4877 Ressurecting a bad girl... [Archive] - DMCTalk Forum

Lwanmtr

08-09-2015, 06:08 PM

I recently (end of july) found one I could afford..paid 13k for her (plus the gas, trailer rental and stuff to haul it home)

35928
Here she sits in my drive :)

I call her a bad girl, cause she has a couple of dents on the stainless that I may not fix..not bad and give her a unique look.

Of course she does need a bit o work.....
Front Fascia is cracked, so hopefully can repair that
Rear fascia is bent on the bottom and the tailights dont sit straight...prolly have to replace that Im sure
Interior is a little tatty on the carpets, so either going to try and clean them or replace if I must
Struts are perished, but have new ones coming from DMCNW in a day or two
Needs a battery, which Ill get soon, but its ok, gives me time to pull out and clean what I can inside.

The seat backs are seperated from the seat...Any suggestions what to use to put those back? The seats are in decent condition, just a little cracking on the driver
shoulder.

The engine will run, but some electrical I need to track..fuel pump doesnt come on with the key.

Ill post a few more pics later this eve (after I size them down to a reasonable size)

I got an extra Right Door with it (everything works, just a bit of damage on the outside) Prolly going to sell that after I verify the replaced door on the car is working.

DavidProehl

08-10-2015, 12:39 PM

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your purchase! Looking forward to seeing your progress. Be sure to share plenty of pictures!

Domi

08-10-2015, 03:42 PM

Congratulation on your purchase and welcome to the forum ;)

Lwanmtr

08-11-2015, 02:36 AM

Thanks...Im happy I got her even though she's got a ways to go...
Here's some more pics of her.....

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I did just put in new struts...here's some.. Note the lack of vice grips holding the door open..lol
Also took out the carpets to clean them up a bit...eventually Ill want new interior carpet, but until then they cleaned up enough that some dmc mats will cover them...hehe.

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When I was putting the right door strut on, I discovered the lower rear hinge bolt was missing..this led to the door pivoting wrong and knocking the T panel..luckily I was able to
remove the strut again and get it closed...hopefully I can easily get a bolt to fix that.

Next up either battery and electrics or pulling the louvre off for painting...

PS.. Donations are welcome.....lol

Lwanmtr

08-20-2015, 04:17 AM

Started to clean the seat rails...pretty rusty, but they'll clean up enough to work until I can afford to replace them. Seats are decent, cept the back cover is off on the driver and the back for passenger is completely missing.

Bought a battery today (woohoo) and ordered new Inertia Switch, hopefully it gets here tomorrow and I can get it actually running.

On a side note...stoopid dmv wouldnt accept the sale price on my bill of sale when I went to transfer the title..despite my trying to explain its a project car...so now I have to send a
form to the guy I got it from to fill out explaining it was in need of serious work...otherwise, they wanna charge me taxes on 15,000, yeesh.

Ras12

08-20-2015, 06:25 AM

Congrats and welcome! We have a great online community here of owners who are alway gracious enough to help share their advice and knowledge. Enjoy.

Lwanmtr

08-20-2015, 06:30 AM

Thanks :)

Ras12

08-20-2015, 06:31 AM

Lwanmtr

08-20-2015, 06:34 AM

Yeah, here it would be about $1500 if they force me to pay what their google search says, rather than what the seller says.

mluder

08-20-2015, 01:40 PM

Congrats on your new purchase and welcome to the family.

Not sure if you're an organization type of person but you might check out our little club - The Pacific Northwest DeLorean Club. http://pndc.org/
By little I mean we're the largest and longest continuously running DeLorean club. Membership will cost you a whopping $20 a year. With that you get access to a member and parts cross-over database, as well as invitation to club events, parades, and tech sessions which gives you access to a wealth of knowledge from other owners on repair and maintenance techniques, etc all lead by Toby Peterson from DMC NW.

Anyway, that's my sales pitch.
Cheers
Steven

Lwanmtr

08-20-2015, 03:37 PM

Ya, I was going to join..but been recovering funds, since the purchase...As soon as I can Ill join up for sure.

Lwanmtr

08-21-2015, 06:52 PM

Today I started going through all my inside switches....

Window switches get power (one switch needs replaced)...Of course, its not all good... Driver window only responds to (up?) and while the motor works, its not raising...Passenger side motor seems stuck
Door Locks seem to work (not that I lock it right now, since my key dont work in the locks)
No idea if the defogger is working.
Light switch works
No idea on the envirnment controls, as the previous owner had started to pull all that and I dont have the right screws to put it back together
Clock comes on, but is just counting up
Dimmer seems broke (or I put the connectors on the wrong pins, since they werent labeled)
Wipers come on
No turn signals or hazards (prolly relay)
Radio comes on (i think i hear static)..again, previous had that torn up and was just hanging inside
Antenna motor does something, but antenna dont raise
Didnt try the lighter...lol
Bulb is missing from the shift indicator
Cant tell if dash illumination is coming on
But it does tell me my door is open and stuff..lol

Shifter seems to work, doesnt feel sloppy and clicks at each location. But we'll see...lol

Anyone with extra parts ya wanna donate, all are welcome..hehe...or even car building experience...lol

Lwanmtr

08-25-2015, 07:09 PM

Update....

I been finding more and more missing or unconnected wires and stuff....some things even Toby cant id (at least based on wire colors)...

She turns over...tries to start but just wont get there. Could be fuel, timing, unplugged important parts....dunno...lol

There are some things with no connectors on them, and no wires that seem to reach them....poked my head into places I never thought I could looking
for them..Looked at wiring diagram, pictures, everything I could think of.. Only so much I can do being unfamiliar with how its supposed to be when
done correct, and I dont have anyone round here who does..lol

It eats into the money I set aside for work, but I may just have to spend the $150 and tow it up to dmcnw..

mluder

08-26-2015, 06:41 PM

It eats into the money I set aside for work, but I may just have to spend the $150 and tow it up to dmcnw..

Better yet, join AAA. The annual fee is less than $150 and you get free towing (depending on the level of membership you get) and roadside assistance etc.

Well worth it. I've had my car towed to Toby's twice now and it cost me nothing but the annual dues.

Cheers
Steve

Lwanmtr

08-26-2015, 06:49 PM

Hadnt thought of AAA...lol

Still would love is someone fluent in these could do a house call...lol

Im waiting to hear back from Toby as to when they'll be able to spend the day on mine, then I can do what arrangements I need.

Lwanmtr

08-26-2015, 08:16 PM

Joined AAA..only $124, so less than getting it towed, plus up to 200 miles free..so bonus.
Still waiting to hear back from Toby on a day....I hope they'll let me watch as they do their work.

Lwanmtr

08-28-2015, 08:52 PM

Not really a step toward restoration...but....

Finally got DMV to believe my purchase price, so I didnt have to pay heap big tax..and got it titled today...yaay.

Also ordered a buncha parts from Toby (some non essential stuff..but what they heck)..hehe.

Still trying to sell my extra door (or trade for stuff I need).

Lwanmtr

08-30-2015, 08:50 PM

Removed the Center Console and radio bracket thingy.
Removed the Driver Side window regulator, thinking if i wanna wrestle with the passenger (since its stuck closed).

Looking around to see how to remove the door locks (not the motor). Not as difficult to get to as I though..I just dont wanna start taking it apart
until I know what im doing.

Stripping all I can so that labor costs to put the stuff in the door isnt as much up at DMCNW.

Looking like I'll need a new Passenger side Armrest because the bracket and vent part at the front of it's missing :/

Lining up some help in repairing the crack on the front fascia, louvre and maybe rear fascia.

Plans for this week....

Get the motor running (have a pressure tester ordered), get it up to DMCNW for inspection and hopefully not have to fix too much critical...hehe.
Repair and paint the louvre and gills, maybe tub at the engine.

Lwanmtr

08-31-2015, 09:06 PM

MNT250

09-01-2015, 02:17 AM

Picture of the empty console..hehe.

Pulled out the passenger side window actuator (getting easier to do...lol).
Pulled the louvre off to fix and repaint it.

Anyone got suggestions for cleaning and prepping the rear deck/engine cover to get rid of all the crud and ready to paint?
Summit Auto is fast with shipping...ordered 2 cans of SEM Trim Black on saturday and it arrived today.

You can also see the split on the louvre..looked underneath and definately looks like it was repaired once before.

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The Rear window finisher will need replaced too, you can see the upper stainless T isnt held in properly.

I painted my engine cover the other day. I just removed it, pressure washed it, let it dry out real good then sprayed it with 90% alcohol and wiped it down. I used Krylon fusion satin black, turned out alright. I also have 2 cans of the SEM Trim Black, I tried it on my door handles and lock rings but it seemed kinda watery. Let me know what you think about it.

Lwanmtr

09-01-2015, 03:16 AM

Depending what the weather does tomorrow, I may take the engine cover off, mask off the windows and engine, pressure wash and paint the rear deck. and also the gills.
If its too wet, Ill finish stripping the parts off my extra door.

Cant do the louvre until I get help, since I've never worked with fiberglass and dont want to ruin it.

Been looking at funds and hoping I can get the basics I need to get to where its drivable and looking ok since she's gonna be my daily car......Of course in the long term, I'll slowly work on bringing it back to full restore.

Lwanmtr

09-05-2015, 12:17 AM

Checked fuel pressure...all good...but points to the CPR..which DMCNW will rebuild and calibrate..yaay. They used hex bolts to attach it to the valve cover..stripped one
allen wrench...had to acutally go buy a new one (5mm if you're wondering)...Hopefully she'll start after I get it back from them..

Here's a pic of the little part causing so much problem...hehe.
The 2nd pic is a tip for those trying to read a fuel pressure guage without an assistant...just wedge it between the engine cover and quarter panel (dont ask me if this works with the louvre installed.

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Tomorrow Ill be getting a bunch of parts from Toby and gonna pressure wash the rear deck and engine cover and paint them (weather permitting) and this weekend starts putting the interior back together with new DIN radio bracket and complete relay update.

I guess I'll give the engine a bath too, while the cover is off..lol

Lwanmtr

09-06-2015, 09:18 PM

Well, today was kinda bust....

Went to install new window actuators....hmm..need a bolt for the offset brackets cause the one with it is too short...Did figure out the wiring of the new plug though. Window switches need replaced :(

Went to put the center console back together...hmmm...the pins on the shifter cover plate be broken....prolly gotta replace that or find a way to secure it...dunno why they had torn that all apart.

So I ended up covering the engine with a tarp and pressure washing the rear deck, engine cover and luggage compartment to prep for painting...also took out the grille under the window / wipers...might as well toss a bit o paint those too....hopefully it will be warm and dry enough tomorrow to get all that stuff painted.

Yesterday I installed my new DIN radio bracket and LED's...lol.

Lwanmtr

09-07-2015, 11:44 PM

Some progress, finally....

Ok, still not running..waiting for the CPR to come back form being rebuilt..

Painted the Rear deck, Engine cover, Luggage compartment (even pulled that grille and cleaned underneath it)..painted the mirrors and pulled the glass off to get ready to put the new mirror glass on,

Runned outta paint, so I couldnt mask and paint the vents yet....ordered more paint.

Heres a couple of pics of the rear area and luggage area

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Tomorrow gonna pull out the gorilla glue and start putting center console back in and replace all the relays...

MNT250

09-08-2015, 01:41 AM

Lwanmtr

09-08-2015, 01:53 AM

SEM Trim Black..great stuff and dries super fast.

Ill take some pics of the mirrors and enginge cover tomorrow.

I need the retaining things for the screens on the engine cover

Lwanmtr

09-09-2015, 01:49 AM

Just a pic of the rear deck and engine cover....

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Replaced all the relays (except one that didnt have the right connectors).

Tried using acetone on the orange pin striping on the passenger door..dont know if it was paint or some sticker type...gonna have to try paint stripper on that.

