DIY Quick Release Fire Extinguisher Mounts

[broncosbybart]

This is more of a build thread or safety topic, but thought I'd throw it here. Chuck, feel free to move it or do whatever with it.

To do this, you'll need a drill or preferrably drill press, angle grinder, whiz wheel (cutoff disc) welder, 1" flat stock, quick release pins, 1/4" bolts, hose clamps, paint, and some time.

Our rules state that we must have 2 extingushers per race vehicle, one on each side of it.

So, I made 2 brackets. I cut off 10 pieces of 3/16x1" flat stock. Each piece I cut to 5" long. After making these, I concluded that 1/8" thick material would be sufficient. Anyhow, here are the beginnings.

Each bracket will need 5 pieces. There are 2 base pieces. I rounded all 4 of the edges slightly so there were no sharp points. There are 3 'middle' pieces. On those, I only rounded 2 of the edges along one of the long sides. The other long edge will be welded to the base. Those corners I left sharp.

I used an angle grinder and a die grinder to make the fillets and smooth it all out.

[broncosbybart]

Next, I took the middle pieces and set them all in a bench top vice. I needed to notch them for the hose clamps that will be attaching them to the vehicle. I measured the hose clamps that I'd be using. They were 5/8" wide, so I made the slots 3/4" wide for some extra room. I started each groove 1/2" from each end.

Oh, and unlike what I did, you want to notch the middle pieces on the long side that has the sharp corners, not the rounded corners. In my haste, I forgot to think...

[broncosbybart]

The reason for that is that the rounded corners will be up in the air, not laying flat against our base metal. The corners don't need to be rounded, but I figured that it would be best to minimize any sharp edges on something that would be grabbed hastily...

Next, I drilled 2 1/4" holes in the plates. One hole is closer to the edge than the other side. The one that is closer to the edge will have a welded pin in it. I drilled 4 plates at once (the ones for the base) and then I drilled the remaining 2 that would have the fire extinguisher attached to it. The holes were located not directly in the middle of the 1" flat, but at about 5/8" away from the mounting area. This adds some height to the overall stack of metal and gives some added clearance. Can't really describe it, but follow the pics. The holes were about 4-1/8" center to center, with the hole with the removable pin being centered 1/2" off the edge of the plates.

[broncosbybart]

The quick release pins came from Speedway Motors. They are part #910-32841. They were about $5 each and have little detent balls that keep them in place. They will only release when the button in the middle of the pin is pushed and the pin slid out at the same time. They measured exactly 0.250", so I drilled all the holes with a 1/4" bit.

I could have used 2 pins per mounting bracket, but was cheap, so only used one and the other will have a groove cut in the middle plate. Follow along...

[broncosbybart]

I cut the middle plate, making a groove for the one end. I cut down a long 1/4" bolt and used the shank portion of it to make a pin on that end. Each pin was about 0.60" long. Ultimately, this is what it did.

[broncosbybart]

Next, came welding the assemblies to the bases. The middle plate needs a little room between the 2 outside plates. If it is all welded tight, the middle plate (which will have the extinguisher on it) will be difficult to remove. The grooves that were cut for the hose clamps will need to be facing toward the metal base that we are about to weld.

[broncosbybart]

The pins cut from the 1/4 bolts were plug welded to the flat plates, so that they don't fall out.

When it is finished, it will look like the pics below.

The brackets are attached to the cage and to the extinguisher with hose clamps. I used a #48 size clamp on the extinguisher. Just about any common size clamp can be used on the cage. These are 2.5 lb extinguishers, FYI. It only takes about a second to remove them from the vehicle now. I have about $15 in material for these things. I hope that my explanation of how I made them is somewhat comprehendable...

[blazinchuck]

thats a great idea and a beautiful job Charles!

[broncosbybart]

Thank you Chuck, and thanks for moving this post. Must have missed it when I was looking for a spot to drop it.

[BucknEB]

That's awesome Charles! Me Likeyupergrin::xyxthumbs: