My brother recently visited LA from Hong Kong; it was his first trip to visit me since I moved out west. Since he doesn’t come to the U.S. often, I decided I’d fix the 1966 Ford Mustang that I bought him 12 years ago when I was in college. After all, I had driven the car all the way from Detroit to LA, so it was time for my brother to finally, after all these years, drive his car. What resulted were two of the most epic days of our brotherhood, followed immediately by a reminder that we should all carry fire extinguishers in our vehicles.
A little backstory on the car in case you haven’t been reading all my work for the past decade: My brother Michael has been obsessed with Ford Mustangs since he first saw the movie Gone in 60 Seconds when he was 10 years old. From that moment on, he’s wanted Ford Mustang memorabilia for every birthday and Christmas. He’s gotten Mustang calendars, shirts, hats, posters — you name it. For the past 25 years, he has faithfully been a true first-gen Mustang fanboy. The car is truly his passion.
Back in college, I used to bicycle past an abandoned 1966 Ford Mustang sitting in a gravel lot, being used to store old tires. Inside I saw lots of notes from prospective buyers: “Hey, if you ever sell this, call me!” the notes read. For a year I’d bike past the Mustang, stop, and gaze at its beauty. The body looked good! And when I wiped the grime from the sheetmetal with my finger, a nice red seemed to pop. “Wow, this thing seems kinda nice!” I remember thinking. “Such a shame it’s abandoned.”
Then, one day, for reasons I have yet to fully understand, I asked a random pedestrian who was walking by if they knew whose Mustang that was. Of course, they did not. “How am I supposed to know?” they replied. “I dunno, just call the number on the side of that car I guess,” they quipped before walking away.
I turned. The car the person pointed at was a limousine, and it did indeed have a number on its side. I gave it a ring and asked about the Mustang. “Oh yeah, that old thing? I’m handling the estate of a professor who recently died, and I gotta get rid of that. Do you want it?”
I replied with a yes, and we agreed on a $4000 price that increased to $4500 at the last second for no reason, possibly due to the lawyer knowing the car was worth more. Anyway, I was happy with that price, even if I had no money as a college student. I scraped the pennies together and then called my brother over Skype. “You see this?” I showed him, pointing to a piece of paper. “This is the title to your new 1966 Ford Mustang.”
Needless to say, he was amped. Of course, he lives in Hong Kong, and I spent the following 12 years storing the car and not having it anywhere near drivable, but then the pandemic happened, I got off my ass and fixed the car, and then when I moved to LA I had to make sure it could drive long distances. The car was ready for Mike’s first drive, so when he came to visit me in early July this year, I was excited to show him.
The weekend was great. It started with me picking my brother and his wife up at the airport in my gold BMW i3S, a car that Mike seems to like quite a bit. We then went back to my place, where the two got dressed, and joined my partner and me in my 1991 Jeep Wrangler YJ to head to a 4th of July Party on the beach.
We ate good food, I introduced Mike and his parter to my friends, and we just chilled next to the Pacific Ocean.
The next few days, we just did LA things. We visited the Griffith Observatory, we ate ice cream and watched 4th of July fireworks, we walked Venice Beach, and we drank icees on Santa Monica Pier (aka the end of Route 66).
It was an amazing few days, especially since he was driving us around in his Mustang, which was running like an absolute top.
I had just had this gentleman (see above) install an entirely new exhaust system with a Flowmaster 90-Series muffler, and though it cost me $800, it sounded incredible, and really let that V8 sing like the car gods intended.
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The clip above is what cars are all about. They can bring so much joy, while taking you to places you have to go anyway — they fill in the gray areas of your life (your commute between locations) and give them vibrant color.
Driving with Mike down the PCH in that old car — his dream car — was a true bucket list item for both of us. It was the perfect car, the perfect road, the perfect compadre. 
The weekend was a dream all the way until the end, when we decided to stop by Chinatown, walk around a bit, and then hop back into Mustang. Mike pumped the gas (which I wouldn’t recommend, since the engine was already hot) and tried cranking. The engine was a bit flooded, so it cranked and cranked and cranked. Then it fired up. He drove a few yards before braking at a stop sign.
That’s when we saw smoke billow from under the hood. It was very obvious to both of us what was happening. He grabbed the fire extinguisher that I keep between the two front seats (see above), I took my shirt off and ran to the trunk to grab a gallon jug of water. By the time I arrived at the front of the car Mike had the fire extinguisher pointed at a bright orange flame atop that mighty V8 engine. A quick jolt of adrenaline shot through my body just as Mike hit the trigger — instantly the flame was gone.
