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I was looking for a Opel GT and found one for sale in North Swanzey, NH for $1500.00. It was a 1971 that this guy had fixed up for his daughter. He had replaced the rockers and done some body work and painted it Black. It was a great looking car and it was my 2nd GT that I would own. I gave the guy a $500.00 deposit and told him I would be back tomorrow with the balance and to pick it up.
I went back the next day, paid and drove away my "new" GT. I was in heaven. I drove it 60 miles to a friends house and he wasn't there. I started to head downtown and saw my friend pass in the opposite direction. I cut the wheel into a side road and turned around. I cut into the corner pretty good but nothing radical. I started back up the road and the GT sputtered. Now I could smell smoke. I pulled off the road and popped the hood. MY BRAND NEW GT WAS ON FIRE !!!! I had only owned the car for 3 hours !!
At that moment a 60's Corvette pulled up and asked me if I needed help. I asked him if he had a fire extinguisher. He said no and said he would be right back with one, and took off. I ran to the side of the road and grabbed hand fulls of sand and threw it on the fire. It was almost out when the guy came back with a fire extinguisher and hit the fire with a burst. He also called the fire department. Now the fire trucks start showing up and Police and what a show. When the fireman saw that the fire was out they left. The police left and didn't offer any help.
Now I am alone on the side of the road with my new car covered in sand and white powder. I start to look to see what had happened. I found that the battery had slid when I made the sharp turn and it shorted out on my Brake line !! That grounded out the positive cable which caused the battery to blow a hole in the top and catch fire. Also when it shorted to the brake line the line burst and the brake fluid started to burn as it dripped onto the burning battery.
Now when I checked out the car the day before I clearly saw 2 black rubber bungie cords holding the battery in place. They were not there today. The guy evidently decided to keep his bungie cords and not tell me.
My friends that I turned around to follow eventually came looking for me as they figured it had to be me since it was an Opel GT and I had not showed up. That day my rust bucket Yellow 1970 GT (my first GT) became a Parts car. My black GT was fixed in a matter of hours.
I still have the Positive battery cable end that is Welded to the Brake line. It has been 15 years since I have seen it but if I come across it I will post a picture. 14 days after the fire and a full 2 weeks before my first Payment was due, I totalled the car in Dublin, NH and it became my 2nd Opel GT parts car.
I went back the next day, paid and drove away my "new" GT. I was in heaven. I drove it 60 miles to a friends house and he wasn't there. I started to head downtown and saw my friend pass in the opposite direction. I cut the wheel into a side road and turned around. I cut into the corner pretty good but nothing radical. I started back up the road and the GT sputtered. Now I could smell smoke. I pulled off the road and popped the hood. MY BRAND NEW GT WAS ON FIRE !!!! I had only owned the car for 3 hours !!
At that moment a 60's Corvette pulled up and asked me if I needed help. I asked him if he had a fire extinguisher. He said no and said he would be right back with one, and took off. I ran to the side of the road and grabbed hand fulls of sand and threw it on the fire. It was almost out when the guy came back with a fire extinguisher and hit the fire with a burst. He also called the fire department. Now the fire trucks start showing up and Police and what a show. When the fireman saw that the fire was out they left. The police left and didn't offer any help.
Now I am alone on the side of the road with my new car covered in sand and white powder. I start to look to see what had happened. I found that the battery had slid when I made the sharp turn and it shorted out on my Brake line !! That grounded out the positive cable which caused the battery to blow a hole in the top and catch fire. Also when it shorted to the brake line the line burst and the brake fluid started to burn as it dripped onto the burning battery.
Now when I checked out the car the day before I clearly saw 2 black rubber bungie cords holding the battery in place. They were not there today. The guy evidently decided to keep his bungie cords and not tell me.
My friends that I turned around to follow eventually came looking for me as they figured it had to be me since it was an Opel GT and I had not showed up. That day my rust bucket Yellow 1970 GT (my first GT) became a Parts car. My black GT was fixed in a matter of hours.
I still have the Positive battery cable end that is Welded to the Brake line. It has been 15 years since I have seen it but if I come across it I will post a picture. 14 days after the fire and a full 2 weeks before my first Payment was due, I totalled the car in Dublin, NH and it became my 2nd Opel GT parts car.
