The Restoration of #1768 [Archive] - DMCTalk Forum

vwdmc16

04-26-2012, 10:52 PM

Hello, my name is Clint, I'm 24, live in Sacramento CA and welcome to the restoration thread on my car "Loreana" 1981 Delorean, black interior, manual VIN #1768. You will see just about every job a Delorean owner could need to perform to return this long abused car back into good health. In the 3 years I've owned and restored this car, many of my mechanic friends noted that this car would have been in the junkyard if it weren't for me, or that they considered Loreana a parts car when I bought her. When I began this project I was fresh out of automotive Tech school and working at a two man fabrication shop so I didn't have the proper money needed to simply replace everything that needed fixing. However, I was going to be sure this car still got what it deserved - a new lease on life through a lot of hard work. I've learned so much from this car and I want to share my experiences with you.

This thread was one of the longest and most popular back on the old DMCTALK.com site and some have asked that I bring it back. Luckily I've mirrored many of the posts on other car forums which helps to bring this back. I've cleaned it up and made some more logical posts this time. The content gets more defined and the posts towards the end are much better than these early ones. This is still a ongoing project so there is plenty more to come.

I hope you enjoy it and I hope it helps many of you new owners learn about the problems you have that may be similar to mine:

One of the most asked questions I get with my car is "Where in the world did you find that?" as if it was a wild unicorn from outer space. While I'm still working on a quick and easily explainable answer, this is the long version- It all started with a 1987 Yugo, I found one for sale at a junkyard in Sacramento and I just had to save it. It was a lot of fun repairing it and making it look better, but while it was very fun I wanted something RWD and a bit peppier but still with Italian flair. I found a '77 Fiat 124 on Craigslist but after months of work that car got nowhere (it caught fire many times) and always put up too much of a fight so I decided to move on and it went back on Craigslist. I had little trouble selling it to a man named Peter who had a warehouse shop in Oakland, Ca full of more interesting cars. I delivered the hateful Fiat to his shop and he showed me around his great collection.

There was only one car I was truly interested in. I was in disbelief, this car was the first one I'd seen in person for years. I've wanted a D since I was 5 yrs old because of BTTF and had been saving since I was 8.

The Acquisition

These are the first photographs I have of her:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1589.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1590.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1581.jpg

Peter explained this car did not belong to him, he was storing it for the owner Greg who worked in San Fran. After a quick call he was able to come over and talk with me about it. Here's the back story: Greg bought the car in '2000 back in Massachusetts from the 2nd owner. The car had been on the east coast since new and serviced by Grady. In 2001 Greg moved out west, stopping in Texas for some service in Houston then continued to its new home in Berkeley, CA. With very little spare time to repair or enjoy the car, Greg decided it was time to sell it to someone that would care for the car and enjoy it more than he did.

The original owner put about 20k miles on it in 2-3 years, then for unknown reasons it was parked in 1984ish. It sat 15 years mostly likely outside or in a wet garage and that's how the rust formed.

Circa 1998 it was bought by a guy who owned a gas station repair shop in Boston, this guy got it working and maybe put a few thousand miles on it.

2000 Greg bought the car and had a few repairs done by Grady. He says he drove the hell out of it up in the empty forest back roads of Massachusetts. In 2001 he moved to Austin, TX and drove the car there stopping in DMCH for some work. It broke down about 1/2 mile from the shop. Greg did a few other repairs after that when he lived in Austin for a few years but he never registered or licensed the car after he left Massachusetts in 2001.

2005ish he moved to the Bay area and drove the car from Austin almost non stop by himself, fearing it would never restart if he did stop. After moving to Cali the car was only driven about 100 miles as it had a bad hot restart problem. It was parked until I bought it April 2009 making me the 4th owner.

Since the car hadn't run in years and needed lots of work to be roadworthy I negotiated down to $5000. It was a good deal for me. I even found $1 in the ash tray!

Engine bay was very neglected, A/C frozen.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1580.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1595.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1594.jpg

Minor dents in the roof, Mercedes 6.9 in the background.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1582.jpg

Interior was intact and fair for the age.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1583.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1584.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1585.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1597.jpg

There were quite a few dents however, this on the RR quarter being the worst.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1587.jpg

The worst of the car was the underside that had been rotted by the Massachusetts winters.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1588.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1586.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1592.jpg

April 18th, 2009 I returned and was able to see the car in sunlight for the first time. That day I took ownership of the car one of the happiest days of my young life. I loaded it up and took it back to Sacramento.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1965.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1964.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1960.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1959.jpg

Look at that low mileage!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1966.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1967.jpg

Got to dig that Atari plate frame!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1970.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1974.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1973.jpg

vwdmc16

04-26-2012, 10:52 PM

The first thing I did after getting it home was a basic cleaning and looking around the car thoroughly and took many pictures, here are some.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1988.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2143.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG2025.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1986.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1987.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1991.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1992.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG1976.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG2014.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG2018.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG2001.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG2030.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG2038.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG2039.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG2042.jpg

Major issues I've noted so far:

Severe frame rot in rear
Moderate rot in front crumple tubes
Severe steering slop
Very rusty and squeaky suspension
Questionable brake lines, M/C and calipers
Angle drive destroyed
Under car wiring in very bad shape
Many loose wires under the dash
Only working gauge was the volt meter
Drooping headliner
Dangerous looking fuse panel
Unsafe tires
AC system in ruins
Most trim in need of dire of restoration
Crack louvers and lower engine cover

The frame rot did have me quite worried, however at the time I was building race cars for a living and had access to all the tools to do the repair later. I attempted to find the end of the rust by removing more epoxy but it just got worse.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG2013.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG2009.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG2011.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG2029.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG2028.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG2027.jpg

Good things I found:

Fuel pump and accumulator has just 250 miles
New and updated window regulators
Full DMC Houston major tune up kit
Service books and a car cover
New radiator

vwdmc16

04-26-2012, 10:53 PM

The Wake from Hibernation

April 26, 2009

Soon I began working towards getting the car running. The DMC Houston tune up kit was just what I needed - Plugs, wires, cap and rotor, filters, oil change, new copper O-rings for the fuel fittings, and belts. All the old parts were in rough shape.

