Re: Duane's 1940 1160 Sedan

Posted by Owen_Dyneto On 2015/7/10 10:13:29

Never seen a car, Packard or otherwise, with an underseat battery that did not have a cover; many of Packard's earlier covers included a rubber gasket to make a reasonably tight seal. It's worth remembering that the natural chemical byproduct of a conventional wet-cell lead/acid batter under charge is hydrogen gas (remember the Hindenburg?). With all the air flow under and thru the body of the car, even with the cover off it would seem impossible for the hydrogen to ever even remotely reach a flammable concentration but even so, it's something best kept from the passenger compartment. Some of our older members will remember the old warning, "NEVER have an open flame or spark above a charging battery!!" Whether it was a factor in the intensity of your fire I don't know, but the covers were there for a reason.

I'm glad your episode ended without more severe damage or person injury!