MNT250

09-10-2015, 01:30 AM

Lwanmtr

09-10-2015, 01:38 AM

Yeah...that paint is great...dries fast and doesnt seem to run like other paints. Ordered more..summit auto shpped it in one day..im amazed.

I put my new mirror glass in today and started to put the center console back in..but missing the screws to hold the shift plate/swtich panel down :/

Also not sure how to assemble the shifter handle.

Lwanmtr

09-14-2015, 12:24 AM

My plans for the weekend got rather bjorked....

Got my driver side window actuator in..but the rail doesnt quite line up with the bolts on the drop glass carrier, so I have to try and bend it without crimping it...ok..next..
On the plus side, I verified that the renault switches work just fine.

Got my rebuilt CPR on saturday..yaay...or not...seems one of the sealing washers went awol, so I couldnt try and fire the car up...searched Oreilys, Autozone, Napa, Home Depot and Mclendons..no one has the right size...lil $.50 part keeping me stuck..lol.

Perusing my list to see if I have anything inexpensive I need thats worth enough to justify driving up to DMCNW to get in addition to a washer...lol

Still have to finish putting in new relays (not looking forward to flasher relay) and then finish putting the shifter plate down

mluder

09-14-2015, 01:14 AM

Yeah... those damn copper sealing washers are the worst. They always go missing. At some point I'm going to just order two of every one on the car just so I have them. You will not find them on a shelf at any auto parts store.

Cheers
Steve

Lwanmtr

09-14-2015, 01:19 AM

Yeah...good idea..ill have to get more than just one..lol

Still looking to decide if I have any need to warrant the 45 mile trip, just so I can get it and hopefully get the engine running...I have lots of wants..but its hard without knowing what I'll need thats important.

DMCVegas

09-14-2015, 06:17 PM

Got my rebuilt CPR on saturday..yaay...or not...seems one of the sealing washers went awol, so I couldnt try and fire the car up...searched Oreilys, Autozone, Napa, Home Depot and Mclendons..no one has the right size...lil $.50 part keeping me stuck..lol.

You need to find a BOSCH Certified Service Center. They always keep those those things in stock along with other parts if you're in a bind. Most also do fuel injector cleaning too if you ever need that service, and don't want to bother building one yourself. Call ahead first of course.

If you're in Tacoma, you've got 3 nearby you.

http://www.boschcarservice.us/Pages/ForYourVehicle.aspx

I don't know if they have copper crush washers, but the aluminum ones have always worked just fine for me.

Lwanmtr

09-14-2015, 07:54 PM

Toby's gonna send me a set of washers from DMCNW :)

I got my window sorted....though the front kinda hangs...is there a lubricant or something I need to use?

Lwanmtr

09-15-2015, 01:24 AM

Woohoo....I think my new battery be dead....lol Bought a new charger, cause my old one wasnt quite working right...it wouldnt even try to charge it. They all have
computer controls these days that limit how low a battery they'll charge :/

Guess Im running it to Budget Battery (where I got it) and hope they have a replacement..When I got it, it was the only type 78 they had.

New washers for the CPR otta be here tomorrow too....so hoping I'll be able to finally get the engine fired up.

Got the Center console mostly back together.

Lwanmtr

09-16-2015, 08:17 PM

Bah...I hit a wall...lol :banghead:

Installed the rebuilt CPR...now I get no fire..had a one cylinder fire, then pop.

Tried bench testing the coil..got about 9.6 and 0.5 ohm...dunno if thats good..couldnt say if its the original coil or not either.
Difficult to really test for good spark without an assistant...Doesn't help that I'm outta my depth on engine stuff...lol

Stuck...

DMC5180

09-16-2015, 09:29 PM

Your coil Would appear to be fine. It sounds like you've had a lot of the fuel lines apart. If that's the case, you most likely have air in the injector lines. If you have some starting fluid push the metering flap down part way and spray a 2 second shot down the metering unit.
Then give it a crank. If there is any spark it will fire up at least long enough to burn off the starting fluid. Don't be afraid to give it about a 1/4 throttle while cranking.

Good luck

Lwanmtr

09-16-2015, 09:50 PM

Its possible I got air in there..but so far only the lines to the CPR been removed...ill have a go again tomorrow

Lwanmtr

09-18-2015, 07:19 PM

Ok...rechecked injectors....a lil bit knackered and not atomizing properly...so its off to DMCNW tomorrow..Toby's kind enough to clean them for me on a saturday...hehe. With luck, this will be the culprit of it not wanting to run...

For those interested...this is what injectors look like..Im assuming the black crusties arent stock...lol

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PS...that #4 injector is a pain to get out....anyone got any tips on the easiest way to get it back in?

DMC5180

09-18-2015, 08:04 PM

#4 injector access

Remove the idle speed motor. It's two 4 or 5mm head Allen bolts for the motor body strap clamp and a small hose clamp.

Lwanmtr

09-18-2015, 08:10 PM

Thanks...would like to talk to the guys that decided to make it such a pain to get to...lol

DMC5180

09-18-2015, 08:16 PM

Thanks...would like to talk to the guys that decided to make it such a pain to get to...lol

One more thing, you will probably need to loosen the strap clamp pinch screw. As I recall it is fairly long and protrudes to much and blocks hex wrench access to the forward bolt.

Lwanmtr

09-18-2015, 08:23 PM

Thanks...ill keep that in mind...gotta wait til tomorrow after i get back from getting them cleaned

Lwanmtr

09-20-2015, 02:15 AM

Got Injectors cleaned...3 were good..2 were decent and should recover after use for a while..one needed replaced....

Got them all in....now acting like there's no spark (or very weak)...so tomorrow I need to go back through all that...not looking forward to digging the distributor out of
the mass of lines at the front of the engine.

Its funny...seeming like I fix one thing..then another goes bad...lol

Anyone have the correct part #'s for things like Cap, Rotor, spark plugs, etc.... so that I can see if oreily's or autozone have them cheaper than DMC?

I cant even be certain all the connections are there and hooked up in the wiring...so it could be something super simple keeping her from firing.

Still lookin' fer a local who knows these things, who would wanna spend a day (i can offer twinkies or hoho's...lol).

Henrik

09-23-2015, 12:23 PM

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Looks like some interesting cave art. Would be interesting with a few close-ups.

Lwanmtr

09-23-2015, 03:41 PM

You mean the writing on the door?

Lwanmtr

09-30-2015, 01:33 AM

Well...Im glad i decided to get her hauled up to DMCNW...

They were awesome enough to move some things around and get her into surgery right away...I never would have gotten her running myself....why? welll.....

PO had a few few lines in the wrong places..found some other vaccuum leaks (in places I didnt know about)..the evil line that goes into the mixture unit underneath
had been apparent sealed (or not) with putty and wasnt even doing its job..

How'd he find all this? Was discovery after discovery when he decided to reroute my wiring harness into the proper alignem...

the result...

She tried to go, wanted to...but it was really rough. Initial though is maybe timing is off ...sadly it too late to keep going on it...so she's staying the night there,
and hopefully they can get on it tomorrow (hopefully).

Also hoping they can unstuck and realign my passenger door..and maybe the rear drop glass guide (if i aint racked up a ton in labor costs by then...hehe).

So, im on hold until I can get it back from the docs...hehe.

MNT250

09-30-2015, 03:21 AM

Awesome! So stoked you got the car up there and things are starting to get worked out. They'll have it sorted out in no time.

Lwanmtr

09-30-2015, 03:24 AM

Lol...yeah..lets hope its 'no time' wanna have some money left over...lol

MNT250

09-30-2015, 03:53 AM

Haha I feel you, when we took the car in for the door adjustment, brackets ect.. dropped another $1400. Arrgh It's for the best though. I probably would have spent weeks trying to get the doors adjusted right. You might have never figured out some of those crazy issues going on with the engine. Time to join the PO haters club.

Lwanmtr

09-30-2015, 04:07 AM

LOL...I had decided the PO was on crack or some other wonder mixture...lol

It adds up quickly. But I expected a bit of cost involved in getting back in shape. only so far for about $3k...so Im doing too bad...yet.
I will need a new bushing on the lower steering column, but I can do that myself (and is a good time to replace the flasher relay with the led compatible one.
And rear guide on the driver door is a bit odd..Toby thinks maybe bent or needs adjusted cause the drop glass is a mile away from it.

Things I'll do once I get it back (and know the damage to my money) will be to replace the transmission filter and fluid.

Ill put my old interior back in and work on getting new headliners..I can live with a bit of ratty for a while...

Lwanmtr

10-02-2015, 02:20 AM

Lil update....

Yesterday they got it running...pretty good from what they say (woulda been nice to be there)....
But...
Transmission seemed sluggish...hopefully its just low on tranny fluid.....
Radiator wasnt getting anythng running through it..heater was getting fluid through it...said it could be thermostat..hopefully..I guess the radiator looked fine.
Fans were wired to stay on...but they turned off and on at times..they're not sure on that one.
They still didnt do anything with getting my passenger door unstucked.

Today....they didnt do anything..I guess they had another come in that needed emergency work..dunno.
Tomorrow...well..Toby may not even be there, so probably wont get any more done then.

Too bad they wont let me just come in and do the transmission fluid stuff and thermostat thing..silly to pay for things I could do myself.

So, looking like I may not see her again til monday (if they even back to it then).

MNT250

10-02-2015, 01:48 PM

Well that's nice it's up and running. Getting closer! Yea once it's in the shop kinda got to let them do their thing, can't come in there and do your own work unfortunately haha. Hopefully they'll get some stuff taken care of today!

Lwanmtr

10-02-2015, 03:37 PM

Kinda doubt anything will be done today...I guess Toby has to take a car to spokane today.

MNT250

10-08-2015, 11:34 PM

Any updates? I stopped by on Monday, were they working on your door?

Lwanmtr

10-09-2015, 02:24 AM

Brough her home today.....well...

They got it all going ok, engine runs great...still smokin a bit, which hopefully goes away after running a bit.
They fixed my door..the front striker had jammed into the latch and bent things..luckily got that open and got the door adjusted properly. I'll have to adjust
the body panels to fit next..hehe.

That was the good stuff.....so I got in headed out...maybe half a mile...all the lugs on the driver rear wheel came off and the wheel slipped..bang scrape...luckily
it handn't fallen completely off..Toby was great and came and got it back on..no damage to rotor or studs..phew...

Next....

Got on 405 headin home...was fine until traffic actually started going a lil faster...noticed the transmission wasnt shifting properly...Not sure how fast i was going
cause my speedo aint workin, but tach hit about 4k...so I stopped and decided to have AAA come take it home.

So next I Gotta figure out if its something in the tranny or the computer...

On the plus side, I have finished painting the louvre....I had a problem with the first primer I tried (see pic)..it was cracking...so I sanded it back down and tried a
different primer with filler built in..worked great (included a pic of it)..

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Ill get a pic of the engine bay and post a before and after comparison tomorrow.

Lwanmtr

10-10-2015, 01:41 AM

Couple of engine pics.... Before DMCNW fixed and rerouted all the lines and wiring harness...and after..you cant tell but its running in that pic and you cant see the smoke from it burning off whatever stuff has accumulated over the last 15 years...hehe.

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They also got the passenger door open....Today I spent 2 hours scraping all the nasty plastic window tint that was on the passenger door, checked which lights I need
to replace.

Also put the louvre back on and did basic adjustment on it. The clip isnt grabbing onto the the loop on the engine cover, so I'll have to play more on adjusting it so
it grabs and also doesnt catch on the t-panel when opening..

Heres a couple a pics...Yaay, both doors open..and look much better with the louvre back on..

3722637227

Tomorrow the plan is... (unless I get distracted)

Put the passenger window regulator in
Put the dew guards onto both doors
Finish securing the center console bits
vaccuum the car again and put the passenger side carpet and seat back in
clean the inside of the windows
put in the last of the relays

Drive it around a bit to check shifting

Will I get it all done? who knows...hehe.

