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While California has some of the worst loses of life and property . I can't help but think how it would feel to loose everything you own and love.

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I pray for all those people fire is devistating

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That is a very sad and disturbing picture. Even worse is the human carnage and loss, including lives lost.

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We lost everything last Thursday. Home, shop, cars and our 29 CCPU. We are truly blessed. Family and pets made it out with our motor home. We are safe. So much destruction, so much suffering. It’s overwhelming but we all will recover.

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Sorry for your loss the smoke has been horrible I just saw this on cal fire web site .
Structures Destroyed:
8,756 residences, 260 commercial

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We pray for all of you. Hopefully Insurance can cover some of your loss, BUT yes I know it will never be the same. Great that you, the family, and pets got out of danger.

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So sorry to hear this, Wello. You are right to count your blessings, but I do feel for your loss and for your whole community. I live in a town of 35,000 people in western Victoria, Australia, and like you, our region is highly prone to devastating bushfires. We have lost whole towns too, but none the size of Paradise. I still can't imagine my town being totally wiped out. Paradise was not much smaller than my town. Thoughts and prayers are with you.

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It's not nice and I feel for you people who have lost property, live stock and lives of friends and love ones. And for those who have lost their lives. I feel for you all.
I send my love to you. gary mexted. Tocumwal Australia.

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Very sad and tragic situation. We are all thinking and praying for all the people affected. We all hope the fires will soon be under control. The best to all of you,

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Yes it very tragic. The latest reports are that as many as 1,000 people are missing and may have perished.

David Serrano

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I'm very sorry for your losses, but thankful your family and pets are ok. I am about 2 miles from part of the Woolsey fire in SoCal. Our home and my Model A are fine. Let's hope our great firefighters can contain these fires as soon as possible and everyone can help others recover and/or rebuild.

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Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. My truck was insured by Hagerty. They have been wonderful! They quickly processed my claim and I had a check within days.

As a side note, I am keeping my truck. She’ll be restored if possible, salvage parts or become yard art. Does anyone have any experience with recovered vintage cars from a fire? I know I’ll have to inspect her once removed from the rubble but I’d like to have some idea what I’m in for.

Thanks again,

Dan

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My first thought is whether the heat of the fire damaged the metal of essential parts such as the frame. Beyond that, I don't have any experience with a fire damaged vehicle. Good luck with restoring your truck - I am pulling for your success on this project to bring your truck back to life.

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If not restorable, any possibility a collector or museum would be interested in displaying as is?

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That's exactly what I'd do if it isn't restorable. I think it would make a great museum display.

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Wello, from my experience, it will not be worthwhile restoring a car that as gone through a fire like that. A few years ago, I had a gearbox amongst other stuff stored in a friend's workshop which burned in a bushfire. The gears were annealed to the hardness of butter. Shafts and bearings the same. ONLY because the gearbox had zero miles on it, I had the internals rehardened. In your case, everything will have been affected by the heat and rehardening and retempering of everything from bumpers to gaers to crankshaft to springs is a huge cost and the goes on forever. Even afer all of that, the body will never be the same. Rust will start in the wierdest places. You might not like to hear this but by the time you do all of that and replace things like instruments, lights, wheels etc etc and do thousands of hours work on it, you will have been waaay beter to go and buy another and I haven't even mentioned how many of the major components will likely be disorted. If needs be, spend a few dollars getting the new one the way you want it.
In addition to the gearbox I mentioned, I lost 2 cars in a garage fire about 25 years ago. They were both prize winners and I considered redoing the restorations but when I thought about it, I couldn't bring myself to redo what I had already spent years doing the first time. You are right to stop and think about what you want to do before jumping in. My counsel to you would be as above.

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Ive had experience with sheet metal in fire.
If the sheet metal distorts it is near impossible to do body work on it. Most any curling or warping usually means any temper is out of the metal.
Regretfully such sheet metal is lost

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The ability to repair the body sheet metal will depend on how hot it become. You'll know as soon as you try to hammer the steel. If it's hardened it will crack. It it's soft it won't take the shape. I would say form the pictures you have a good project for yard art or a display. Take care and our thoughts are with from the great white north. In 6 inches of snow.

When your organized, message me with your address and I'll send you a copy of the sheet metal repair book that I wrote. No cost to you. It's the least I can do. JP