I drive a 1987 VG30I 5 speed, 124,000 miles.

So here's what happened........

Was doing some wheeling with a buddy on the property...lots of 4-low crawling, slow speeds, no air flow. Went home, parked the Pathy and went in to cook some dinner. Came out 20 minutes later to smoke a cig and the Pathy is just billowing smoke! F*&K!

Whip open the door inhaled a big gulp of the smoke and almost barfed. Smoke was billowing out from under my floor mat (driver side) so I yank it out and the damn carpet is on fire! I Run in and fill a 5 gallon bucket with water, run out and douse the flames.

Upon inspection, the floorboard where my right heel rests had finally rotted and fell completely out which left my heel to push the carpet down into the hole directly onto the exhaust where the manifolds come together and join the rest of the pipe. If I would have come out 5 to 10 minutes later the FN thing would have burned to the ground.

Got her all patched up today.....New piece of galvanized steel riveted in sandwitching some fiberglass insulation. I am still left with a gaping hole in the carpet and the most GOD AWFUL smell in the interior that I doubt will ever come out.....

So all you classic Pathy owners.......GET UNDER THERE AND CHECK THOSE FLOORBOADS! PLEASE!

Believe me....you don't want this to happen to you!

The same thing happened to me. I had rebuilt my tranny back in the winter of 2010. That spring we put everything back together. (witch we just threw the exhaust back on) and the flange blew the gasket out and it set my carpet on fire just a few weeks down the line. I cut a hole in the floor board and had the whole flange welded shut. then put a piece of steel down under the carpet and have never had a problem.