I decided to remove the quarter panel and fascia for more access and cleaning. I also swapped out the flat rear tires with something I could roll the car around on.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2088.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG2037.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2089.jpg

The injector hose fittings were corroded enough to cause leaks so some light sanding was needed to flatten them out.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2109.jpg

I took the injectors to be ultrasonic cleaned as well.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2108.jpg

New valve cover gaskets and a valve clearance check, most were a few thousandths of an inch loose.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2093.jpg

After flushing the fuel distributor and lines I knew I had to keep cleaning upstream of the tank to prevent any old fuel from clogging up the kjet down the line. After removing the access covers in the trunk and disconnecting the lines, I removed the lower sealing plate below the gas tank. I expected the tank to simply drop out but the foam insulation had other ideas. It took about 45 minutes of jumping up and down on the gas tank and gently prying on for the cell to finally come out.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2044.jpg

Thankfully there were no hidden rust holes in the frame here.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2046.jpg

New(ish) fuel pump

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2048.jpg

Fuel didn't look that bad for being about 4 years old. All the fuel was removed and blown out of the lines, ready to start fresh.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2050.jpg

I also installed the new window regulators that the previous owner did not install, these were quite a pain.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/CIMG2032.jpg

I now had owned my car for a week, working many hours after work every night but still she didn't run, I had quite a fight with the fuel filter. It took a few trips to the local auto parts store to get a quality filter that didnt leak.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2111.jpg

The First Start

But soon I was able to track down all the small leaks and electrical faults to get her to run for the first time since 2005. It took a few seconds but soon all the gauges started to wake up and function too. It was a very joyous day.

Right click and open in a new tab to play.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/th_CIMG2131.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/?action=view&current=CIMG2131.mp4)

I knew I had a very long road ahead before I could properly drive my new baby, as the rest of the car had a bunch of electrical bugs. Jiggle the fuse box just so and the center console lights would go out, shake it another way and random relays click on and off. Lots of work to come.

vwdmc16

04-26-2012, 10:55 PM

May 2 2009

With a basically running engine, I now needed to make the chassis able to drive, First off the steering.

The U joints had considerable play, new joints were a bit above my budget when I could be more creative. The steering is composed of British parts and If ound some late 70's MGBs that matched. In hindsight I should have adapted some new tighter Japanese steering joints but just the same with some welding and fitting, I now had slop free steering joints. FYI each joint has 84 pins in them, do not spill them on the floor!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2127.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2128.jpg

I installed an extra radio I had just to fill the hole in the dash.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2149.jpg

The next week I fiddled around with the fuel mixture on the engine but I still had some small vacuum leaks that prevented my from starting the car without priming it be spraying fuel down the intake first. Then I bled the brakes with new DOT4 fluid, they felt solid enough for a short test. Finally I was able to take my first test drive of my new car almost a month after purchasing it. I had mixed feeling, as the car sounded and felt much rougher than I was expecting but the euphoria and rush of my first dive in a Delorean, a Delorean that was mine no less was incredible.

May 10 2009

After owning the car just a few few weeks i already was eager to take it to a car show, however it was in no shape to drive there. In the Sacramento and SF bay area there is a monthly high end car meet called Euro Sunday, and every year they have a "Gullwing" themed event were Bricklins, DMCs and now Merc SLS can come to be the front and center. To get the car there I had to borrow a trailer from my work, Evil Genius Racing to bring her to the event.

It wasnt a huge turn out but I met two D owners there, or rather they never let me alone, but it was nice, I think I got more looks from my car running/sounding like shit that just being a delorean but it felt great to finally be part of the community. Honestly some of teh other DMC owners were a bit embarrassed by my car.

Here is the award video of me showing my prized baby at the show after Ken shows his and talks about his "carbon fiber" underbody? ok.

http://vimeo.com/4794905

http://ts.vimeo.com.s3.amazonaws.com/131/913/13191332_640.jpg

After the show I took it to the EGR shop and looked under it on the lift to examine the underside better. The rust just looked worse every where I looked it really needs to be sandblasted thoroughly or cut out. also fixed the intake vacuum leak at the W pipe that made it so hard to start cold.

Sorry they are warped cell phone pics.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00178.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00177.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00172.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00169.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00168.jpg

vwdmc16

04-26-2012, 10:57 PM

May 16 2009

3.0 Eagle Engine

After reading on many other Dmc build websites and here on the forums, I had decided to pick up a 3.0 Eagle Premier engine for installation down the road. I found one at the local self service junkyard. It came from a '88 with 166k miles, the car had been hit in the rear but looked decently well cared for. Complete engine for $256.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00180.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00181.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00184.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2188.jpg

June 27 2009

A bit time passed as I still had to give other project cars attention, but I was able to take the new 3.0 apart for a proper cleaning, many hours of scrubbing went into this one but it was well worth it. It seems the passenger side cam was wearing down badly. Going to need new cams anyway!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2227.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2209.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2277.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2294.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2297.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2359.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2358.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2357.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2356.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2353.jpg

Next I began painting some of the clean parts and the VOD of the 3.0.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2360.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2368.jpg

June 30 2009

VOD job

After tearing apart the 3.0 I felt compelled and confident enough to take the intake manifold off the 2.8 in the car to clean and paint the valley as well. I had a real fit getting the y pipe off as I stripped the head off one of the 4 M7 bolt heads. but a quick bit of drilling was able to remove enough to get the pipe off.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2292-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2369.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2372.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2370.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2371.jpg

Now I was able to scrape, scrub and vacuum the 1/2 lbs of dirt in the casting of the engine valley, then paint it like I just did with the 3.0 using POR 15. its very important to clean this as well as possible.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2377.jpg

vwdmc16

04-26-2012, 10:59 PM

July 1 2009

Renewing the Steering Rack

While waiting on my latest parts order I decided to tackle one of the first and worst flaws my car had, the sloppy steering rack.

http://store.delorean.com/images/Product/medium/108754.JPG

After removal I performed a full strip down and re painting and greasing however the driver side of the rack seemed to have no support what so ever as if the bushing holding it had fallen out. Since individual parts are not available for the rack, I had to create my own bushing out of a cheap and durable material.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2197.jpg

Using a mix of 1 and 1.5" PVC I was able to make a very tight fitting and smooth bushing for the rack to slide on, after placing the small tube instil the outer piece I sanded the outer diameter down until it fit tightly into the rack body. Sadly I dont have any pictures of this creative solution in progress but here you can see the end result epoxied in place.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2199.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2234.jpg

New tie rods installed.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2239.jpg

In the end I was rewarded with a much tighter and smoother steering system.

Chris Burns

04-26-2012, 11:24 PM

Wow! Did you have your work cut out for you.