MNT250

10-10-2015, 06:42 PM

Holy crap, how come they took your wheel off or was it just lose somehow? Making some headway though, at least it's moving :) It's looking much better too. I had problems with getting the louver setup and had it rubbing too but toby tweaked it quickly last time I took it in. It's not perfect as it sits a little low but it functions without rubbing. He told me to just loosen it up and mess around with it until it looks right but i'm scared i'll just end up making it rub again lol. Mine had the engine cover striker pin cut off so at least I didn't have to worry about that but I picked one up since I got the louver support bracket and it needs that so you can hang it from the louver.

Lwanmtr

10-11-2015, 12:22 AM

They didnt have the wheel off...lol

At least I dont have to worry about the louvre flying up if I drive it. Ill do more adjusting as soon as I can get an assistant to help a bit..hehe.

Today I had planned to get a bunch done...

Weather wasnt cooperating, so I broke down and cleaned up the garage enough to pull her in outta the rain to work on her...an hour wasted...hehe

So, all I got done was installing the passenger window motor..took alot longer than the other door...thing was fighting
me the whole time...took over 2 hours to finally get it all in.

Tomorrow I gotta try and figure out how the dew guards are supposed to be in there, so I can at least get those on and start reasembling the doors...cant do the
passenger arm rest until Toby sees if he has a mount bracket, mine is missing that bit. Ill wait on the upper panels until I get new locks.

So tomorrow is...Taking bets as to which one will take oodles of time longer than it should....lol

Put the dew guards onto both doors
Finish securing the center console bits
vaccuum the car again and put the passenger side carpet and seat back in
clean the inside of the windows
put in the last of the relays

If everything has dry, I gotta pull the seal around the pump to see if its perished...getting a heavy fuel smell when I first turn the car on.

Also noticed I need to fix the wipers...they dont wanna go where they should...I prolly just put them back on in the wrong orientation

DMC5180

10-11-2015, 12:54 PM

What do you consider a dew guard? The outer strip or inner fuzzy strip.

Lwanmtr

10-11-2015, 04:27 PM

Dew guard....

37241

Gonna use some decent double sided sticky tape to hold them on...just gotta see what parts it goes under and where to poke holes...woulda
been nice if all the holes were precut in..ahh well..hehe

The fuzzy bits I prolly need to replace at some point too, along with all the other rubber

DMC5180

10-11-2015, 07:53 PM

Ohhhh that thing. I guess I've never heard it referred to by that name. I just call it the plastic barrier held on with uber sticky gorilla snot. [emoji4]

DMCMW Dave

10-11-2015, 08:49 PM

Dew guard....

37241

Gonna use some decent double sided sticky tape to hold them on...

It's more than just a dew guard. On some cars (depends on how good the outer window seals are, and arrangement of the bits inside the door) if that isn't well sealed at the bottom you'll find wet carpet after a wash or rain. Sides are not all that important but the bottom and a couple inches up the side better be sealed very well.

Lwanmtr

10-11-2015, 10:01 PM

Got the guards in...took a lil longer than I wanted..but they're in...hehe.

37245372463724737248

Here's a few lil hints, if youre planning to put these in...

Align the plastic and make your holes where the grab handle support goes and install the grab hanndle support...this will not only keep it aligned
when you make the other holes, but it will hold the thing in place.
The holes for the lock and door handle are more or less just guessy type places.
Make the holes for the two screws underneath the control assebly a bit larger than they need to be..this will save cussing trying to get them
to poke in (I didnt do this..lol)
scotch indoor/outdoor double sided sticky tapes works excellent..but let your fingernails grow for about a week or you'll have a pain getting the
backing off.

The stuff I used is pretty wide, so it will provide not only good sticking, but also a decent seal around it.

DMCMW Dave

10-11-2015, 10:31 PM

backing off.

The stuff I used is pretty wide, so it will provide not only good sticking, but also a decent seal around it.

You may have noticed that there was RTV all over the two screws at the very bottom. This was factory, to seal the bottom where the tape would bridge the screws.

Lwanmtr

10-11-2015, 10:42 PM

Yeah...all crusty n hard...but easy to scrape off.

I thought about rtv...but then decided sticky tape easier to work with..hehe

Lwanmtr

10-24-2015, 12:34 AM

After a few days of applying various penetrating fluids, prying and whatnot, got the Ujoint out to put in the new steering column bushing...got the column back in
loosely...gonna take a lil time tomorrow to try and make sure the steering wheel is close to the wheels in orientation.

Before putting the wheel back on, I'll gander at my speedo cables to see why the speedo aint workin'

I can tell I'm prolly gonna need to get my suspension bushings and other rubber bits replaced...they're still there and doing their juob, but look their age...hehe.

Hope to be able to start runnin around locally this weekend.

DMC5180

10-24-2015, 09:12 AM

The most common speedo failure is the angle drive. But can also be a stripped out or loose fitting "dust cap". The plastic that fits on the end of the hub. The lower speedo cable is also known to fail, but is a much less common issue.

Lwanmtr

11-07-2015, 10:00 PM

Got the Steering bushing in and ujoionts back in (ok, so I made a mess and my wheel is slightly off...lol)...
Got the Angle drive in and got her sitting back on all four wheels.

Tomorrow I'll take it out and test things (and put a mark for my current centering of steering wheel)..and make sure its shifting, etc.

I did notice (now that the steering wheel is secured and all that), there is a bit of play when turning the wheel..a bit of movement before the
wheels start turning...Any thoughts?

Just from my obsevation under there, I'm gonna need my suspension serviced..bushings and all that. If I can swing it, ill have them do the
upgrade at the same time.

DMC5180

11-07-2015, 10:19 PM

Play in the steering is usually a sign that the rack is worn. But it can be cumulative of component wear. Inner/outer tie rods, steering rack wear and or worn steering u-joints.

When you take it out for your test drive, make note of how much left/right movement you see at the steering wheel seam.

Replacing or getting a rebuilt rack assembly will address the rack looseness and rod ends. That usually fixes the issue, but if you still get some perceptible play it would indicate worn steering U-joints.

Dennis

Lwanmtr

11-07-2015, 10:27 PM

DMC5180

11-08-2015, 12:22 PM

Not surprised it could be a rack issue....sat for at least 15 years, not sure how long before that. Hadnt noticed it when the column was flopping about from no bushing in there..lol.

Definately something that would be on the list to have done by them, I'd rather not muck things up with that..lol.

I got my car back in 94 with just over 30K on it. It had a sloppy column and steering play. The first thing I fixed was the Steering bushing. That corrected the column sloppiness. With that fixed the free play in the steering became very prominent with a little over an inch of movement. Driving straight roads was like herding it between the lines. As a short term solution I removed the shim under the 2 bolt diamond shape housing cover. This helped a lot. I drove it for a few years until my budget would a allow me to get a quality rebuilt assembly from Rob Grady. (NOTE: This was several years before DMCH had NEW Rack assemblies made). I've put many thousands of miles on the Grady rebuild and it still feels like I installed it yesterday. It has held up great. This is a testament to the job Rob does with his products. I have not had the opportunity to do an Apples to Apples test with my car and one with the DMCH new unit where I was focused on the steering alone. Usually, I was doing an Engine performance upgrade comparison and did not focus on steering feel as a mental note.

Sometime in the not so distant future I plan on replacing the Steering shaft U-joint assembly with an aftermarket assembly that incorporates an anti-vibe U-Joint assembly. I don't know if it will make a huge difference, but I'll take anything I can get as an improvement in steering wheel vibrations.

Oh yeah, theoretically, a car that sits will not create any more steering rack wear than it had prior to be being parked.

Lwanmtr

11-08-2015, 04:39 PM

Ideally, I'd like to get a power steering upgrade...but haven't researched those much yet, so dont know prices, etc.

I probably wont be doing too much to lessen the play much. Untill I get her more put back together (interior, locks, radio), I'll only
making short drives...We'll see today or tomorrow...

Todays' plan is to put some silicon on the sticky throttle, drain and bleed the coolant system, put the decal back on and test the heater,
realign the wiper blades, then take her out for her first neighborhood stroll to make sure its shifting properly.

Am going to need a new hazard flasher switch and probably headlight switch (its a little flakey).

DMC5180

11-08-2015, 05:30 PM

Ideally, I'd like to get a power steering upgrade...but haven't researched those much yet, so dont know prices

The plug-n-play power steering kit is $$$$

However, l'm starting to see more people adding electric power steering to street rods using salvage yard units for a fraction of the price. A couple years ago their was someone who installed an electric power steering unit from a Toyota Yaris in a DMC over in Russia. That person was on here back then but seemed to disappear without ever following up with "how to install" documentation.

Lwanmtr

11-08-2015, 05:42 PM

I can easily afford $$$$...as long as you dont put any numbers beside them...lol.

But, yeah..I already know I'm going to need to have DMCNW overhaul the suspension bits, I'm sure... so luxuries like power steering will
be down the road a ways.

Lwanmtr

11-08-2015, 08:26 PM

Ok, so I didnt get everything I wanted done today....

Siliconed the throttle thingy, then got distracted putting some of the interior bits back in and trying to see where the air cleaner hooks up
to the cold air.

Started getting dark, so I didnt take her out cause my right headlight bracket is loose, so those lights kinda point not where they should.

DMCMW Dave

11-08-2015, 08:32 PM

Not surprised it could be a rack issue....
.

I seldom find play in the steering rack. The typical failure issue with the rack is the end bearings. Much more often the play in steering is in the u-joints. Most often the lower one.

Lwanmtr

11-08-2015, 08:51 PM

I made sure all the botls on the steering ujoint were tight..or do you mean just in the ujoint itself?

DMCMW Dave

11-08-2015, 10:04 PM

I made sure all the botls on the steering ujoint were tight..or do you mean just in the ujoint itself?

The tiny bearings in the U-joint will fail and get sloppy. Put a finger on between the two halves of the joint, and have an assistant rock the wheel slightly. If there is play in the bearings you'll feel it.

Lwanmtr

11-08-2015, 10:29 PM

When I can get an assistant, ill check that out. Thanks

Lwanmtr

11-10-2015, 09:30 PM

Got the coolant drained n bled...went all too easy...

Next.....

Started her up to run it a bit.....

On the plus side..not as much smoke out the pipes..

However.....

Started smelling burning sugar (hooray antifreeze)....seein some smoke or steam off the top (i think)...looked down below and off the
back it was spilling coolant. Engine was running fine, so I THINK it may be the water pump.

Other things I found....

I need new mode switch for the heater controls I think...heater fans werent coming on and the switch was like really hard to turn.

Sucks not having anyone local who's good mechanically and not afraid to touch a delorean...lol

DMC5180

11-10-2015, 09:43 PM

Before you jump to conclusions, where is the coolant coming from? The water pump has a weep hole behind the pulley (underside). Look up from under the car with a flashlight. If you see a visible liquid trail it's time to change the pump. However, if the liquid is running from under the water pump, it's most likely a loose connection at the coupling hoses to the rear water pump housing. But their are other potential leak sources in the VOD too.

Dennis

Lwanmtr

11-10-2015, 09:53 PM

Tomorrow, when I have more light, I'm going to run it again to see if I can spot a definate source. and put some cardboard down to make sure its just on the back. What I saw didnt look like a narrow stream..but I'll be able to tell better after its dried up a bit and I can watch for it.

SS Spoiler

11-10-2015, 10:29 PM

Like Dennis said find out where the coolant is coming from. I ended up replacing a
pump that was only a loose clamp!

Lwanmtr

11-11-2015, 03:15 AM

Just sitting and thinking why I wouldnt have seen this before. This was the first time I actually turned the heater control up so that I could cycle coolant through
the core. Of course, I'll test that tomorrow...if it doesnt spill when I turn the heat all the way off, is it safe to think the problem may be in the hot water valve?

