. had defeated the fusible link off of the
battery using a #10 stranded wire from the battery to the little round
connector.  From there he ran a #10 wire to the front of the car through the
tunnel to a switch he had mounted under the dash.  He then ran a #10 wire from
the switch to a pair of fans he had mounted on the A/C condenser.  In routing
the wire from the battery he ran it to where it got caught between the parking
brake cable and the plastic roller and roller mount under the dash. (Instant
ground).  When I pulled up the parking brake I almost instantly had volumes of
smoke and flames under the dash. It did not desist until I was able to
disconnect the battery.  I was then able to put out the fire (which was the
parking brake cable roller burning) with a fire extinguisher  All of the
wiring close to the #10 wire that ran through the tunnel to the engine
compartment was charred and the insulation melted off.  I was lucky that I had
just pulled the car into my shop where I had access to a wrench to disconnect
the battery, and access to a fire extinguisher.  Needless to say, all had to
be replaced, and I now have a main circuit breaker where the little round
thing used to be.  Moral of the story....don't defeat the safety devices that
the general put on the car. I would agree that most of the electrical fires
that happen are caused.

Cecil Mills
Cocoa, Fl.