My carburetor had been a bit leaky when I flooded the engine, though it had never been much of a concern — after all, I’d driven the car across the country without issue, as I’d learned how to drive the car without flooding the motor.
Still, I should have ensured that the car could be driven by anybody, and that the carburetor wasn’t leaking anything. I take full accountability for that.
Luckily, I have enough experience working on old cars to know that one should always keep a working fire extinguisher in one’s car. Especially if your car has a carburetor (which introduces many more leak paths than a fuel injection system), you need to make sure your vehicle is outfitted with a fire extinguisher. I’m firm in that belief.
For us, this incident — which could have resulted in one fewer 1966 Ford Mustang in this world — was just a minor inconvenience. Within 45 minutes a tow truck was there with the Mustang on its flatbed.
Mike was sad:
The car suffered no damage other than a burned coolant temp sensor wire; Mike had handled the situation perfectly, and he was actually thrilled by the whole weekend, despite the rather fiery incident there at the end. It’s never a dull moment, he told me as we sat in the cab of the tow truck on our way to Van Nuys. Never a dull moment, indeed.
Here’s a photo of him driving his favorite car down a Santa Monica street:
That brings back memories of a high school friend who got a 1969 Mustang (this was in the early 90’s) which promptly caught fire the week after his parents bought it.
Good job David! I’m so glad that everyone is okay. And, the Mustang is okay too . You’re a great brother. I wish I had a brother that would give me a nice Mustang… lol
I have SO many fire extinguishers!
Thank Allah, Yahweh, and any other deities your extinguishing foresight! Being an insurance agent, I have fire extinguishers liberally scattered throughout my environs, but I don’t have any in my cars. Our camper, three. My cargo trailer, a ten-pounder, but cars, nada.
I’m going to rectify that oversight ASAP.
Thanks again David.
How often do personal fire extinguishers need to be replaced? My apartment complex has to replace those ones annually, but I wonder how one ethically disposes of unused extinguishers.
There is no ethical disposal of fire extinguishers. There is only learning which one of your friends is a jackwagon who sets it off indoors at a party.
I believe they can recover the MAP dry chemical used in most type ABC bottles. So really, there is that ethical path. Lol
Industrial and commercial extinguishers require documented inspections and annual testing.
For personal fire extinguishers as long as the gauge indicates a good charge it should be okay to use. For disposal considerations contact your local fire department and consult with their fire inspector or equivalent person.
I have two extinguishers that the pressure is below the proper level. I asked at a couple of different fire stations. The only recommendation I got was to use it to practice putting out a fire and then discarding it into the scrap metal pile.
Unfortunately, those firepersons were idiots. I just verified that the MAP powder in type ABC bottles can and should absolutely be recovered. Florida only has so much MAP to spare.
They should be recertified periodically, but in reality, they almost never fail if charged. I have 20 YO ones that I don’t worry about at all. However, I am a well-documented idiot, so keep that in mind.
“I wonder how one ethically disposes of unused extinguishers.”
Two words:
Desert
Dynamite.
Well, at least the ladies managed to avoid that debacle.
My Mom’s first date with my Dad (it was actually a double date with his best friend) the car caught on fire when they turned on the radio. For reasons never quite explained to me, the ladies agreed to follow up dates and both couples eventually got married.
My first date with my now wife, I ran out of gas in my Corvair. Despite that, and me owning a Corvair, she married me. Years later when I bought another Corvair, I took her on a nostalgic date and ran out of gas!
Damn! That was scary! Glad you guys are ok. I think I’ll start carrying a fire extinguisher in my truck.
That being said, David when your brother said he was looking for a hot time in the city, that was not what he meant.
A couple of questions: did your father smoke a pipe and did your Uncle Bud (and later, Uncle Charlie) live in as your housekeeper? I ask these because your brother and you are clearly Chip and Ernie.
Never mind David, I bet most of the Autopian staff & readership don’t know what you’re referring to!
I don’t know why the show came immediately to mind – I watched it in reruns, but that was still almost 50 years ago.
Sadly, I watched the show when it was new and that was 60 years ago.
