Nate, I wonder if that's what happened to a 94' z28 I owned? One day when I went to start the car, it sounded like the starter never caught and the the car sounded like an air compressor or something. The noise continued for 5 minutes even though the engine never started and smoke began bellowing out of the spaced between the hood and fenders (hood was shut). I ran away from the car because I thought it was going to blow up! Finally, I had to have it towed and a new starter. I always wondered what had happened..