I can see where it is on the parts list..where is it located in the engine bay?

Bitsyncmaster

11-11-2015, 04:38 AM

Lwanmtr

11-13-2015, 03:34 AM

So..Talked to Toby at DMCNW..and well he suggested a duh kinda thing I shoulda thought to check....but..turned out my coolant leaky seemed to have been
from a loose hose clamp of one of the short hoses from the head to the pump....tightened that up, checked the others I could get to and let it run for about
10 minutes or so and no leakin'..wooohoo. When he mentioned it, yeah, I realized I shoulda thought to check that..lol.

Soooo.....

On to

driving it around and seeing how far off my steering wheel is, then seeing if autozone loans out wheel pullers...lol
rebuilding the fozen mode switch (when I get the kit)
readjusting the wipers so they land in the right place.
putting the passenger seat back in and seeing what parts Im misssing for the seat belts on that side
finding something that will angle enough to pinch the plastic on the old v1 door lock to get it out.

Emergency flasher switch is bjorked so when I get some more funds Ill get a new one (which will hopefully also fix my no turn signal issue)

Anyone has any donor interior parts like headlines, feel free to drop 'em by...lol

Rich_NYS

11-13-2015, 07:59 AM

Lwanmtr

11-13-2015, 04:27 PM

Hehe...would be nice if all of them were easy...

Lwanmtr

11-18-2015, 06:16 AM

Today I called Toby cause he forgot to send my rebuild kit for the mode selector..lol.

Also aligned the wipers so they dont try to hide in the luggage compartment.

Disconnected the emergency flasher switch cause it wont turn off..on the plus side of that I verified that I need new bulbs on the turn signals.

88KPH

11-25-2015, 03:32 PM

..on the plus side of that I verified that I need new bulbs on the turn signals.

Oh, that's a horrible job! :mallet:

88KPH

11-25-2015, 03:35 PM

Oh hold on do you mean dash turn bulbs or 'indicators' as in bulbs indicating direction of turn on the wings?

Lwanmtr

11-25-2015, 04:23 PM

Exterior bulbs....though I suspect maybe dash bulbs also.

Sprained wrist so kinda been on hold. Hopefully today I can at least do a few minor things.

Lwanmtr

11-26-2015, 08:48 PM

Finally able to do a lil work today

Verified my mode selector works, and cabin fans and even heater...yaay.

Though...

Noticed what looks like tranny fluid leaking, but only when the engine runs. Seems to be mostly on the right side, so I was thinking axle seals?
Anyone got any thoughts on that?

This next month, Im hoping to have the funds to get it to DMCNW for a complete inspection and have the suspension refurbished and
upgraded.

Lwanmtr

12-18-2015, 07:27 PM

Was doing a little bit today...

Trying to remove the old v1 style lock from the door (anyone got any good info on that?)

Let her run a little bit....When she first starts, she puts out a bit of visible exhaust..which goes away after a few minutes...Sorry about the crappy pics....hehe

386523865338654

Lwanmtr

02-09-2016, 06:28 AM

Ok..been a while since I posted....Not a whole lotta progress....gettin to some of the pricey things now...

I did set forth to get the back end up on stands so I could inspect the transmission line thats leaking, but theres not enough space between the jack and frame to get my piece of wood...probably going to have dmcnw look at that, since with the suspension being frozen Ill probably just have it hauled up by AAA...at my current rate of saving....uhm...next year? lol.

Am planning in the next few days to pull the front and rear fascias off so I can try and repair them and secure the headlights to the car again.

Probably break down and put the passenger seat back in...been leaving it out cause I kept the battery where I could attach the charger easier.

On the plus side...I've been running her and the smoke clears quicker each time like a minute or two....since I reattached the coolant lines to the tank and tightened the clamps at the back theres no more steam and aintifreeze smell (trust me..was quite pungent when I was driving it)

looking at my list (im sure it will get much longer once DMCNW does the full inspection) and I'll need to put another 4k in to make her road worthy and presentable

88KPH

02-09-2016, 08:37 AM

I did set forth to get the back end up on stands so I could inspect the transmission line thats leaking, but theres not enough space between the jack and frame to get my piece of wood...probably going to have dmcnw look at that,

looking at my list (im sure it will get much longer once DMCNW does the full inspection) and I'll need to put another 4k in to make her road worthy and presentable

Mate, drive the back wheels up onto a piece of wood (4X2) first, then get the jack under.

What will that take your budget too?

Jonathan

02-09-2016, 08:48 AM

Noticed what looks like tranny fluid leaking, but only when the engine runs. Seems to be mostly on the right side, so I was thinking axle seals?
Anyone got any thoughts on that?

Hi Rob,

I haven't read your whole thread, but saw this comment here...

If you have red ATF leaking on the right side (passenger side), it could very well be the oil cooler. Basically a heat exchanger for the ATF (oil).

The cooler has two large connections, one at each end, for the coolant, and then two smaller ports, one at each end, for the ATF lines. Those smaller connections, carrying the ATF in and out, have threaded fittings and rubber hoses and hose clamps (especially if they've already been leaking and putting additional hose clamps on them was the initial attempt to get the leaks to stop).

You'll need to get at it from underneath to see it well or work on it. It might become obvious where the leak is coming from once you look. Clean it off first as it's probably filthy, and then look for drips. You can get replacement hoses for either end. They aren't cheap though at about $60 each. I do not believe the threaded fittings are available though so reuse them (clean, + Teflon tape).

Or, depending on how far front to back your leak is, it could be from the pan/gasket or even one of the shift computer connections, as the main ones are on the passenger side.

In this picture, it is shown as "trans cooler lines."

39623

Rich_NYS

02-09-2016, 10:23 AM

I did set forth to get the back end up on stands so I could inspect the transmission line thats leaking, but theres not enough space between the jack and frame to get my piece of wood...probably going to have dmcnw look at that, since with the suspension being frozen Ill probably just have it hauled up by AAA...at my current rate of saving....uhm...next year? lol.

Hey Rob, I had the same issue when I first attempted to jack mine. I used a 2x4 as a "lever;" I put it under the frame & used it to raise the frame a bit, while using the other hand to slide the jack under. Even better, if you can get the jack under the frame without a piece of wood first, then use the 2x4 to raise it enough to slide the piece of wood between the jack & frame.

Lwanmtr

02-09-2016, 04:30 PM

I may see if I can get the ramps back from my sister (who so conveiniently wandered off with them) then use them to get the car high enough to get under, then use the jack and stands to hold it up. Handnt thought of backing it onto blocks, so if I cant get the ramps, I'll do that.

Looking at the pic, and where my drip is, my leak seems to be from the line just forward of the right axle.

The full inspection is only about $400, which I already planned for even before I grabbed the car from vegas...hehe.

Lwanmtr

02-17-2016, 12:32 AM

Today......

I managed to the old v1 lock out of the door...basically had to break the plastic holding it into the door.
Installed my new hazard flasher...though I need to look tomorrow at the connector and see if all the pins are good cause only one light blinks...I also still dont have turn signals. Hoping I'm not gonna need to add electrical repair to m list of things to have dmcnw do...
Replaced all the exterior lights (except headlights) with spiffy led's
Worked a little on removing the front fascia, but its being a pain...two of the bolts holding the rock screen just spin and wont come out. Hopefully I can still get it off.
Probably going to need a new rock screen, a few of the plates where the bolts hold it have rusted off.
I also pulled out the dash mat (exposing the hideous binnacle and dash) and repainted the faded grey with black vinyl and cloth spray...works good and dries fast..but stinks like crazy.

3978739788

Lwanmtr

02-19-2016, 01:19 AM

Got the Rear fascia off today. I didnt bother with the rear closing panel, cause of the 4 extra bolts with nuts inside the pontoons. After a trip to autozone to get a bendy socket thing was able to get the lower support bracket off too.

The bracket should be fixable if I can pound it back to straight.

The fascai, though..after getting if off the car it looks a little worse than I thought. Gonna try get it back into shape using a heat gun and boards, but its dipped quite a bit in the center. Hoping It'll work...otherwise have to see how much a used replacement is gonna be.

Luckily the impact absorber is still usable.

Am curious why the 4 bolts going into the pontoons are there.

Here are a few pics....you can see how warped the fascia is..and how bent the bracket is.

39894398953989639897

DMC5180

02-19-2016, 08:53 AM

Jonathan

02-19-2016, 09:33 AM

The extra bolts were to help close the gap between the quarter panel and fascia. I removed those bolts a few years ago. PITA on the right side working through the induction hole. Being physically challenged with large hands and arms required me to employee the help of my wife. Someday when have the panel removed again, I'll install rivnuts. For now I just live with the 3/16 gap.

Dennis

Thanks for explaining that, Dennis. That makes sense to me. Since getting my rear fascia back on the car, I would say the gap where you've described is about 3/16" for me too.

That gap I can live with, but the centre section where it butts up with the edge of the lower engine cover on my car needs attention. My cover doesn't want to "pop" up anymore, not like it did prior to taking things apart. It wouldn't pop up dramatically before, but it was enough that you could pull the lever behind the seat, and then once you've let go, walk around and lift the cover. Now it won't do that and it's difficult to open single handedly.

Any advice on where an adjustment can be made? I loosened the four bolts on the cover hinges to move it forward as far as it will go, but this wasn't enough. Anything else I can play with that you know of?

DMC5180

02-19-2016, 10:09 AM

I can't really help there. The catch loop was missing when I bought my car. I bought a replacement but never got around to installing it. I like the convenience of not needing to use the release cable. One thing I can say is the the heat from the engine compartment causes expansion and contraction of the fascia/closing panel assembly. When cold the aft edge of the engine cover rubs, chafes and binds against the fascia. When hot I've seen as much as a 3/16 gap in those rub points. The issue is warpage or puckering of the fascia between the attachment screws. I'm still waiting for the day DMCH has a quality fiberglass replacement option. The new front is perfectly straight. I want that for the rear too.

Dennis

Lwanmtr

02-20-2016, 02:00 AM

Didnt think of those bolts being to close the gap.

Today was a bit of a wash..tried getting the front fascia off...took the hood off the hinges to get to the screws, since even the tiny ratchet I have was just s lil too tall.
Got 3 of the 5 screws out...the other two are stripped, so I have to find a screw extractor. I'll try them again tomorrow to see if maybe the juice breaks them loose enough to be able to not need one.

The bolts at the ends on that upper part are another story..I think the part thats imbedded in the fiberglass broke loose on both cause they spin and dont come out....any ideas how to get those out?

Rich_NYS

02-20-2016, 08:34 AM

Rob,

For the two stripped screws: are they close enough to the center where you can remove the front grill and get at them from underneath?

Lwanmtr

02-20-2016, 04:35 PM

The screws are the ones on the ends..the 3 in the middle came out

Rich_NYS

02-20-2016, 07:15 PM

The screws are the ones on the ends..the 3 in the middle came out

Dammit!

Lwanmtr

02-20-2016, 08:21 PM

Got the other screws out...but the bolts are still just spinning. I looked to see if I could pull the headlight brackets out and get underneath..but it seems a catch 22...gotta have the fascia off to get to the other nut holding those in...lol

Where's the local delorean rescue squad when ya need 'em?...lol

Lwanmtr

02-22-2016, 02:00 AM

Oy.....

The plot thickens....or rather the rust strikes back....

Last night I put some super releaser rust breakin stuff...works awesomely...'cept here.. I started to undo the nuts holding the spolier...the first one I tried sheered..too easily. I looked at what came off and its like the nut and stud were almost one thing. So I decided not to go further, cause I dont wanna do any more damage. I have a feeling the rest are probably going to be about the same...Is it possible to replace those studs?

Lwanmtr

02-23-2016, 01:29 AM

Results...Finally

Today was finally a bit more progress....