Don't stop there! :popcorn:

vwdmc16

04-26-2012, 11:30 PM

July 14 2009

Pulling the Engine

By now I had been ordering a bunch of little things from DMC but nothing big, my newest order was a exhaust repair kit, new studs and gaskets for the leaky headers, but I saw I would have to pull the engine to do it properly. I decided to take the trans out with it as it looked simpler and quicker, overall it was quite easy

With my intake still off I removed the engine wiring harness.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2407.jpg

Next the muffler with brackets, engine mounts and ground straps, shift rods, inner axles, clutch line and rear fascia were off before I began hoisting.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2410.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2408.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2411.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2412.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2409.jpg

Transmission was so filthy.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2413-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2416.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2415.jpg

Now I can look at the frame more and no surprise it was just getting worse and rustier. you can see the tow hook that partially ripped out when we tried tying to it on the trailer.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2417.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2420.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2421.jpg

jawn101

04-26-2012, 11:41 PM

This is awesome man. I haven't seen all these before! So when are we gonna pull my motor, you make it look so easy :)

Also, to anyone else who's watching, keep doing so as this is going to be one of the best, most creative, most inspiring restoration threads on here.

vwdmc16

04-26-2012, 11:49 PM

Yeah we will do it soon. It will be even easier with my sweet new electric actuated engine crane. Ill probably make a thread on that later, I am pretty proud of it.

john 05141

04-27-2012, 04:57 AM

awesome.... keep em kommin'

John

Blackie

04-27-2012, 06:22 AM

Great thread! Will definately be following this.

When I rebuilt my steering rack, there wasn't a bush in the drivers side either, i was of the understanding that there wasn't meant to be, only on the passenger side. I think the plastic bush under the blind plate is what puts tension on the rack to push against the pinion. I would be interested to see how the rack is with this bush on the drivers side, as mine still has a bit of slack in it.

Cheers

Morpheus

04-27-2012, 10:20 AM

Oh boy, that engine cradle looks rough.

My car also has some frame rot issues, and as such I am in the middle of a total frame-off restoration. If you are interested, you can check out my progress here:

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?556-The-Restoration-of-VIN-4363

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?948-Body-Frame-Separation-Party!-SAT-7-30-11 (http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?556-The-Restoration-of-VIN-4363)

Best of luck on your project!

DavidProehl

04-27-2012, 11:57 AM

Very cool to see all of this compared to where your car is at today. You have done some amazing work! Great thread!

vwdmc16

04-27-2012, 10:13 PM

July 15 2009

Next I separated the transaxle and engine to get a look at the clutch which looked to be in great shape. In the receipts I got with the car I found the clutch was also replaced in Houston.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2431.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2434.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2432.jpg

Curing the Cancer

July 19 2009

Picked up the trailer again and with a friend I was able to push the car on it and bring her back to my shop for some full access to the frame and rust repair.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00200.jpg

Cutting commenced with a 4.5" angle grinder and cut off disc. I was getting ruthless.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00203.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00197.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00196.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00204.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00205.jpg

After a fair amount of wire wheeling and acid treatment to neutralize the corrosion it was time to make templets in card board and then out of 12 ga steel

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00208.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00207.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00210.jpg

I also had to create new tow hooks, using 1/8th steel and backing plates, also a small triangular gusset on the back side

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00212.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00213.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2443.jpg

July 20th

With the driver side done it was the passenger side's turn, luckily this wasnt as bad as the driver side.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2440.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2441.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2444.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2445.jpg

Then the same tow hook and gusset treatment

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2447.jpg

In all 14 pieces of rotted metal was removed, with some structural integrity back in place it was time to return home

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2449.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2450.jpg

vwdmc16

04-28-2012, 07:29 PM

Aug 2 2009

While the trans was loose I cleaned it at the local car wash, I got just as wet as the trans did. Atleast the car was loosing weight!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2451.jpg

Also painted the fresh frame repairs with silver POR15, im still looking for some good paint that looks better.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2457.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2456.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2455.jpg

Aug 6 2009

After removing the exhaust system and snapping off most of the studs in the heads I also found the catalytic converter was falling apart as well. I was able to find another good one for $50 on Dmctalk.com

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2475.jpg

The manifold and cross over pipe was very rusty but not rotted through so some heavy wire wheeling and high temp paint would be enough to make it acceptable. The real issue that was causing the leaking was the sealing flanges were warped. A few hours on a small bench sander and grinder was able to flatten the surfaces for the new gaskets. Also the broken studs cooperated and came out with much fight but since the kit came with enough M7 studs I replaced all of them

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2472.jpg

vwdmc16

05-01-2012, 11:18 PM

August 4 2009

Waiting for a few more parts I was still eager to do more work so I stripped the Motorola alternator down and gave it a new paint job.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2453.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2454.jpg

Right Rear Suspension Overhaul

The suspension was the next large area the needed attention. I began on the left rear by removing everything, My garage was starting to get pretty messy but the chaos was necessary. The shocks felt strong still so my plan was to clean them up and use them until I found some performance ones.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2466.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2465.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2464.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2468.jpg

August 6 2009

Wire wheeled, prepped and primered the suspension components.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2470.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2471.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2462.jpg

vwdmc16

05-07-2012, 12:59 AM

Aug 8 2009

With the primer dry and ready it was time for the 2 coats of POR 15 black.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2477.jpg

Also the transaxle had 2 coats of silver to help protect from corrosion. I would have preferred to keep the trans bare however the oxidation looks quite terrible.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2473.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2474.jpg

Also the exhaust was finished and ready to bolt back on, Its so difficult to assemble the exhaust when the engine is in the car

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2476.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2482.jpg

vwdmc16

05-07-2012, 01:00 AM

Aug 11 2009

Left rear suspension assembly went smoothly, i'm very pleased with how nice it came out.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2478.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2481.jpg

I also played around with possible future brake upgrades, 2nd gen Mazda RX7 front caliper would bolt on with a simple adapter.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2508.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2509.jpg

But back in the real world I knew I had to get the stock calipers working so they came apart and got the same wire wheel stripping treatment.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2507.jpg

Aug 12 2009

The engine and trans went back in but just the mounts, she wouldnt be running for a few more weeks, taking the engine to be pressure washed wasnt logistical so it would have to go back in dirty until I could wash it in the car.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2510.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2511.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2516.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2523.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2512.jpg

Fresh looking coil over sure is out of place here huh?

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2515.jpg

vwdmc16

05-09-2012, 01:52 AM

Aug 22 2009

I cut 1 1/4 coils from the rear coil springs to bring the rear down some. Now the front was looking quite ridiculously high.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2568.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2570.jpg

Then I rolled her back to degrease the engine the best I could without a pressure washer.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2532.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2571.jpg

Aug 23 2009

The rest of the injection and wiring was re installed ( I also ran the main wiring harness under the K Jet manifold to help clean up the look of the engine bay) This all has the thing running better, but initially it was idling quite low due to a poorly adjusted throttle linkage but fixing that brought it up.

