Classic hotrod flamethrower starts campfire

Starting a pallet fire can be a tough task if you don't have a spare fire breathing hot rod laying around. Thanks to the hot rod's extremely high EGT and apt for running rich, these old wooden pallets soaked with lighter fluid were set ablaze with ease. How is this possible? Exhaust flames, also known as afterfire, are created when a rich condition in the exhaust meets the hot pipes or sparking point. Most naturally aspirated vehicles will make use of a flame thrower kit, while forced induction vehicles just get hot enough to start the fire on their own. Either way you decide to spit fire, it's a dangerous trick and extreme caution should be taken.

Flame thrower kits are basically a spark plug in the exhaust that is hooked up to a relay and 12 volt electric source. When you hit the switch, the relay engages sending voltage to the spark plug which ignites the rich exhaust mixture. These kits are pretty cheap, and you can even make one yourself out of a spare spark plug, boot, and relay. Most people will buy the kit though, as these kits come with a cleaner installation appearance. Once the rich fuel mixture hits that spark plug, flames as long as 10 feet can shoot out the back of the vehicle! Discuss this article with CarDomain.com

Non-spark plug flamage is usually caused by forced induction heating up the pipes to the point they will combust the rich fuel mixture on their own. Turbocharged vehicles are notorious for this as they use the hot EGT's to generate power and are typically tuned to run much warmer than naturally aspirated vehicles. Either way you decide to spit fire, extreme caution must be taken. If your exhaust is close to a plastic bumper, carbon fiber exhaust heat shields are recommended to prevent the easily combusted plastic bumper from catching on fire. Also, keep an eye on the soot levels around the tip of your exhaust. If the soot builds up too much, it can also become a fuel for the fire sending your car up in flames. Unless your intentionally setting something ablaze like the following video, make sure you make a conscious effort to prevent your car from accidentally sending other vehicles and pedestrians up in flames.

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Source: Tampa Sports Car Examiner