Removed the headlights and was able to get up under there to hold the nuts to remove those bolts on the top of the fascia.
After talking to Toby, I decided to just go for it and undo the nuts holding the spoiler....3 of the studs survived...which means I'll have to figure out how to drill the broken ones out (im not all that skilled in that area). Who decided to put a nut right behind the washer resivior?
The fascia came off no problems....once I located the stud on the left and the actual nut on the lower right holding the thing (which no one ever mentions)

heres a pic with the headlights finally out...

40044

Thats when my bill jumped up.....seems I'll be needing a new impact absorber on the front.... Dont suppose anyone has a gently used one they dont mind donating?

40045

I'll post some pics of the spoiler, fascia and rockscreen tomorrow

Gonna spend tomorrow taking off the headlight mounts and cleaning that area up a bit.

Lwanmtr

02-25-2016, 01:25 AM

Pulled all the headlight mounts and cleaned the 31 years of dirt and grime from the front. You can see a lil better just how bad the impact absorber is...more crumbled as I was cleaning.

40097

Tomorow Im gonna get the headlight brackets painted and get more done on diagnosing why I dont have turn signals

Rich_NYS

02-25-2016, 08:28 AM

Things are shaping up man, I think digging into an area like that is a great way to stay motivated. When you're finished with the cleaning & painting the brackets, it'll feel like a leap forward.

One of the first things I did with 10372 was remove an old alarm and normalize the hacked wiring. I felt pretty accomplished after I completed it and I was ready for the next task.

Enjoy!

Lwanmtr

02-25-2016, 04:29 PM

Yeah, trying to keep the motivation going doing a bit each day...I just dread when I get all lil things done and am just left with the bits that require the big-ish money..lol

Lwanmtr

02-26-2016, 12:38 AM

Today was another casual day....

Painted the headlight mounting thingies and the lower mounting bracket for the rear fascia (not sure it'll ever bee straight again).

4011740118

Took off the front impact absorber and cleaned that area up a little. Funny...Toby at DMCNW said there were 4 bolts...workshop manual says five...there were only 2 holding mine on...and no other places where bolts woulda gone. I also tore off the rest of the foam from the metal bar...Are these useful to anyone?

4011940120

Im thinking to remove the rear impact absorber tomorrow. Looked closer and its split right in the middle, so it wouldnt do very much if hit there, except fold.
Where are the bolts holding that in?

Lwanmtr

03-06-2016, 01:47 AM

Latest stuff...Over a few days I cleaned up (a bit) the rear impact absorber.

filled some of the larger cracks with cheapo foam..didnt really need it structural, just to fill and help protect from moisture a bit.

40363

Then I put a couple of coats of plastidip on the whole thing.

40364

And Put it back on the car..

40365

Also, decided...just because...to put a couple strips of duct tape on there (mostly cause I always joke about fixing the car with the stuff).

Rich_NYS

03-06-2016, 09:13 AM

Lwanmtr

03-06-2016, 04:47 PM

One of the easiest bits I've had to do...hardest part is getting the socket on the bolts to remove the thing

Lwanmtr

04-19-2016, 04:43 AM

Got my screws, sockets and new tail light boards...put all those in. Have to replace one of the high beam lights, the glass bubble inside was rolling around..lol.

41539415404154141542

Started taping to paint the trim and gills, gotta get more tape so I can tape the paper to cover the rest.....lil side note, if you wanna make your delorean stand out, put frog tape racing stripes on it, you'll get lots of attention.

41543

Rich_NYS

04-19-2016, 10:31 PM

Started taping to paint the trim and gills, gotta get more tape so I can tape the paper to cover the rest.....lil side note, if you wanna make your delorean stand out, put frog tape racing stripes on it, you'll get lots of attention.

41543

I'll be painting mine soon too, I'm undecided on painting the rub strips though...

Lwanmtr

04-19-2016, 10:32 PM

I decided I might as well do all of the trim, including the windshield finisher thingies. Just got more frog tape today so I can finish masking the car tomorrow and maybe get the paint on.

John P

04-20-2016, 07:40 PM

If you have not worked out the front spoiler bolt problem, I can share what I did. The lower rear facia bolts are the same, but they need to be imbedded in the spoiler. I very carefully cut out the rectangular base of the bolts with a hot knife/soldering iron. I went from above but it would probably work from below. You have to remove the bolt with it's rectangular base. The base of the new bolts are a slightly different size. Then I epoxied in the new bolt. It seems to work well, but I have not installed it on the car yet

Lwanmtr

04-20-2016, 09:03 PM

Yeah, Gonna have them do all that up at DMCNW when I get my car up there for the big job...hehe. Im not totally confident in my abilities to do that sorta thing.

Lwanmtr

04-21-2016, 03:27 AM

Finished masking the car for part one of the trim painting. Painted the gills, side trim and rocker panels.

4158741588

All those years of wrapping presents really came in handy...lol

Tomorrow Ill sand and paint the windshield trim.

Lwanmtr

05-02-2016, 04:40 AM

Just a few updates...

Masked off the front windsheild and surrounding bits...

41792

Here's the trim, gills and windsheild trim all painted up...

4179341794

Also got a complete set of new exterior screws and gaskets for the maker lights, so I put them in...they look nice with the spiffy LEDs in there.

41795

Still need to sort out the rear fascia before I can put that end back together

Rich_NYS

05-02-2016, 11:23 AM

:rock_on:

Domi

05-02-2016, 02:22 PM

Very good job so far :)

Lwanmtr

05-02-2016, 02:32 PM

Thanks.....maybe one day I'll be able to drive it...lol

Lwanmtr

06-06-2016, 12:34 AM

Got a nice set of gently used headliners.

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I see the front t panel slips into the bracket and is secured at the front by the sunvisors? How is the rear secured (other than the bracket)?
I think Im gonna have to find sunvisors...and get the retaining plates put back in...PO i guess didnt realize you have to unscrew them and just pulled them out.

I also got some courtesy lights. Not pic though..hehe.

Lwanmtr

07-03-2016, 08:38 PM

Spent a lil time today trying to test the turn signal switch...might be bjorked cause Im not getting any continuity on any of the wires related to the turn signals...though the brights come on. Hopefully I can track it better later....dont really wanna buy a new one.

Also got my ignition switch back in so it doesnt move around...I think the PO didnt put it back in right which is why they zip-tied it and you had to hold the thing when starting the car.

Lwanmtr

07-27-2016, 12:32 AM

Finally stop procrastinating and started working on the front fascia.

Started with using 100 sandpaper, hitting the major areas where the paint was cracked and icky. The I tossed on some filler primer on the fascia to help see where I need to do more sanding...

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Put it away for the night so the primer could dry, then I back over it using 60 sandpaper to get all the major cracks n splits worked out and feathered out..

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Tomorrow I'll work more sanding using higher grades..then I'll hit it with more filer primer and see if I need to do more still.

I'll have to work on fixing the crack on right corner, or find someone who can do that (for a low cost).

Lwanmtr

07-29-2016, 08:05 PM

More pics of the front fascia to come after I get some filler for it.....in the meantime.....

Trying once again to fix the rear fascia, since we've had some nice sunny weather.....

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Awesome rig, eh? Its supported by an old broom handle along the top. Bungee is attached and looped under the cart to pull the outide down. while another is pulling the lower part (attached to the mounting backet) in. Wood blocks are wedged in the center to force it upward against the pull of the bungees and a metal rod (from a cot) is clamped to pull the back a bit flatter. Of course, the sun keeps moving, so I have check it periodically to move it. It looks like it's working...but I wont know till I release it from its shackles..which Im not going to do for at least a few more days.

For color, I'm thinking a titanium, if I can find the right tone.

Lwanmtr

07-31-2016, 08:43 PM

Released the bungees today and put in the tail lights and plate bezel...for the most part, the smile has gone away. Some of the screws were a pain to get in, still some alignment issues..and a couple seemed drilled for a different taillight..dunno. Anyhow, going to leave it like this for a while to see if the fascia and taillights relax into position better so that once its on the car I can actually get them in (since I wont have access behind the fascia then).

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Im happy cause being able to actually get it straightened saves me $1200 for a new one....maybe I'll get one later..but for now Im happy with my results.

Rich_NYS

07-31-2016, 09:12 PM

Looks good, do you have a "before" pic?

Lwanmtr

07-31-2016, 09:24 PM

Ill post a before pic later...they're on my laptop, and too lazy to go grab it right now...hehe.

Lwanmtr

08-01-2016, 01:16 AM

Here's a before pic, taken back when I first got her. Could only even get 2 screws into either taillight at that time..and even then, it was iffy.

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dodint

08-01-2016, 12:05 PM

Really enjoying reading through this, keep up the good work.

Rich_NYS

08-01-2016, 12:17 PM

Nice improvement.. :thumbup:

Lwanmtr

08-01-2016, 03:41 PM

Thanks dodnt, its been a journey for sure...hehe.

I was actually surprised how much it had straightened in the few days it was out there, Now Im trying to think if facing the outside or inner side to the sun is best to get the
whole thing to settle together. The black of the taillights might transfer enough heat inside to effect the fascia..but dunno.

Im gonna order two tones of titanium paint..see which one works best with the stainless.

DMC5180

08-01-2016, 04:55 PM

Now that you have it somewhat flatter, when you go to reinstall on the car, see if you can shim it up with thin wood strips sitting on top of the impact absorber. That will help prevent it from smiling again and perhaps you'll even be able shim it up more if there is still a little sag.

Dennis

Lwanmtr

08-01-2016, 05:09 PM

Oh good idea, thanks, Dennis. I hadnt thought of putting shims there....but wouldnt that put stress on the impact absorber, and maybe cause it to seperate from the plate?

DMC5180

08-01-2016, 05:13 PM

Your not putting that much stress on it. I did the same trick under my headlight openings to close the sagging gap under the headlight bezels.

Dennis

Lwanmtr

08-01-2016, 05:30 PM

Cool. I'll remember that when I go to put it back on...as well as for the front too, since it has the sag under the lights. Thanks
Any suggestions on how thick i should use?

DMC5180

08-01-2016, 05:38 PM

I think I used 1/4-3/8" material A/R. It was years ago. I have not done anything to the rear yet but mine sags about a 1/2" according to a corner to corner straight edge.

Dennis

Lwanmtr

08-01-2016, 05:48 PM

Great. Thanks. Im sure I got some that size around here I can use. Still a few more days of letting it sit and settle before I'll dissasemble it all and get to sanding and all that fun stuff.

DMC5180

08-01-2016, 05:54 PM

Wedge type Window / door frame shims work good for infinite adjustability. Any lumber yard, hardware store or big box store will have them. Cheap!

Adjust as required then tape or glue them together. The only down side is that they are wood. Water will eventually cause them to decay over years unless you can find plastic shim wedges.

Dennis

Lwanmtr

08-01-2016, 06:16 PM

Yeah, we got a bunch of door shims and the like here.

Lwanmtr

08-03-2016, 10:10 PM

Worked a bit on the rear fascia today. Another round of heating will happen tomorrow, just to tweak the shape more. But today I wanted to get to starting on sanding and prepping....

All the bad paints n bumps pretty much shaved off...started with 60 and went up to 180 grit on this pass....

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and now with a couple coats of primer filler (great stuff)...

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There's still some areas that I'll need to get the smooth blending better..some around the top and upper corner and in the D and N, which I'll do tomorrow after the primer is all dry n sandable. Then another primer coat.

After which I'll have to decide on color. Already know I'm going to do a satin clear coat, since I dont like the super high gloss look for myself.

Lwanmtr

08-05-2016, 09:10 PM

Got the rear all fixed up n ready..... Applied the first coat of sem trim black. Yep, I'm doing the area behind the taillights too, hides where gaps between the lights and license bezel might be a bit.

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Waiting for the med-titanium paint i ordered to get here to make a swatch to see how it will look against the stainless.....didnt cost much, so if its too dark I can get another.