Eager as always to try out my hard work I took it for a spin around the block, it nearly died when I gave it some heavy throttle so I did a quick u turn, I realized I had nearly no gas so I had to go run and get 2 more gallons from my gas can and I went for another drive. Overall it feels better but still alot of noise in the front end. The brakes are much better though. After a few more rounds of the block got back to the garage and I could not find reverse! So I raised the car and re adjusted the shifter cable and rod, somehow the engine didn't go back in exactly the same spot. While under the car I noticed my new axle paint wasnt sticking too well and the aluminum trailing arm shield were rubbing the axle near the outer CV due to the lowered suspension, some quick trimming was needed.

Engine and axles looking a bit cleaner now.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2631.jpg

Still one of my favorite pic of the car.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2588.jpg

jawn101

05-09-2012, 10:43 AM

I had no idea how much you had done, honestly. It all looks great! Did you end up hi-temp painting your exhaust manifolds? I don't remember what they looked like from underneath, but I hate that red-rusty look. I definitely want to try and paint mine when the motor's out, as long as the studs cooperate that is...

vwdmc16

05-09-2012, 11:08 PM

I dont remember painting them but in some pictures they are black. I do know I wire wheeled them. I have since bought some proper high temp paint and Ive done a test section that's lasted of for a few weeks so far. We can definitely paint yours with it but I'd really rather not pull your headers if they aren't leaking. We will have plenty to do when your engine comes out.

jawn101

05-10-2012, 02:48 PM

vwdmc16

05-13-2012, 02:03 AM

Aug 29 2009

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2567.jpg

I reinstalled the rear fascia which fits a bit better in some areas than last time but worse in others, I drove it around more probably 2 miles around the block, still runs ok and it doesnt overheat, the engine that is, but I sure do with no a/c or even a vent fan in the closed up black interior( The HVAC fan is rusted solid too. Still I enjoyed all of the stares and thumbs up from the few people around the block.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2640.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2638.jpg

However im still having lots of trouble with the throttle linkage, even after messing with it the best I can I only yield about 90% when the pedal is all the way down and its still idling around 1800. Also while driving it cut out a few times and the tachometer turned off too at the same time. The tach needle starts to jitter and bounce in the lower rpm range so I think I have more bad electrical connections, sure enough if you pinch the distributor signal wire just right the engine will turn off. 30 year old bosch connectors starting to fail...

This is the where there are throttle adjustments, ive been spending alot of time here trying to get the idle down and keep as much throttle travel as posssible

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2632.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2633.jpg

some videos, show how she still is a bit rough

http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/?action=view&current=CIMG2636.mp4

http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/?action=view&current=CIMG2639.mp4

Primered and rebuild rear caliper, sadly Im missing one of the 4 parking brake pads which renders the whole system useless

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2513.jpg

Sept 2 2009

More hours of fiddling and removing the throttles for more cleaning and adjusting, I replaced the ball and socket throttle link that connects the throttle spool and the arm on the throttle shaft. The old one was steel but had way to much play and was replaced with a newer tighter plastic one from a early 90's volvo 240 which uses the same kind of linkage. This significantly improved the throttle feel and travel.

Also the ball on the throttle arm was getting loose, a hammer tightened that up since its attached like a conventional rivet.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2660.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2658.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2657.jpg

jawn101

05-13-2012, 11:18 PM

Is your whole throttle assembly off a Volvo or just the quadrant assembly? I didn't know that.

vwdmc16

05-14-2012, 12:47 AM

Its the original dmc TB which is the same as the k jet volvos. later volvo 240s had the plastic ball sockets that fit better, ill get you one to try out

vwdmc16

05-15-2012, 01:50 AM

Sept 5 2009

Dyno Time

A few months earlier the shop I worked at bought and installed a Mustang 2wd chassis dynometer, with most of the dyno's glitches out I could finally try out the delorean. The day was mildly successful. I found a few hoses and wire were in dangerous spots in high heat areas but the car wasnt making the power it should.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2674.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2670.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2671.jpg

The biggest thing out of place was all the heat from the engine bay, I had fans going and was letting the car cool down between the short runs and then I saw the manifolds were glowing, I was looking all around for a culprit:

super rich idle fuel mixture? No
excessive fuel pressure? No
super retarded timing? No
Valve timing off? No it was running much too smooth for that
Stuck injector? No they all looked even when sprayed into a bottle

Finally I noticed the wire to the WUR was tighter than I remember it fitting and the cold start plug wasnt blue. It seemed in the last few days I had swapped these plugs, Now the cold start injector was on all the time and the WUR was never heating up which meant tons of excess fuel was being dumped in the intake.

a simple swap of the wires made a huge difference as you could imagine.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2676.jpg

Finally I could get a proper baseline.

98hp and 110 ft tq

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/dyno2.jpg

after some more leaning out of the fuel mixture with the CO adjustment using a 3mm allen and raising the timing up 2' from stock I got 104hp and 125 tq

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/dyno1.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2668.jpg

We also had a set of scales so I was able to weigh the car too, now there were a few parts left off such as the passenger seat, and lower engine lid, so about 65 more lbs is the realistic weight, I also had just a few gallons in the fuel tank.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2683.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2682.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2681.jpg

2666lbs with 36.9/63.1% F/R

jawn101

05-15-2012, 11:40 PM

vwdmc16

05-16-2012, 12:20 AM

LED Install

Oct 3 2009

After returning from Houston visiting family brought back some $500 of parts from DMC houston. Sadly all $500 fit in one plastic shopping bag but they are all important parts, I now had proper working electric door locks, the digital door module works great as the original was long dead. I also pruchased all the LEDs I needed to replace every bulb in the dash cluster and HVAC panel, ive bee removing more parts than replacing lately, getting to know the inner workings of the interior better.