Resemblances aside, the Tracy family clearly missed the older brother that still lived at home with his harried, overwrought new wife who, though providing a female viewpoint through her apparently-chaste marriage, also created the conflict with all the men in the house that led to warmth and hilarity every week…
It got better when Katie and Robbie had triplets in 1968. Don’t forget oldest brother Mike who vanished from the show after three seasons after he married his sweetheart Sally Ann (Meredith McCrae) and moved to California. In reality, Tim Considine, who played Mike, wanted to direct, but producer Don Federson said “no,” which caused hard feelings and Mike got conveniently written out of the show when it switched networks. The Stanley Livingston’s (Chip) real life little brother Barry got adopted into the family as Ernie keeping the in-house son count at three. Bub (I wrote Bud above) was their grandfather who provided live in care for widower Steve (Fred MacMurray) and his three sons. William Frawley (Fred from I Love Lucy) was in poor health and William Demerest joined the show as Bub’s brother Charlie. Bub and Mike left the show at the same time in the transition to CBS.
Mike Douglas; the Chuck Cunningham of 60s television…
No way. Ernie was way less of a dork.
Whew! Victory from the jaws of defeat! I thought this story was going to turn out so much worse. I’m sure the young ladies were thinking, “Way to show a gal a nice time!”
I appreciate the real-world photo equivalents of my favorite corner of Carl Johnson’s San Andreas.
First. Glad everyone was ok.
Second. Smart move on having the fire extinguisher.
Third. Glad it worked out well.
Don’t ever do that again!
If it weren’t for the one dark blue car hiding in that last photo, I’d have thought you had all the other cars turned to black & white for the Mustang to stand out even more.
When I lived in the LA area in the late 80s and early nineties I had a ’66 Mustang convertible. There’s just something about tooling around LA in a vintage car that makes the traffic much more bearable.
I’m glad you were well prepared and didn’t have any greater damage from the fire.
What’s your brothers opinion of the Mustang Mach E? The name in particular.
Not sure what Ford was thinking. I can appreciate Ford’s progressiveness but it’s a complete misrepresentation of the name “Mustang”. Seems it’s a trend, i.e. Bronco Sport.
At least put googly eyes over the white space 🙂
Yeah – great article but, uh, the whole white oval where a human face should be thing just doesn’t work for me. I think it would have been better to just skip those pics entirely… but what do I know? I ain’t no editor.
The resemblance between David’s girlfriend and his sister-in-law is incredible. They must be sisters.
Maybe we’re supposed to use those blank spaces to imagine we’re the ones dating David and his brother.
This is the way.
Your brother is one of the luckiest guys in the world; I wish I had a bro who bought me cars, fixed them, and stored them for 12 years. You win at sibling points, DT!
Agreed.
Well, mostly fixed them. The carb clearly needs work!
Not sure what’s on it, but if you don’t care about originality, I am very happy with my street demon. The body is one big casting, so no vertical mating surfaces like a holley or edelbrock, so it can’t leak. Plus the exterior of the thing is really flat/planar, so it’s easy to clean.
It sounds like your brother and you had an awesome time and that is the best part. An old Mustang in SoCal is a great thing. And thankfully, no major damage that isn’t easily repaired, now it’s just a flaming side note!
I propose rhat instead of blocking out faces with white dots, The Autopian use pics of David and Torch. The innocent are protected, and we are entertained. Or unsettled.
Maybe disturbed…
Pretty sure that’s a prerequisite for becoming a member here.
Maybe they could use the happy-faced luggage from Torch’s recent article.
Glad to see the Mustang living its life happily in SoCal. Looks like everyone had a fun time.
I couldn’t help but notice that the Dot Sisters have quite the family resemblance. Just look at their faces: they could be twins!
Judging by the blank looks on the faces of your partners, I’m guessing they aren’t car people.
I hope the damage buffs right out so your brother can get back to enjoying it.
Word is that they both are in the witness protection program.
Yeah that’s the ticket.
“…in the criminal justice system, there are two branches…”
(And you said that to yourselves in THE VOICE…don’t lie…)
I have to ask – which Gone in 60 Seconds? The purist original or the Nic Cage extravaganza (aka the name a sillier movie that has more Oscar winners/nominees in it flick)? Knowing autopia, it’s a toss-up.
Nic Cage!
Too bad. If it was the original, you could have saved a few bucks buying an unloved 72 Grande.
Lol!
man I think I should get a fire extinguisher now for the car lol
yikes when I clicked on the article I was nervous the car was totaled!
I need action shots of shirtless HDDT!
I’m glad that this was easy to extinguish. But….dear god, that had to be anxiety-inducing.
CONVERT TO EV! /Joke
Then it can burn…FOREVAAAAAAARRRRR!
So is he taking the Mustang back to Hong Kong or is it staying in LA?
Hopefully staying in LA, so David can fix it. Again.
Yeah but what if he took it over there and swapped it with a skyline engine and then started getting into an underground drift scene…
If this was licensable in HK I assume he would be a major dude on the streets down there.