Lwanmtr

08-09-2016, 02:55 AM

Paints didnt get in today, soooo...

I stripped most of the old insulation off the carpets

Also filed out the lock hole to accept the new locks when I get them and spent an hour or so with a rag and a can of acetone to finally remove the pin striping from the door (included a pic to show the stripes that had been from the previous owner of the door (which was from a different D)).

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Also noticed some scratches on the top of the door, probably from when the PO installed the door..Hopefully they are something that can be eliminated or at least lessened..

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Hopefully tomorrow my paints will get here and I can finish the black on the rear fascia and see if the color I ordered for the other part looks good against the stainless.

Lwanmtr

08-09-2016, 05:34 PM

Just going through my list and here's whats left to get / do so far....

Rockscreen
Front Imapct Absorber
Get new studs put in the front spoiler (all of them were rusted through and sheared)
License plate lamp things
New Combination switch (turn signals are nice to have)
Light switch
Door locks
Lock Actuators
Door Handles (both are the old plastic ones, and one has only one hinge)
All the rubber seals n stuff for the doors, etc
New Luggage latch Cable

Stuff Im figuring to have done at DMCNW (depending on what else the inspection discovers)

Inspection
Complete Suspension update (mine is rather past it)
Get AC going
TABs
Engine Service and EZ Fill oil plug

After all thats done, then I'll be able to drive it and enjoy while I get some of the things that arent needed, but nice to do like..

Steering Cowl
New carpets
New Seat Covers
Fix A-Pillars (if possible)
Door air vent
New Esutchen for right
Binnacle and Dash pad
Stereo
Toby's Wings aloft and light
Giant stuffed care bear to run over (ok, so that one was just added..hehe)

Rich_NYS

08-09-2016, 10:47 PM

That's not too bad of a list....won't be much longer!

Lwanmtr

08-10-2016, 01:11 AM

That all depends on moneys...lol.

SKnight

08-10-2016, 02:28 AM

Looks like you're getting closer, keep the updates coming!

You should also look into joining the rest of us local DeLorean nuts in the PNDC!

Lwanmtr

08-10-2016, 02:33 AM

Yeah, I have the application and just have to remember to write a check when I have money in checking..hehe. I use paypal more than my bank, have to remember where I put my checks...hehe.

Lwanmtr

08-11-2016, 08:04 PM

Got the can of Medium Titanium pant today..made a couple of swatchy things to put against the car to see how they look....whatyall think?

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And yep, that is a center console..and no I didnt bend it all up, it was like that in a box of extra bits I got with the car...the 2nd one is with a plastic top from tape, so I could if it made any difference on metal or plastic

Lwanmtr

08-12-2016, 08:04 PM

So far today I taped the rear fascia to get ready for paint....took a long time...

After 1 hour....

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Finally after 2 hours....

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Lil break...then I pulled the trigger on the can o medium titanium (will post pics of that later).....

Lwanmtr

08-12-2016, 08:51 PM

Couple of coats on... Turning out good..and not glossy, which is what I wanted...

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Probably another coat tonight and decide tomorrow if I want to do another before removing the masking.

Rich_NYS

08-14-2016, 12:50 AM

Are you working with a rattle-can? If so, please post a pic of the brand so those of us at home can follow along....

Lwanmtr

08-14-2016, 02:23 AM

Yep, working with rattle can paint. Sem Trim Black and Med Titanium. Here's a pic of the cans and a lil closer view of the fascia.

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I'll need to order a couple more cans of titanium so I can put a final coat or two and have enough to do the front. Probably another can of black too.

Im debating if I'll need to put a satin clear coat or not, I like the way the light hits it already.

Ps.. Summit Auto has good prices, only about $14 a can and they ship super fast.

Rich_NYS

08-14-2016, 03:06 PM

I'm anxious to see the finished product, I need mine repainted and haven't decided if I should try it myself.

Lwanmtr

08-14-2016, 03:52 PM

Me too..I wanna get it back on the car...lol.

Its turning out not too bad. I'll have to wait a few days to get the rest of the paints.

Im sure a professional could do a much better job than me, and I applaud those folks who do this kinda stuff on a daily basis.

I took it on myself because the fascia isnt in perfect condition anyway, and dont really have the money to spend $1000 to have someone else do it.
Plus, its actually been enjoyable in a zen-like way. Really its just patience and a lil cussing when you find a spot not quite blended smooth.

The sanding took me a few days doing a few hours a day on it (yeah, prolly longer than it should)...part of that was laying down filler primer and waiting for it to dry so i could sand some more. Really its just patience and a lil cussing when you find a spot not quite blended..but

Farrar

08-16-2016, 11:31 AM

Nice work, and great find on that Medium Titanium paint for the fascia! :thumbup:

Lwanmtr

08-16-2016, 03:33 PM

Thanks. I just ordered couple more cans, so I can finish the rear and have enough for the front..also got more trim black, front spoiler will need painted when I get the studs repaired.

Rich_NYS

08-22-2016, 10:14 PM

Thanks. I just ordered couple more cans, so I can finish the rear and have enough for the front..also got more trim black, front spoiler will need painted when I get the studs repaired.

Hey! -Get that thing done....I wanna see the finished result, man!

:whip:

Lwanmtr

08-22-2016, 10:27 PM

Lol...The paint jsut came today, so tomorrow I can put the last coat on it and after that dries i can put the rear fascia on the car to see how it looks

Lwanmtr

08-25-2016, 12:39 AM

Paint all dry so today I did the final sanding with a 5000 wet pad. I like how it turned out..its got the matte satiny look I wanted.

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Offered them up to the car temporarily. I cant put it on permanantly until I get the replacement captive nuts and screws from Toby. And Dunno..but either the car grew or the fascia shrank cause I couldnt get one side on...lol. I'll have to wait til I get the parts...maybe let it sit outside on the day im gonna put it back on so i heats up a little.

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The color is just about right where I wanted it...at some angles its almost the same as the stainless and others its darker, but not dramatically.

There's still slight grin, but that should be lessened when I put some shims under it and actually get the lights and license bezel screwed in.

Rich_NYS

08-25-2016, 08:07 AM

Looks good....I like it!

Lwanmtr

08-25-2016, 03:49 PM

Thanks..Im pretty happy with the result...sure a professional could have done better...but also cost $1000...plus the sanding and all that was a kind of zen thing and it was cool to be doing my own work..and even with some of the slight errors I like it, its my own work.

Lwanmtr

08-26-2016, 01:12 AM

Started back on the front fascia again..

Sanded down to the plastic in preparation for filler. Lil note..if you sand far enough its not as dark as the surface of the plastic.

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Once it was sanded and cleaned off, I mixed and applied the filler. I used U-Pol 706, which is made to be super flexible for things like this

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Im expecting I may need to redo it, simply cause I've never used filler before, and while Im sure I used the right ratio and mixed it thoroughly, Im always expecting I did something wrong.

Tomorrow, Im gonna begin sanding the filler (and possibly redoing it)...hopefully I can get it primed again and start putting the paint on.

Lwanmtr

08-27-2016, 01:38 AM

Spent time sanding the filled areas...had to fill one area a little more. Lots more sanding and still more sanding... Even with the little mouse sander I have it took a while.

After sanding....

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And..... After Priming...

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Tomorrow (weather primitting) I'm gonna be putting down the black..hopefully I have enough..though I did find a local place to buy it, if not.

Oh...and just for those who didnt see it before...Here is what that corner of the front fascia looked like when I got it....

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To be Continued...

Lwanmtr

09-15-2016, 07:36 PM

Got my MegaMat the other day and today I started playin with it. Easy to use for sure.

I put piece in each door. The sound difference when tapping on the door was quite a bit..eliminated the resonance. Well worth the little weight it added.
Each peice was 20x9..prolly coulda shaved a little off. But they didnt weight much at all.

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Of course, I was finally able to put the headliners in the doors. Small progress...but its something...hehe.

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Still working on the front fascia too...but its being a pain..the paint isnt laying down as well as it did on the rear one.

Lwanmtr

09-20-2016, 01:46 AM

Ok..started taking the interior apart for the insulation.....

Yep, didnt really wanna see it like this again for a while....lol

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I guess this way I can make sure its really clean inside....

Rich_NYS

09-20-2016, 07:18 PM

Paint yer damn front fascia, put the damn thing on, and post some damn pics...dammit! -lol

Did you clean your carpets yet? I've had very good results using laundry detergent w/Oxi-Clean and a pressure sprayer.

I even cleaned the sections I didn't want to remove (used a wet vac w/the pressure sprayer....my wife's idea) :

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I don't yet have "after" pics, but everything looks great.

Lwanmtr

09-20-2016, 07:36 PM

Lol....I'll post a few pics later. Front fascia is finally painted and repaired. Sadly I cant put it back on until I get a new impact absorber..which is $600 or so.

I'm pretty much removing all my carpet peices (even the ones I didnt want to), that way I can clean the floors and put in the insulation easier than trying to work around them. Ill post some pics of that later too..today is dedicated to finishing removing the side panels, which take forever heating and peeling the vinyl off the shell.

Rich_NYS

09-20-2016, 08:51 PM

..today is dedicated to finishing removing the side panels, which take forever heating and peeling the vinyl off the shell.

Those are the pieces I decided to leave in place this time around....

Lwanmtr

09-21-2016, 12:43 AM

Ok, here's a couple of pics of the front fascia all painted n ready. I hit it on something so I need to touch up a lil spot on the bottom, but thats easy.

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Finished puling the interior apart....I though restoration meant putting the car back together? Been doing alot more than I had ever intended...lol

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I wouldnt have pulled the side panels off either..but the driver side needs repairing (even if i gotta duct tape it)...and once I got it off I saw that the speakers were completely past it..

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Removing the sides also made it easier to take out the carpet over the wheel bumps.

DMC5180

09-21-2016, 02:57 PM

Did you try to remove the facia eyebrows before doing all the paint work?

Dennis

Lwanmtr

09-21-2016, 03:18 PM

Nope. I debated on doing that...but decided not to right now, cause I wanna keep a bit of the car's personality....I may later if I decide they bug me..hehe.
The fascia isnt that difficult to remove.

Lwanmtr

09-22-2016, 01:33 AM

Phew...another 3 hour day pulling out the old insulation and scraping all the old stuff.....tomorrow...Pulling the ECU and Fuse Brakets, cleaning out under those and then....bath time for the interior...

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Once its all cleaned n dried I'll be making templates so I can cut the fatmat to fit areas.....stay tuned....

DMC5180

09-22-2016, 07:57 AM

Now that it's all exposed, take a bunch of overlapping photos of the uncovered insides of the car. Then post them in the resources section for future reference. This way when folks need a visual to help explain a diagnostic process or location, we'll have a pool of pics to choose from.

It's Just a suggestion if you feel like doing it.

Dennis

Lwanmtr

09-22-2016, 03:37 PM

Yeah, I'll prolly take some after I wash it all down.

Lwanmtr

10-13-2016, 02:32 AM

Ok, so I finally finished putting down the fatmat sound/heat insulation..my back and knees and arms have registered their complaints from all the kneeling, bending, twisting I had to do to get some of it in there.

I started by using paper to make templates of each peice I needed, as well as taking measurements..funny no matter how many times i measured or fit my paper templates the cut peices never seemed to go exactly how they should have..ahh well.

I ended up using about 60 sq ft or so, and yep I did nearly all of it except areas I knew wouldn't matter..and a few errors (when making templates, be sure you flip the thing for the other side of the car) In all I've only added about 25-30lbs.

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When I was getting the last pieces in I was reminded of wrapping potatoes in aluminum foil and putting them in the fire to cook when we went camping...

I still need to find some padding for under the carpets, and I'll probably get Harvey's insulation as an add for the back wall.

I took the wheel off so I could drill out the rivets for the engine cover release handle to put new ones in and well...its a lil apparent my shocks are past it....

