Hey all, Was talking with an old timer the other day --said something about "do you have a vented gas cap?" He mentioned that Mavericks when hit from behind would burn / explode -- I said like the old Pinto? He said that when the Mav was hit from behind the frame would buckle so that you could not get the doors open, then, because the gas cap sealed in the gas and fumes that the thing would explode burning those inside. I know, sounds like the Pinto, but then I heard it from an older mechanic, whom I know knows the dif between the Pinto and the Mav. Have any of you heard of such a thing? And if so, what is a guy to do if you are running the original stuff / gas cap? Can you drill a small hole somewhere so the fumes will not build?
LOL any vehicle with a gas tank can be a death trap, SURPRISE GASOLINE BURNS AND THE VAPORS ARE THE PART THAT IGNITE. yes there are safety improvements throughout the manufacture of vehicles, but that risk is still there.
Bump True -- I just wondered if anyone had heard about that being a problem specific with Mavs. Also the old-timers said something about a vented gas cap being brought out as a result. I take it that the early versions then of the Mav didn't have those. I have NOT seen later versions of Mavs and their gas caps to know the dif. Anyway just wondering about past history of Mavs etc.
Gas sealed in the tank is better than fumes outside in an oxygen rich climate. So a vented system would seem more dangerous than non-vented. Gas in the tank has no oxygen to burn, especially if it isn't vented and gas fumes displace the little bit of oxygen in the tank. I call BS on that one. Any car can lose fuel in a wreck. Any car can pin or otherwise entrap an occupant. Any gas fumes can be ignited when exposed to more than 470*F heat source AND unlimited oxygen. This is why gas pump nozzles have flaps to cover the tank opening. It is common for the nozzle to static spark when it touches your fill tube. The flap keeps the fuel tank fumes from getting outside oxygen to ignite. If the fumes do ignite outside the filler tube, the flap keeps the fire short lived as long as you don't remove the nozzle from your filler.
Ask this 'old timer' about mechanics that used to boil gasoline on the stove to wash parts in! I know real old timers that did just that! My auto shop teacher did it in high school. Gas can be scary stuff, but if you treat it with a bit of respect, it rarely causes problems.
bump Im with you and exactly what I was thinking the whole time each were talking --hence why I posted this! Anyway, my grand-dad did the same with fuel and cleaning parts etc. Funny how people are. I just think they think the Mav is a "piece" [junk]. Just glad I was/am thinking like you guys!
the video they showed us at school (88 yes im old) they ran a front tank vw into a rear tank pinto and that was what they used for their example of how dangerous both vehicles were. dont forget the tire blow out fiasco and the samurai roll over hoopla. the media loves a circus and too many people buy it.
Doesn't anyone remember that they crucified Chevy pickups back in the 1980s for the side gas tanks? About 10 years later they found out that the television news program used explosives mounted to the gas tank to make the explosion in the test videos! When confronted, they said "The trucks wouldn't explode in the tests that didn't include explosives." Wtf?!? Any car will explode with explosives straped to the gas tank! These folks may have been the same film crew, or maybe those just didn't get caught. Maybe they gave the idea to the Chevy pickup film director? Who can say that they didn't do that with Pintos and VWs? I have seen controlled films of this sort of thing, but have never even heard of a real world exploding Pinto, much less ever seen one. I have seen plenty of other vehicles on fire though...
My 66 Chevy pickup has the tank in the cab. My 1930 Model A has the tank in the dash. I have been driving Mavericks since 1974. Phooey on those who say bad things on them lol. Dan
Some of the best pickups have the fuel tank against the back of the seat! Fold the seat forward, and the tank is right there against your back.
I've been riding motorcycles since I was a kid - and that puts the tank right between your legs .......... These cars are very safe the way the tank is mounted. I think that guy was confused with a Pinto and that was way blown out of proportion by the media circus. I think that was NBC that used explosives to make the PU trucks blow up for the camara ............... rofl:
Yep, that's exactly how my '71 F250 is. When you see those trucks in the junkyard, you can tell which ones have rust holes in the tank, because when you open the door you're blasted in the face with the smell of old gas. My '72 daily beater was hit pretty hard in the rear, some time around 1976. Hard enough to bend the rear frame "rails", buckle the quarters and destroy the trunk lid and tail light panel and apparently crack the rear window. There is evidence that the gas tank was replaced (has a 1976 date on it, along with the tail light panel), but obviously it didn't explode or catch fire, or else I don't guess I would be driving the car back and forth to work every day some 30 odd years later. The car was repaired well and drives great, but the evidence is still there.
A big joke in our family in the 70s was when I bought my then-wife a Pinto with Firestone radials. Figured to get her one way or another. Cheap divorce.
I thought the exploding gas tank in the Pinto and Mustang were the drop in tanks like on the 69.5 Maverick. I remember the news shows ( I'm old too) I remember something about the gas getting into the passenger compartment through the holes behind the back seat. With some Pintos being hatchbacks and more people smoking back then I can see there might be a situation.