New dash circuit board as mine was torn and delaminating. lots of little nuts and hard to see screws to remove the binnacle and cluster.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2721.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2720.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2722.jpg

also pulled the T panel for cleaning, dent repair and regraining, luckily mine wasnt glued down well and was easy to remove.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2738.jpg

A new trip reset button for the odometer as mine had snapped off years ago. Red tape to mark the needle after I take it off and reinstall it.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2724.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2723.jpg

Interior is a mess now.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2725.jpg

I removed the left rear quarter to clean up inside it and repair a dent in the lower corner which you may have noticed in earlier pics. Also found some neat cave drawings in there too.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2733.jpg

Deno L.? who ever he was he sure liked writing his name 3 times on my fender.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2735.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2734.jpg

What I want most of all is to just to go drive my baby!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/DSCN1182.jpg

Oct 4 2009

Left Rear Suspension Overhaul

I decided to remove the left rear suspension for restoration, it was the same work as performed on the passenger side.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2740.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2743.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2741.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2744.jpg

Found a bit more rust, only surface rust this time, some sanding and POR15l fixed it.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2742.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2746.jpg

vwdmc16

05-17-2012, 10:16 PM

Nov 8 2009

left rear suspension done I returned to do more interior work. Heres the result of the suspension.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4177.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4179.jpg

Faffing with the Interior

The headliners were all saggy but not ripped, however the rear support panel was not fit to be re used, I made a new backing for it out of plastic cardboard, this will not absorb mositure and begin to rot and sag like the facotry one did, I was able to reuse the headliner material after I cleaned it off, had some strange white stains on it, I wont ask, but it came out well.

My carmera had finally died so I dug out my 8 yr old digital camera to use untill i could get a new one, sorry about the poor quality pics.
floor jack and 2x4 really help ensure the head liner will bond to the roof. clothes pins are my friends!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4169.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2714.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4170.jpg

Also re glued the door jam vinyl

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2713.jpg

Center console is together after I installed a new seal on the A/C mode switch and the new LEDs

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4171.jpg

Nov 10 2009

While I dont drive the car yet, I still would tweak the engine a bit but somehow the exhaust heat shields have come loose from their welds on the cross over pipe. This caused a horrible rattle when running so until I can remove it to re weld them i installed some stainless hoseclamps around the tube to stop the noise

Dent Repair

I also got around to repairing the worst dent on the car in the right rear quarter, now for any of you who have done body work, you probably used fillers but here I cant with no paint to cover it, so 6hrs with a hammer and sanding it almost impossible to see. I had a old timer body guy give me a hand, He had doubts that it could be perfectly smooth again but we were both happy with the result. Also as you can see he did a big No-no when repairing stainless, he filed some diagonal reference marks in the the metal, that is alright when you are going to repaint the car and or use a skim coat of filler but looks horrible on stainless as it doesnt follow the fore-aft grain. This just took another 20 minutes of graining to remove though.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2829.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2830.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2834.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG2840.jpg

Repainted the sweet licence frame and the bezel

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4175.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4183.jpg

DeLorean00

05-17-2012, 10:41 PM

Holy cow you have done a lot of work! This is a great thread. That car is lucky to have you as an owner. Keep up the good work!

DeLorean00

05-21-2012, 01:15 AM

Any updates??

vwdmc16

05-23-2012, 12:07 AM

Dec 5 2009

Letting loose on a Racetrack

Im an avid amateur auto road racer, frequently competing in the 24hrs of Lemons racing series. After doing it so long ive gotten to know the organizers well so I knew if I were to bring my project Delorean to the race they would love to check it out and maybe let me take it around the track some. My planned worked flawlessly and I adorned the car with some " Official Pace car" stickers, imagine if some racing series actually used a Delorean as their official pace car. The car was in just good enough shape to do the job but not to get 100miles north to Thunder Hill raceway so again it was trailered up.

So with shiny stickers and new set or rear tires ( BFG radials) I was able to lead the 80+ pack of cars around the 3 mile course to begin the race. I was able to do 3 laps and by then the the cars were set to go. Those three laps were quite an experience. Technically it was the farthest and fastest i had ever driven the car and I wont lie, it was a bit scary in some of the corners. The brakes were a bit squishy as I still hadnt rebuilt the fronts and the rear was lowered which made the raised front feel worse. oh and dried up 15year old Pirelli P4s on the sketchy front end, traction was not high but still it was another dream come true.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/DSC_6273.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/DSC_6503.jpg

A horrible video

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/th_100_4267.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/?action=view&current=100_4267.mp4)

Dec 17 2009

Nose Job

I began ripping the front apart lately for cleaning and to better understand how its put together, in the process I managed to break off EVERY stud that secures front spoiler to the bumper and fenders. im going to have to drill them all out to be replaced, just about every piece of hardware ive removed has been severly rusted so I replaced everything with stainless screws and bolts.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4272.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4269.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4339.jpg

I found that the car may have been in a minor accident a while ago, the left front corner of the bumper foam is broken off.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4342.jpg

Now would have been a great time to change out the A/C system in the front but I had other priorities first. happily the rest of the underbody looked great and cleaned up fantastically with some Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4341.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4343.jpg

Still Rocking my Pacecar stickers

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4351.jpg

jawn101

05-23-2012, 12:09 AM

I'd love to do the track with you one of these days. You should see if we can get your track contacts to let us bring a whole bunch of D's out for a track day - I bet we could get a LOT of the local guys interested in that!

Oh yeah, and scrubbing bubbles for the win :)

vwdmc16

05-23-2012, 12:28 AM

jawn101

05-23-2012, 12:35 AM

To organize a track day at Thunder Hill it would take about 20+ people to commit and pay over $200 a pop for it to happen. plus it would have to be planned about 6 months in advance. I doubt even 1/2 a dozen D owners would be comfortable going around a race track in their car at speed.

I know Charley Hall would, that speed demon

I'd come up with 200 somehow but you're right, I doubt many would. We could keep the speeds in check if we had it to ourselves :)

And yeah, Charley is fast... I couldn't keep up with him in EDH!

vwdmc16

05-25-2012, 11:17 PM

Jan 22 2010

After a holiday break I returned geared up to finish the front end. You can see the front crumple extensions had began cracking badly, nasty.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4399.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4398.jpg

I stripped and painted the front end brackets and it went back together now with stainless hardware. Also cleaned the water tubes and horns.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4396.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4476.jpg

The radiator looks near new and it needed no attention but the rusty Lucas fans did, when the wiring connector cooperated they work quite well but looked as if they had been underwater for years, another through stripping, primiing and POR 15 paint job made them look nearly new. the shroud and blades cleaned up wonderfully again with Scrubbing bubbles, again new Stainless M6 bolts and nuts throughout.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4474.jpg

I also coated the urethane bumper with rubber coating Pasti-Dip, made for rubber coating the handles of tools, someone else on the DMC forum did it, at least it looks better and is harder to crumble apart.

Also spent a good 6 hrs on the headlight buckets and adjustments, these were probably the second most rusty part on the car ( after the frame) a few drill mounted wire wheels went to their death to get these suitable for paint.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4405.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4478.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4481.jpg

Brake master isnt looking that healthy on the outside either, its time will come, you can see the fresh steering shaft here, its not an easy thing to get to. getting this access panel off took one night itself, nearly all the riv-nuts were seized.