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And for those who've followed along and recall the short trip mentioned early on where the wheel fell off...Here is what it looks like when your brake disk runs on the rim. Its also a testimony on the quality of these rims that it survived the car coming down on it and running a few feet...

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Stay tuned for more adventures.....

DMC-81

10-16-2016, 08:09 AM

Nice job on the insulation! :thumbup:

Lwanmtr

10-16-2016, 03:58 PM

Thanks. It actually took longer than I thought it would, simply because of all the crawling in and out..lol.

As an added bonus, the car will super clean, probably cleaner than any car I've ever had because I've torn into areas on this I never did on them...lol.

I did find a penny under the fuse tray...hehe.

Henrik

10-16-2016, 08:10 PM

Very well done, Rob!

Lwanmtr

10-17-2016, 03:48 PM

Thanks. And thanks for the help on that.

Lwanmtr

11-10-2016, 07:51 PM

Well...today was a bit of a wash....

I reattached the rear fascia...of course, 3 of the screws that attach along the rear closing panel didnt go in, cause the holes dont match on the fascia..go figure...

Started putting the tail lights in...decided to quit after an hour or so of trying to get the screws in...cause they dont line up..I think partly because the fascia had been so warped before....I'll revisit it tomorrow or next day...lol

Its amazing how exhausted turning a screwdriver over and over and over while attempting to push the tailights up and in can make one.

The temptation to get a new rear fascia is creeping back in...lol

Rich_NYS

01-13-2017, 10:46 PM

Paint yer damn front fascia, put the damn thing on, and post some damn pics...dammit! -lol

+1 lol

Lwanmtr

01-14-2017, 01:10 AM

Lol...I still need to get a new impact oabsorber before I can put the front end back on..as well as a new rockscreen and getting the studs fixed on the lower spoiler.

Hopefully in the next month the funds will be available to get moving again...

When Its not so chilly in the garage I may pull the dash out to clean under there and check the condition of the speakers.

Lwanmtr

04-22-2017, 03:27 AM

Got back to it a little today cause it was nice enough to open the garage...

Crawled inside and took out the front speakers. For those who dont know..the nuts are 7mm...took me longer to figure that out than it did to take them out...mostly because I kept having to get out and search around for sockets. The passenger side one of the nuts wouldnt come off..just spun around, so I had to twsit n pull the speaker to get it out...Gonna have to see if I can get that to come of before I put new ones in. Glad my seats are out cause I woulda never gotten under the driver side...lol.

One of these things is not like the others..... 3 Craig and one 'made in china' speaker. Gonna have to replace all of them.

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Also spent a while removing the last of the door seals and did some scraping and sanding to get ready to clean and paint the door opening areas.

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Next non chilly-rainy day Im gonna start on reoving the A-Pillars...they're both pretty warped beyond repair. Toby said he's got an idea or two on installing new A-Pillars without the need to remove the windsheild, so depending on when I get it up there, my car might serve as a prototype for those ideas..hehe. Here's a pic of the passenger side pillar..you can see how bad its warped..driver side is better but still icky...

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And a gratuitous shot of the binnacle cause I noticed again how bad it is....lol

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Funny....Im takin' off more parts than Im putting back on....Im sure thats not right....:reading:

powerline84

04-24-2017, 06:29 PM

nice! I dont look forward to doing the interior but I will wait until my car drives then ill start on that lol

Lwanmtr

04-24-2017, 06:42 PM

The one good thing about having it all in parts is that I shouldnt have to do anything later like pulling interior and whatnot...hehe. Of course I wanna be driving her... :mecry:

Rich_NYS

04-24-2017, 08:30 PM

My speakers looked about the same....cruddy!

Glad to see forward motion, man...before ya know it you'll be road-ready!

Lwanmtr

04-24-2017, 08:44 PM

Im looking at getting these...

For the front https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004G54A3I/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I14OJ1857YTSRY&colid=X5OPG2BMI3Y8

For the rear https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000067INH/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I2H9I241BUI3G0&colid=X5OPG2BMI3Y8

Definately alot cheaper than getting them through DMC

I'll prolly get those soon, then I can at least get those interior parts put back in (hopfully I can remember which bolts n washers go to the seatbelts...hehe)

I'll be removing the APillars this week too.

Lwanmtr

04-27-2017, 12:34 AM

Spent today removing the A Pillars. They're pretty knackered..here's a couple of pics showing how mangled they got (the vinyl was ripped by mein some areas..hehe).

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Removed the Door Sills too so I can clean n paint them. Looks like there was some outlining around the letters at one time? What is that thin plastic sheet stuff that is (or was) underneath that? is it needed? If so, what do you replace with? I just removed it cause it was falling apart and curly from age.

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I also did an initial cleaning of the door openings with 409 to start getting alot of the dirt out of there. Hard to get up under the torsion bar to clean really good in there. I'll get some oxy clean stuff before I do a final cleaning to prep for painting.

BABIS

04-27-2017, 03:19 AM

Spent today removing the A Pillars. They're pretty knackered..here's a couple of pics showing how mangled they got (the vinyl was ripped by mein some areas..hehe).

any tips on removal?

Lwanmtr

04-27-2017, 03:37 AM

Not sure about good tips...but...If your A Pillars are still intact, you'll have get in with a knife and carefully cut the vinyl along where its tucked up under the windsheild (yup, they bonded the vinyl under the windsheild)...then use a heat gun, flathead screwdriver and patience to heat up and uncurl the vinyl along the outer edges.

Lwanmtr

04-27-2017, 11:29 PM

Today was an odd one.....

Started by cleaning the door sills, scrubbing all the dirt outta the grooves.

Started taping up the car again to prepare for painting the door openings...discovered the tape wasnt gonna stick to the dash...which led to....

I started taking the dash out...got the knee pads out, and glove box (though not exactly in one peice)...started taking the binnacle off and found that I didnt have a #8 wrench that could get up to one able the duct..so tomorrow ill be runnin to autozone to see if they have one of them wiggly wrenches in that size :rolleyes:

I'll post some pics tomorrow, maybe..hehe.

And yep...I realize..I still taking parts off the car, dangit, I wanna put her back together and drive... :tantrum:

Lwanmtr

04-29-2017, 01:41 AM

Today was kinda productive..in an odd sense... Yeah I pulled more parts off (this keeps going im gonna have a pile of parts and no car..lol)

Took the binnacle and dash pad out...lil adventure... Got 4 of the 6 nuts off the binnacle and couldnt get the other 2..I didnt have anything that could get on them...so I went to home depot and picked up a couple of wiggly wrenches (ratcheting for you techy types)..and a couple bags of moss killer (it is home depot after all)..Got back under there and tried for a while to get the last 2 nuts...they just kept spinning...then I felt around a little more..discovered I was trying to take the wrong nuts out..after thar binnacle came out easy..

The dash pad wasnt difficult either..though I'd love to smack the numpty that decided to put two nuts in the center where its nigh impossible to get into.

Looks all clean without the nasty binnacle and pad....

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Once I got it out, the dash pad looks a bit worse than I had thought....

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The binnacle is in awful shape too. I even tried to pull some of the loose cooked vinyl off. Gonna have to decide which direction to go now.

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I also pulled what I assume was the remnant of some critter's nest out of the ducting too (sorry no pics of that).

Rich_NYS

04-29-2017, 08:20 AM

Looking like progress now!

Be sure to put that black plastic column cover thing in a safe place where it can't get accidentally stepped on or damaged, they're pretty hard to replace.

I started repairing my binnacle a few days ago, it's going well. I think yours can be repaired too, but would be more of a "re-surface."

Lwanmtr

04-29-2017, 03:39 PM

Rich_NYS

04-29-2017, 04:44 PM

Hehe...yeah progress in taking it apart.

The column cover needs fixed, was broke when I got it. Yeah, they are NLA. I may try to build up the broken bits, or Toby says they've repaired them before too.

Yep, my binnacle will need a complete recover, which will be around $400 probably.

Im going to try and repair the dash pad myself, but not sure if I want to try and recover the whole thing..never undertook something like that..hehe.

I fixed my column cover, it's A-OK now. Post pics of yours, if any of it is like mine was I'll let y know how I fixed mine.

From what I can see in the pics, your dash can easily be fixed. When I'm done with my binnacle I'll show you pics of the procedure that'll work good for a dash.

Lwanmtr

04-30-2017, 03:22 AM

Rich_NYS

04-30-2017, 04:05 PM

Ill take some pics of the column cover tomorrow.

Yeah, would love to see any method to fix the dash pad.

Today I just did some more cleaning on parts with acetone to remove more dirt and grime. Time to order more trim black and find the right color vinyl paint..

Here's a video of a method that might work well on the dash, I'm trying it on my binnacle since I only had a crack down the center:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x8qtvG-Y8U

It requires a plastic-welding iron; if I didn't have one I'd likely try using 3m flexible bumper repair, I used it on my rear fascia and really like it:

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Lwanmtr

04-30-2017, 07:01 PM

Thanks for the video link, Ill definately check it out. Though I dont have a plastic welding iron....hehe.

Here's a pic of my column cover (pay no attention to the nuts n washers..hehe). The screw holes are broken of near the wheel end on the top part and it looks like there is a threaded metal insert near the back, one of which is missing (dunno if this was some po attempt at repairing. The bottom looks ok.
While I had the parts out, I decided to clean all the dirt off and am going to toss a couple coats of paint on the parts.

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Also a sticker, faded which gives me a date for my car... 10-23 :)

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Painting the cover for the coil and connector block area too..looked pretty ratty.

Rich_NYS

04-30-2017, 08:13 PM

I think the brass inserts are OEM, mine had them too but things were broken similar to yours.

I'm pretty sure these are the ones I used (with matching screws,) they fit almost perfectly:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Crown-Bolt-10-24-tpi-Brass-Insert-Nut-51008/203088625

I modified them a bit; I snapped off the "tabs" that makes a slot for installing with a screwdriver, then used a screw with a nut on it to thread them into the OEM holes.

Lwanmtr

04-30-2017, 08:33 PM

Have to repair the other holes too, which means I gotta build up material..but I dont have a reference of a correct one...hehe.

Rich_NYS

04-30-2017, 08:47 PM

Have to repair the other holes too, which means I gotta build up material..but I dont have a reference of a correct one...hehe.

You can see what it's supposed to look like based on what remains on yours, but here's a pic of mine during the repair process so you can get an idea of what I did:

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I test-fitted using the column as a "jig"

Lwanmtr

04-30-2017, 10:16 PM

I see. good idea to use the column as a jig. Ill have to wait on that then, since my wiper/indicator stalk mounting is bjorked. I dont have a wheel puller so I cant put the new one on yet.

Rich_NYS

04-30-2017, 10:37 PM

I see. good idea to use the column as a jig. Ill have to wait on that then, since my wiper/indicator stalk mounting is bjorked. I dont have a wheel puller so I cant put the new one on yet.

Try to remove the wheel without a puller, some come off using an air chisel. Mine didn't, so I had to use a puller and it was a PITA....the threaded holes need to be re-tapped to a bigger size.

Lwanmtr

04-30-2017, 11:32 PM

That will be something I'll have done at DMCNW when they replace my 30 year old suspension parts, since they have to do alignments n stuff anyway.
I dont have an air chisel even, though I have a chisel and it cuts through air like nothin' else...hehe.

In addiition to cleaning some parts and painting the connector block cover, I did more taping on the car to get ready to paint the door opening area...sanded the gills cause I noticed some things I missed when I painted them last time. Tomorrow I'll finish up taping and masking the car...and ordering the black paint.

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Only thing Im still worried about is doing anything that will compromise the torsion bar.

I hit the button last night on speakers (kenwood 835c and 415c), so that I dont have to wait too long after I get all the trim peices repaired to put them back in.

The kind of stereo I want to get is something with gps, navigation, media, usb and back up camera and whatever other bells n whistles I can get without spending $1000 on one.

