Seeing how important a on-board fire extinguisher is for the longevity of our P-cars, has anyone come up with a home made solution to a good FE mount?

I'm thinking of making up something in SS plate to mount in front of the passenger seat with quick releases. I've got a 7lb Halon 4" dia. hand held cylinder I'd like to secure in the car but with quick access.

Some of the commercial solutions like BK mounts are pretty pricey.

Anyone made something up? in their shop or locally? Looking for ideas.

Thanks

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I can't comment on DIY solutions but I have the Brey Krause mount and it is a very nice piece. It is finished in brushed stainless steel and remains relatively out of the way. It holds the extinguisher securely and makes no noise. The extinguisher I bought with it came with a quick release strap. I mounted it on the passenger side. I went with the power seat model even though my seat is manually operated. The salesperson said it would work fine, which it did. The only problem you may have is that I believe the BK mount will not accept a 7 lb extinguisher. The total mount/extinguisher package cost me $100 which is cheap fire insurance.

 

I have a model from a company I forget, something like "safety systems" or something. They wanted $50 at Hershey, I got it from some guy 20 feet away for like $20. It was supposedly the right model (according to the company) but I ended up doing some work with a hacksaw. Either way, it was $20, it fits, and I have a 2.5 lb halon mounted on the front frame of my passenger seat. I believe they advertise in Excellence, if that helps. I'll try to remember the right name.

Jared

 

It's "Stable Energies" (www.stable-energies.com) and their mount works very well, and is substantially less expensive than the BK mount.

I have it in my car, and it also moves with the seat, which the BK mount does not do.

Stable Energies is located in Garfield, NJ, just outside of NYC, and they are BIG supporters of PCA.

-Z.

 

[quote]Originally posted by Z-man:
<strong>It's "Stable Energies" (www.stable-energies.com) and their mount works very well, and is substantially less expensive than the BK mount.

I have it in my car, and it also moves with the seat, which the BK mount does not do.

Stable Energies is located in Garfield, NJ, just outside of NYC, and they are BIG supporters of PCA.

-Z.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Which unit did you buy? They sell Safety Systems and Camber Truss (which doesn't have a link). I looked at the Safety Systems products and didn't see anything like what you describe.

TIA,
Daniel

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[quote]Originally posted by streckfu's951:
<strong>
Which unit did you buy? They sell Safety Systems and Camber Truss (which doesn't have a link). I looked at the Safety Systems products and didn't see anything like what you describe.
TIA,
Daniel
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While Stable Energies sells Safety Systems and Camber Truss 'stuff' their FE mount is their own design. So, it's a 'Stable Energies FE mount.'
-Z.

 

Correct me if I am wrong but if you had an engine fire isn't the last thing that you want to do is lift the hood? And if you shouldn't lift the hood how do you put an engine fire out? I wonder if there isn't a way to construct a cheap built in fire suppression system. Like you can get for race cars but less expensive.

Or do you just take the risk open the hood and prey that your extinguisher has enough suppressant in it to put out the new larger fire.

Just a thought.

 

[quote]Originally posted by Kool:
<strong>Correct me if I am wrong but if you had an engine fire isn't the last thing that you want to do is lift the hood? And if you shouldn't lift the hood how do you put an engine fire out? I wonder if there isn't a way to construct a cheap built in fire suppression system. Like you can get for race cars but less expensive.
Or do you just take the risk open the hood and prey that your extinguisher has enough suppressant in it to put out the new larger fire.
Just a thought.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Two solutions:
1. Crack open the hood. That lets much less air in, and allows for the use of a FE.
2. Spray the FE from underneath the car.

One suggestion:
There is no such thing as a CHEAP solution when it comes to fire suppression. It is always better to install something more than what you need.

 

[quote] Correct me if I am wrong but if you had an engine fire isn't the last thing that you want to do is lift the hood? And if you shouldn't lift the hood how do you put an engine fire out? I wonder if there isn't a way to construct a cheap built in fire suppression system. Like you can get for race cars but less expensive. <hr></blockquote>

From what I gather, if you have an engine fire you must do the following IF you have an extinguisher handy:

1. Shut off the ignition / fuel pump immediately!
2. Grab your extinguisher
3. pull the hood release before the cable melts and you cannot open the hood
4. AIM the FE nozzle into the CRACKED OPEN HOOD ONLY - and fire away. DO NOT OPEN THE HOOD!
5. Keep shooting away and hope that the flames go out.
6. Cut the negative cable on the battery / disconnect it somehow when the fire is out
7. be ready for a flare up- that exhaust manifold is still pretty hot.

BTW, the problem is that the dry chemical FE are not friendly to engines - alloy blocks, electrical components and the residue is VERY hard to remove - you don't want to get this stuff into the engine intake.

I've got a 7lb Halon bottle (inert gas) that I carry in the TurboS, and until I find another, I have my son carrying a 2.5 lb dry chemical FE - better than nothing. I've seen too many car fires these past few years where people stand by helplessly and wait for the fire department!

Anyone have anything else to add??

Thanks for the leads on <a href="http://www.stable-energies.com" target="_blank">www.stable-energies.com</a> - I'll check it out.

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I have the BK SS mount with a 5 Lb Ext. Nice mount but a 5 lb'er sticks out a ways. But a solid unit! D

 

[quote] 1. Shut off the ignition / fuel pump immediately!
2. Grab your extinguisher
3. pull the hood release before the cable melts and you cannot open the hood VERY IMPORTANT
4. AIM the FE nozzle into the CRACKED OPEN HOOD ONLY - and fire away. DO NOT OPEN THE HOOD!
5. Keep shooting away and hope that the flames go out.
6. Cut the negative cable on the battery / disconnect it somehow when the fire is out
7. be ready for a flare up- that exhaust manifold is still pretty hot.
<hr></blockquote>

That is pretty much the rule of thumb. Jam that nozzle into the cracked open hood and spray away with at least a 5 second blast. You can open the hood a little more (slowly) when the flames are way down and really spray it good. Be ready for a flare up.

Slowly opening the hood a few inches to really douse the fire is not a problem, it is when you whip open the hood and cause an updraft.

 

Well, I stand corrected. Obviously I didn't give it enough thought. But nevertheless what is the feasability of a Home made self contained fire suppression system? I assume that you would have to set it up with nozzles in areas where fires are known to start. Is it at all feasable?

 

I don't know if this is a "legal" mount...my guess is it is. Anyway, I used an existing screw hole from a cell phone mount that the original owner had, and screwed in my mount and, well, you can see...

I think the sticker is a nice touch. I heard it gives the FE an extra .5 lbs of power.

 

Matt:
Legal FE's for DE must be metal to metal mounts. I am not sure if the screwhole for a cell phone is strong enough to hold a FE under track conditions, or in case of a sudden, unexpected stop or change in direction.

The only other 'rule' for FE's is that the driver must be able to reach it when strapped in.

For about $50 for the Stable Energies mount, you can't go wrong.

-Zoltan.

 

Thanks for all the advice. After looking over all the posts, emailing the suppliers, looking at what they had available, and calling local suppliers - you can see what I did tonight in a few hours.

See my new post: ***Fire Extinguisher Mount SOLVED!!!***

Pics and description are there.

Thanks for all the suggestions!
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