After the weekend at the track I also went out and bought a new set of front tires : Republic Invader sports in 195r6014. these were quite cheap tires around $60 new, They arent bad in regards to traction but they are not very quiet at highway speed.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4406.jpg

I also stripped the windshield header panel as it had some peeling paint, this game me a change to experiment with electric drill driven sandpaper flap wheels, not quite the same grain.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4407.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4472.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4469.jpg

Jan 27 2010

With a new camera the front fascia is finally back together! I was getting quite close to being about to take her out on the open road as the Insurance was being processed.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P1210025.jpg

To repair the front air dam where every stud had sheared clean off I started by drilling a 1/16th piolt hole down the middle of the broken stump, then larger until a stainless M10 bolt could snugly fit inside, I used bolts with a large Philips head which was easier to fit and hold while tightening the nuts on the others side.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4395.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P1230038.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P1230044.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P1210029.jpg

vwdmc16

05-27-2012, 03:35 PM

Feb 7 2010

I took the car outside to get some more good pics, as I realized I didnt have any good ones, I also played with the fuel mix abit, she was running rich and got the timing and idle a bit better ( small steps, small steps),I was still finding more electrical faults with the fuse box even after some more repairs.

I ran the louverless look for a while as they are being repaired by a canoe builder friend, this turned out to be a mistake. It was the first time I had someone else do a repair on part of the car. But more on that later.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P2060004.jpg

My first test drives were kept to a short distance as I had little confidence in the electrics still, I always kept a fire extinguisher handy.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P2060005.jpg

All of the trunk access panel screw were now repaired with stainless cap head allen bolts, much cleaner.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P2060006.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P2060007.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P2060012.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P2060017.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P2060018.jpg

vwdmc16

05-29-2012, 01:07 AM

Feb 15 2010

Real World Testing

Finally started to put some real miles on the car and the car did great for its first real world performance test with me. Noticed a few minor things:

Steering wheel still pointed at 4o' clock, makes reading the non functional speedo hard, Also the steering had more slop than I wished for.

Oil pressure always good

Water temp was just below the first notch, seems lower than actual temp.

fans never kick in under normal driving and turn on at a higher temp than i'd like.

Oil level and handbrake light always glow (very low feedback to the LEDS I suspect)

Front end is squeaking alot, but not horridly

Pulls to the left a bit

Strange front end whurr, sounds like a dry speedo cable spining or rough wheel bearings

Shifter works quite nicely but getting over to the left for 1&2 requires more effot than I like

Brakes are strong but a bit numb untill you get on them which they become touchy

A few rattles from the left door on left hand turns and a near constant rattle of the exhuast u pipe heat shield

The visibility is that of an 80's exotic, even with the louvers off the rear view in minimal

March 2 2010

Ive put about 100 more miles on the car, still havent gotten the new angle drive in, im having trouble getting the old one out.

Also I thought the the fuel pump check valve had died, as I lose high fuel pressure after about 30 seconds after it shuts off. Then after the engine gets the least bit warm it will not restart unless you get out and depress the metering plate for about 3 seconds to dump some fuel at the cylinders.
I have a remote start switch in the engine bay to perform the start back there. If the engine were to stop/stall when warm and I immediatley crank it again it will start normally, still a pain. I later found this was my PPR o ring not the fuel pump.

Electrical Problems aplenty

Also ive been doing the diagnostics of getting the ISC system working again, The Idle system would be one of the biggest and longest lasting challenges I ever faced on this car. I bypassed the ISC valve over a month earlier as I couldnt get it to respond, this was making my erratic idle issue worse. The problem was electrical and power was not getting to the idle ECU. So first off I took the computer out and cleaned the pins and and grounds, next I checked the idle microswitch ( which switches on the ECU) for continuity. The switch was good but the connections looked poor, after replacing the spade terminals and cleaning the harness connections I still had no signal at the ECU, it appeared the diode was fried as well. Yet another part to order. The strangest fault was that an incorrect relay was installed to power the idle ECU. the case didnt match the other relays and it turned out that it was turning the ecu off when the ignition key was turned on, and turning the on when the key was turned off. One new relay please!

Other elctrical problems had arisen, the high beams would glow when the low beams are on, and the right turn signal blinks alternately of the right headlights, I was thinking a ground wire had broken between the lights and the frame, this was not the case, as i found later. The Tachometer ground was failing too, the more electrical load that is on the car's system the higher the tach would read, sometimes 3k rpms too high! but that is only when the lights, wipers, radio, and heater fan is on, wiggling the ground next to the radio helped but still I needed a stronger wire.

Other than those issues and alot of squeaks and a rattling center console but its driving pretty nicely, i just love how well she cruises, I could drive her all day!

Shes getting dirty out there, ive been driving in the rain too, shes not going to be a show queen!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P2280012.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P2280013.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P2280014.jpg

I got the louvers back from the canoe builder friend for the crack repairs, im less than impressed with the quality so im going to have to fix it myself too. So it has been BANISHED TO SIT NEXT TO THE DRYER!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P2280016.jpg

It may be ugly but this spring was the only way I could get the throttle arm to seat fully and allow me to have near WOT, the throttle spool needs a stronger spring, it turns out i was missing the one that wraps around the throttle spool ( I found out later that only made the throttle pedal heavier)
I would be running this ugly but functional band-aid for months

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P2280017.jpg

March 4 2010

finally had a new angle drive in and the speedo moved for the first time in years!
Found rather badly corroded wiring up front, this was the issue with the headlights I found earlier, a temporary wiring butt connector would get the lights working until I replace the old harness.

I picked up a keyless entry system to attach to the digital lock module last time I was in houston, so I installed that too, works great! and was simple as just plugging it into the digital module

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P3030009.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P3010007-1.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P3010008-1.jpg

Chris Burns

05-29-2012, 01:15 AM

jawn101

05-29-2012, 10:10 AM

Getting better by the page :) I wonder if the PPR O-ring could have anything to do with the stalling issue you're seeing now?

vwdmc16

06-01-2012, 08:53 PM

No I doubt that because it will usually idle properly, a leak would create a constant high idle

March 11 2010

More Racetrack Nonsense and Some Pretty Pictures

The previous weekend I took 1768 out to the race track again, not to race but just as my car to get to the track for another one of my race weekends. This was my first short road trip with the car, driving about 120 miles non stop it was the longest the car had been driven in 9 years as well. I found out why the car would not start hot, the bad PPR o ring in the fuel distrutor, well when I say bad i mean there was only a small sliver of it left. Im amazed the car ran as well as it did with this vital seal missing however, I only got about 19MPG on my trip.

