To the poor fellow who bought an engine from Strictly Foreign, did not 
follow the warranty instructions, and lost the bus to fire 4 days later.

	Sorry, to hear of your loss. That must have hurt to watch.
Glad no persons were hurt. 

	Strictly Foreign doesn't owe you anything unless you establish 
their liability. You would have to show that there was a defect in the 
engine which, independant of your installation, caused the fire. 
They specify conditions on their warranty, and you didn't follow the
conditions. Unless you have professional credentials, you aren't
covered. The fire is not in your favor in establishing credentials.

	They will probably tell you that this is why they recomend
professional installation.

	I've never seen an engine fire based on oil. Lots of smoke,
but no fire. It could happen, if the oil were hot enough. Try to get a 
drop of engine oil to burn, then try to light a drop of gasoline. 
Gasoline is more likely.

	There are plenty of mistakes you could have made when installing
the engine, especially the fuel lines and possibly the filter, which would
have resulted in the fire you describe in the time frame you describe.
These are the most likely cause of the fire, sadly. 
	Look at:
	Fuel line from tank to pump, and then to the carb. Are the hoses
present? Remains of hoses? Do any of the lines look like they came loose?
(If it just burned, the clamps should be around the fittings they were
clamping the hoses to. Where are the clamps? 
	Metal fuel line that passes through the front (FIF) tin: scored,
abraded or worn against the tin? Did you install a new grommet? Do either
the tin or the metal tube show wear against each other? Is there a hole
anywhere in the metal tube? Is it the correct size/shape for your engine?
	Fuel fittings on the pump and carb: Are they in place? Did
they fall out? Are they loose? 
	Did you have a filter? Where was it? What does it look like now?
What could have rubbed against it? What could have broken it?
	Did the carb or fuel pump come appart, leaking fuel and starting
the fire? 

	If you go to court, the engine and pieces could be evidence.
You'll have to establish that anything you find wrong was on the
engine they sold you, was not caused by you and did cause the fire.
You might want to contact a lawyer, professional investigator or
at least have someone with no monetary interest watch while you
look over the pieces.

	You don't describe the fire or any efforts you made to extinguish
it. Did burning liquid fall out of the vehicle when you stopped? Was
the fire large or small? Did the gas tank become involved? Where was
the fire? What was destroyed? What is damaged? What is smoked but
otherwise ok?

	Electrical fires are the bane of Beetles- the back seat shorts
the battery and the interior goes up. More common than fuel injection
hose failures. Your busses battery or electrical system could
have started the fire. What other fuel, besides gasoline, could a
red-hot wire have lit? Was there paper, plastic, wood or cloth
in the engine compartment? Sound insulation foam? 

	After I put the new engine in Little Martha, I checked
for leaks after every trip I took, and I carry a good size fire
extinguisher. I still didn't catch the CV bolts getting loose until
I lost one bolt.

	Bill