Lwanmtr

05-02-2017, 12:29 AM

another day of cleaning..and decided to go ahead with cleaning up the engine bay a little too, so I took off all the things attached to the sides....gonna be fun to cover everything and get it all out of the way so I can clean and paint in there. Have to get some more rust remover for some of the parts.

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Tomorrow (weather permitting) I'll get in there and start taping and cleaning

And yup...I took more parts off...hopefully these can go back on...lol

Lwanmtr

05-03-2017, 12:27 AM

Today was hit and miss....

I cleaned up the engine area to get it ready for painting and cleaned and dipped brackers n stuff into rust killer..

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But...when I got under to look for something, I discovered that, even months since I last had the engine runnin, my transmission was still leaking...grrrr..I cant tell where from, cause I cant get all the way under it.

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Could be from the coolant line, drain plug...or anywhere....:banghead:

Lwanmtr

05-03-2017, 11:47 PM

Today I spent a few hours finishing up the taping....well almost...I need to get more paper to finish up. Then I'll be securing all the hoses and lines out of the way so I can the paint all around...probably just use paper, since I dont need to worry about a washer...hehe.

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Havent decided if Im gonna use primer on the engine bay yet...I'll decide when I get there.

Lwanmtr

05-04-2017, 11:52 PM

Got more paper today and finished masking up the engine n connections back there..

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Applied primer to the car...

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Storm and rain came in so I couldnt really do too much more. Tomorrow I'll go through and sand the primered stuff...and if its not wet n cold maybe even apply some of the black.

Lwanmtr

05-06-2017, 02:21 AM

The weather cooperated today so I was able to get all the painting done (mostly)...I noticed (after I stripped all the paper off) a couple places I'll need to hit again, but those will be easy. Today I went through 2 cans of SEM Trim black getting it all looking pretty.

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Tomorrow I'll touch up the areas I need to and and reconnect all the wires n stuff in the engine
If weather permits, I'll start on repairing the vinyl on the center console and begin sanding and fixing the dash pad.

powerline84

05-06-2017, 07:56 AM

Engine compartment looks great !

Lwanmtr

05-06-2017, 03:17 PM

Thanks, Just a few touchups where I missed some primer overspray.

Rich_NYS

05-06-2017, 03:41 PM

Looks good....very motivating, right?!

Lwanmtr

05-06-2017, 04:11 PM

Thanks. Yeah its motivating to see things looking better (hopefully I wont be taking more parts off again soon...lol).

I got all my new speakers, so at least the rears can go in..I have to get a cheap stereo I can use to make sure its all working until Im able to get the super touchscreen gps with backup camera one I want to get (any suggestions).

Lwanmtr

05-09-2017, 12:14 AM

Today I spent some hours finding wiring diagrams for a radio and then disecting the radio plug that PO had put in..tracing all the wires..weeee

Sorry, didnt take any pics of the twisted and tangled mess of wires I had to untangle..hehe.

DaraSue

05-09-2017, 10:00 PM

Oh man, I'm perpetually in awe of your patience and perseverance. Just dealing with that rats nest of wiring when it's functioning semi-normally is bad enough, lol...

Lwanmtr

05-10-2017, 12:24 AM

Patience? Lol..cussed quite a bit during that...ya know... 'what the frakkin' drugs was he on' sorta stuff....
As for perseverance, well I guess I just gotta keep doing something on her...

Today I touched up the engine bay paint, painted a few other bits and started putting stuff back together back there. Gotta get a nut to replace the one that escaped into the valley of death and a couple of hose clamps for the overflow bottle, then I can put the rest of the engine back together.

I think my harness is routed off or something cause I cant seem to get the connector block cover to go on.

Lwanmtr

05-12-2017, 12:42 AM

Finally got the engine bay put back together..mostly...still cant get the bulkhead connector cover to fit right.

51459

There were 3 black wires attached to one of the screws that hold the ballast resistors to that bracket....no matter how I tried, they refused to align right so I could get the screw back in.....my solution.. I connected them to a screw, made another peice of wire and attached that to the ballast screw..much easier than trying to get 3 wired to cooperate.

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Can anyone tell me what this connector is? It has like 2 tabs and a round thing in the center, like it would plug into a hose or something.

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DMC5180

05-12-2017, 12:53 AM

That's your engine bay light switch. Half of it. It's fairly common to have the guts pull out of the upper half housing. The wire connector is plugged into the part that is sticking out.

Time for a new switch[emoji6]

FYI, it is the same switch assembly used for the glove box light.

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Lwanmtr

05-12-2017, 01:05 AM

Where would it connect or be mounted? I dont see any place where it would be....not that I dismiss the possibility of PO shennanigans...lol

DMC5180

05-12-2017, 08:07 PM

Where would it connect or be mounted? I dont see any place where it would be....not that I dismiss the possibility of PO shennanigans...lol

Next to your resistor in the rectangle hole. Yes, mine is disconnected on the left side.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170513/e69ae90546881a9252c0f1208fa7cd45.jpg

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Lwanmtr

05-12-2017, 08:14 PM

Ohh...kinda wondered why that was there...lol

Lwanmtr

05-14-2017, 09:54 PM

Welp..not much progress

Yesterday I used a heat gun to reform the ducts around the center console vents..left them overnight to cool. Spent an hour or so wiring up a harness for a radio..got it all connected, hooked up the battery, turned the key...nothing...cept the led's in my ac panel were flickering a lil...was getting late so I unhooked the battery and quit...

Today I got the center console vents in properly...was fiddly getting those ducts even after reforming them.

Went back through my connections on the radio harness...reattached the battery and used a circuit tester to make sure I was getting power...yup...however..I noticed the led's started flickering again..then they'd turn off when I plugged the circuit tester in...was getting worried til I noticed the light in the tester was getting dimmer and dimmer...sooooooo

Im gonna need a new battery...this one has been a pain since I got it from a local place called Budget Batteries...everyone said they had good products...well I aint seen that..and I've had to have it reconsituted a couple times by them....I put it on my charger and its sat at 54% for a couple hours now....If I used my other charger, I know it would prolly explode or something....lol...anyone have a suggestion on a good long term battery?

I did organize my tools a bit...tossed out boxes and crusty parts that are getting replaced (and nope, they are so bad, not even worth seeing if folks wanted them)...

Been in and out of the car without seats for so long, it will prolly be weird to sit in there on a seat when I get them back in...lol

DMC5180

05-14-2017, 10:29 PM

Most Name brand Batteries will provide years of service ( in a regularly driven vehicle). In the Delorean no battery will last due to the infrequent use of it. If you want your battery to live. Get a battery disconnect switch or Battery mounted disconnect. I use one religiously. As a result the Battery I have in the car now has lasted 6 years so far. I disconnect the battery after every use because I don't know when I'll drive it next. I drove the car a couple times over the weekend. I just disconnected the battery again since I don't plan on driving it till next weekend at the earliest and if for some reason I don't drive it , I don't need to worry about draining the battery.

The only disadvantages are losing Clock and radio presents. Trivial stuff.

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Lwanmtr

05-15-2017, 12:08 AM

DMC5180

05-15-2017, 06:39 AM

The battery actually has spent most of its time outside the car, living on a block of wood...hasnt been any need to connect for months. I left it on the charger and it finally reached 100 and went to maintenance mode...so I'll reconnect the charger again tomorrow and see how much the battery drops by then.

What kind/brand of charger do you have? Sounds like a digital smart charger type which IS what you want.

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Lwanmtr

05-15-2017, 03:30 PM

I have a Die Hard Platinum..yeah its a smart charger, and only works plugged directly into the battery.

Rich_NYS

05-15-2017, 09:59 PM

Looks like you have a good bit of momentum going Rob, I'm psyched for ya!

Lwanmtr

05-16-2017, 12:25 AM

Ha...had momentum...kinda got stalled again....

Battery is definately bjorked...after sitting last night I connected the charger again today to check it and it was all but drained...several hours to hit full again. I'll prolly charge it again tomorrow and actually put it in the car and see if it will give me enough time to finish testing the radio harness. I kinda figured it wasnt the best..was about half the cost of other places...I might see if they'll reconstitute it again (or if it can).

Gotta wait on the dash pad til I can get that fiberflex stuff and be able to get a good vinyl paint that matches (or close to be good).

Guess I'll clean the garage next time the weather isnt all rainy...lol

Kind of afraid to pull the pan I have sitting under the transmission to see how much has leaked out since I put it down.

Lwanmtr

05-20-2017, 02:14 AM

Spent a few hours today again cleaning out more of the garage (yaay busy work)...lol

I also cleaned up and painted the air cleaner housing, since it was looking rather faded n ugly. I decided not to paint the lower part since that part gets most of the engine heat.

51646

I got some free carpet and lenoleum and door molding and old tv's if anyone wants to come get 'em....hehe

Lwanmtr

05-21-2017, 08:11 PM

I know what I can do today....I'll repair the glove box insert...yeah, a lil glue and tape, be easy...

51720

Hmm..nevermind, helps if all the peices are there....lol

51721

Guess I'll be adding that to my list of things to get... :ehh:

DMC5180

05-21-2017, 10:15 PM

Good luck with that. I don't know if anybody sells a reproduction one anymore.

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Lwanmtr

05-22-2017, 01:24 AM

Actually Toby told me that DMC has one... $95... http://store.delorean.com/p-9805-glove-box-insert.aspx

Lwanmtr

05-22-2017, 01:26 AM

Ok...just cause we all like to see more pics...here's one showing the current condition of the whole car....note all the carpeting in the foreground....hehe..

51723

Enjoy :)

DMC5180

05-22-2017, 05:25 AM

Actually Toby told me that DMC has one... $95... http://store.delorean.com/p-9805-glove-box-insert.aspx

Excellent. They had been NLA for a period of time. Glad to see they did another run of them.

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Lwanmtr

05-22-2017, 05:37 AM

Yeah, hopefully its the start of more nla parts being reproduced.

Rich_NYS

05-22-2017, 10:04 PM

Ok...just cause we all like to see more pics...here's one showing the current condition of the whole car....note all the carpeting in the foreground....hehe..

51723

Enjoy :)

:cheers:

Lwanmtr

05-28-2017, 03:22 AM

Today I charged the battery and made sure all the speakers and my special radio harness worked..they did..

I also decided to clean and paint the front grille and emblem..Didnt know the emblem was stainless also..I assumed with the rather sloppy paintjob it had on it ,it was cheap plastic..hehe. Taping around the letters, specially inside was a pain...

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And Finally I think all the trim bits have been painted

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DMC5180

05-28-2017, 09:32 AM

The emblem is not stainless. It's die cast aluminum with thin plating and the black out paint.

I always thought it would be cool to replicate one in stainless though. fwiw stainless would be noticeably heavier than that one.

Your refresh looks awesome.

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Lwanmtr

05-28-2017, 03:36 PM

Ahh ok//I stand corrected....so its between neat stainless and cheap plastic...hehe.

Thanks. Hopefully I'll be able to start putting things back on some day..lol

Lwanmtr

05-29-2017, 01:14 AM

I decided to finish getting the tail lights screwed in... I'm thinking that its the first time in 16 years that they been actually screwed into the fascia by more than one screw.

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For those playing at home, here is how it looked when I first got the car...all smiley...lol

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The rear fascia was so outta wack that the holes wouldnt line up between the fascia and taillights...my solution...Cut up a coat hanger and inserted the rods into the holes and used them to help push and pull the taillights into alignment....The right side took around 40 minutes of fiddling, pulling, cussing and pushing to get all the screws in...the left side went in pretty easy

51882

Of course...after I got all the screws in, I had a thought... 'Did I actually attach the power to them?' Luckily I had..tested again to make sure I had all my lights.

Hopefully over time the taillights and fascia will relax into the current shape so I dont need to fight so much if I need to remove or replace them ever again.