Once again I got to go on track with the pace cars at this race which was held at Infineion Raceway in Sonoma, Ca. fun!

( The day after I received my new O ring and This solved the hot start issue)

The beauty shots!! Note how high the front still is!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_EDfecgwxgBI/S5XQsWMNz2I/AAAAAAAAFJs/g1YsQ2dYqDY/s720/IMG_5436.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_EDfecgwxgBI/S5XQyhQTLuI/AAAAAAAAFLA/1UrPk72wPLE/s720/IMG_5455.JPG
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/101_2614.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/ClintsDeLorean1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/ClintsDeLorean2.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/DeLorean1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/DeLorean2.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4422234937_1a5813e871.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_5427.jpg

March 24 2010

For the most part things were going well
I Passed SMOG easily which was a huge concern now relieved.

I had about 600 miles on the car under my belt. 400 of them with the angle drive in, however my NEW angle drive had FAILED. It could turn about 1/4 turn by hand or 360'with pliers, so it has stripped the dust cap and will not register speed, This was a huge disappointment! only 400 miles on the damn thing! back to Houston with it.

Also had my first roadside failure which was my own fault. The driver side coolant pipe near the nose of the tranny has been hanging down quite low for a while now and it finally bottomed out on a rail road crossing and burst the rubber hose. I had to Macgyver it with the electrical and duct tape I had in the car and refilled it with water out of a public water fountain a 1/8th mile off using 2 cups I found in the trash, F*ck what a horrid day, but better than paying for a expensive tow truck. Well that has been properly sorted with only permanent damage to my pride.

lately ive just been doing smaller jobs to feel proud about, like cleaning my rear suspension which had gotten quite dirty.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P3110002.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/?action=view&current=P3110002.jpg)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P3110001.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/?action=view&current=P3110001.jpg)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P3200019.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/?action=view&current=P3200019.jpg)

I found why my louvers never open evenly, the mounts on the quarter panels are not welded on the same location side to side, the driver side is about 1 1/4" farther rear than the right. im going to have to drill the spot welds and TIG it in the correct place. Its amazing this passed quality inspection.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P3110004.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/?action=view&current=P3110004.jpg)

I repaired some minor rattles in the doors and one in the passenger seat that I swear sounded like a relay clicking.

Then trunk cable broke too. great... atleast she still looks beautiful

http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P3200012.jpg

vwdmc16

06-06-2012, 01:27 AM

March 27 2010

Making Power on the Dyno

So today returned to the shop and dyno and I re installed the original factory catalytic converter ( which the internal metals had crumbled apart), minus the guts.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/DSC_0379.jpg

I cut it open at the seam and installed a straight 2.5" tube inside basically making it a "test pipe". It was quite a horrible ordeal to change out the cat but I have some reward for doing it, not much but its more power!

I was also hoping to get a better exhaust note but I cant tell any difference in the sound. However the torque, its off the chart even!

So my data disputes the myth that removing the cat on a delorean will gain 30hp. I gained 0.1hp and 4.6 ftlbs tq.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/ScanImage001-1.jpg

April 5 2010

The car had been getting quite dirty so I gave it an over due bath, I installed new door weather seals so finally no more leaks through the doors hooray! note the repair section on the louvers.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P3270033.jpg

Removed the handbrake cover off for a cleaning, mostly for the switch as it turns on the dash warning light randomly while driving and never lights up steady when it should, need to remove the whole bracket for a good blasting and painting.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P3280004.jpg

fixed some door rattles by tying some vacuum tube to the lock rods that were rubbing the door frame.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P4040008.jpg

Took some time to organize the fuse box area, fixed a few more bad connections too.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P3280002.jpg

Ground Bus

The biggest and most rewarding job lately is installing a 4 ga. ground bus, this is still one of the best improvements I have installed in the car. I copied this idea from another DMC owner, Since the car's body is fiberglass its cant get a good ground anywhere, so it has lots of small grounds branching out to connect them. so I installed a large 4 ga. wire that every ground juction attaches too. Ive soldered every connection and used gold plated ring terminals with heat shrink.

Here the cable starts in the front frame with the radiator fan grounds.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P4020002.jpg

The most important connection at the radio bracket, I found a few wire that were completely melted away exposing the copper, no wonder my tach would read high with the load in the car's system. Also since ive owned the car the tach has never gone to zero with the key on engine off.
It would stay at 1k rpm, now it readys proper! This proper wiring has made all the gauges worked so much better.

There are about 11 wires to one bolt at the radio for all the dash lights.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P4020003.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P4020006.jpg

I tied the new ground cable in at every factory ground juction. I still need to finish the rear half, tie into the engine, ECU brackets, and fire wall. Here is a tie in on the center console.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P4020005.jpg

vwdmc16

06-09-2012, 12:04 AM

Apr 16 2010

Been fiddling with things here and there, recentering the steering wheel, working on my interior lamps. Tried out the stainless cleaner Bar keepers Friend, its like Ajax powder, shit is amazing, getting the car ready for its parade debut the next day in davis for the annual Davis Picnic day, also marked the 1 yr anniversary of picking the car up.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2738.jpg

Uncleaned:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100B2760.jpg

Cleaned:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100B2750.jpg

This bolt attaches the steering column to the steering shaft, its such a PITA to remove for recentering the steering wheel I wasn't able to remove the steering wheel, all pullers have failed, next to it is the clutch master.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2747.jpg

April 17 2010

Its been a Year, Lets Have a Parade

Picnic day pics:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/other/100_2761.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/other/100_2763.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/other/100_2766.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/other/100_2768.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs454.ash1/25001_431820012456_119885612456_5765169_2787629_n. jpg

vwdmc16

06-18-2012, 09:50 PM

April 24 2010

Front Suspension Overhaul and Lowering

Finally im rebuilding the front end, This was a dirty mess and in much worse shape that I had ever thought.
so here's some reference shots, from the floor to the top of the fender arch is is a whooping 26 1/4" the front suspension was definitely higher than stock which was already too high. The culprit that I found was that all of the nitrogen gas pressure in the shocks has migrated to the underside of the piston, this meant all that pressure was pushing the shaft out thus lift the car as well.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2741.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2742.jpg

Upper control arms before and after, took about of 1/2hr each of scrubbing and wire wheeling, had to use some heat to remove the real bad crud in the seams.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2856.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2857.jpg

after the arm was clean I TIG welded the joints for a bit more strength, also welded a boxing member to the lower arm and ball joint mount.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2858.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2859.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2860.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2861.jpg

The big thing I needed to do to get the car lowered was cut the springs, I cut a whooping 2 coils, the coil on the left is a stock Mazda Miata front spring, if the cut Dmc coils are too stiff I could try the softer miata spring, they just need to be opend up abit to fit in the bottom spring cup. However the cut stock springs felt satisfactory.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2866.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2868.jpg

So since the front frame is still in bad shape, and I cant do all the grinding and welding required at home, the car needed to go back to my shop. Therefore I reassembled the front end with the cut coils which required no coil compressor, makes that much easier.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2870.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2869.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2876.jpg

Now she finally has the proper stance. there is no spring rubber isolator so it will be a bit higher when done. she now sits at 22 3/8" from the ground to the fender arch which is about 4" lower!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2871.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2874.jpg

April 25 2010

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2878.jpg

Took the car back to EGR

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2879.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2881.jpg

Crumple Tube Reinforcement

Took the left front off and started sandung the off the epoxy and rust. there was alot of flaking gunk jammed in there.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2882.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2883.jpg

I cut out some 14ga plates to reinforce the cracked and weak crumple tubes. These will be welded over the original crumple tubes.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2885.jpg

My friend Loren came over to help, nice to have someone help with the dirty work.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2887.jpg

Sanded off extension in preparation for plates.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2907.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2888.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2889.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2890.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2892.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2893.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2899.jpg

vwdmc16

06-20-2012, 12:53 AM

May 4 2010

The passenger side is now also done, and the whole front end painted silver POR 15. The rest of the front end parts cleaned/seam welded, LCA boxed.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P4190033.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2925.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2933.jpg

Done.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2938.jpg

Back home painting.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2973.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_2972.jpg

Lots of Paint

While I give the frame about 72hrs to dry i've masked off the black trim on the body for some SEM trim black after a light sanding with 400 grit and wax and grease remover. All the black plastic trim pieces had begun to fade badly over the years, this car has seen alot of damaging sunlight.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3007.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3005.jpg

Front spindles painted.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3006.jpg

May 9 2010

Reassembled the front end back together, it was much easier now that all the parts were clean, I put a little bit of light oil on the bushing sleeves but otherwise the stock bushings were not in horrible shape. Im still debating on going to full urethane bushings as im not interested in making the car rougher over the bumps.

So besides much better forward visibility, the ride wasnt much different with cut springs, the awful squeaking/ groaning pigeons being stomped on noise up front is much worse, the front shocks are just wiped out and are the cause of the squeaks. Changing them became a big priority.

I then did a few more minor jobs including recentering the steering wheel for the 5th time and getting it wrong the 5th time( still cant get teh wheel off inside). I packed the car up and headed off to Thunderhill for another race weekend. She drove fine on the 100mile drive. I realigned the front end at the track and got proper toe in, and finally properly centered the steering wheel, it's a lovely thing.

Saturday night my friend Fish and I are talking and decide to drive back to his house in Concord to pick up his '27 Ford hot hod model T with a '49 Caddy engine. I drive there and back no issues, had to go much slower on the way back so the Rod could keep up, 85mph down, 60mph up, the car loves to do 80+mph. 132 miles each way. THe '27 became the pace car for the Sunday race start. So at the end it was a nice 530miles of driving which is nearly doubling the mileage I had put on the car since Ive owned it.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3008.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3011.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3010.jpg

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http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3016.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3017.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3074.jpg

jawn101

06-20-2012, 10:14 AM

That's a lot of masking paper to paint the black trim! I'll have to take a closer look at that stuff next time.

vwdmc16

06-24-2012, 07:01 PM

May 15 2010

Time for a Joy Ride

With proper suspension alignment the car handled impressively and I was keen on more hard driving so I went on a fun 50 mile long backroad drive along the Sacramento River with some friends. I had no problems at all.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/100_3205.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/100_3218.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/100_3224.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/100_3228.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/29255_1494589768796_1355629368_3128.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/29255_1494589808797_1355629368_3128.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/29255_1494589888799_1355629368_3128.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/other/29093_443843147456_119885612456_6038357_1411961_n. jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/other/29255_1494590368811_1355629368_31285538_6422364_n. jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/other/29255_1494590928825_1355629368_31285551_821395_n.j pg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/29255_1494637930000_1355629368_3128.jpg

vwdmc16

06-24-2012, 07:03 PM

May 22 2010

Roadtrip Preperation

I had a huge road trip coming up and I had a long checklist of repairs that had to happen first, I jumped right in with some big items:

The water pump in the car is not original and is at least 10 or so years old with under 5k miles but was making noise so I changed it. I discovered the alternator was also making a bad grinding noise, bearings are shot however it still charged fine So another one would be needed .The water pump job took about 6 hrs and wasn't that horrible. I found whoever did the pump last time has replaced the stock rubber hoses with silicone.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3277.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3281.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3283.jpg

May 28 2010

Replaced all the car's stereo speakers and installed Ipod integration!!

Driving home down I5, 4 miles from home a battery light comes on and water temp goes up, I cut off the engine and coast to the next exit. It appeared the new water pump pulley had walked off the shaft, there was no fixing it on the side of the road but I was just a few miles from home so I decided to try and limp home .
I had to let her cool down 10 minutes between each mile run before getting too hot, I made it home ok without overheating the engine. This was my second roadside failure.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/30171_1285215572354_1289097684_3063.jpg
ll.

vwdmc16

06-30-2012, 08:29 PM

May 30 2010

Back to ripping the engine down again, i've gotten quite fast at removing the rear facia, its supposed to be like a 30 minute job, I can do it under ten.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P5290003.jpg

Evertime I pull the pump the valley fills with coolant that I have to dry up, if left in long enough it can eat away at the block, but that black POR15 is there to help stop that.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P5290005.jpg

The water pump failure was the poor press fit of the stock steel pulley on the new pump shaft, they dont like going on more than once so the aluminum pulley is an upgrade which my old pump had. A trip to the shop where I had a hydraulic press and the pulleys were swapped

old pulley now on new pump

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P5290002.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P5290013.jpg

CS130 Alternator Swap

So also my alternator which charges just fine had a horrible sounding bearings so it needs to be changed, I can get a bolt in replacement from Delorean part vendors for about $200, but I also had that alternator from my 3.0 engine, it needs a spacer on the bracket and I had to swap the pulley from serpentine to v belt for it to bolt on the 2.8 delorean engine, unfortunately it didnt last, the diodes decided to blow after just a few minutes.
Another alternative is to use a 110amp alt off a '91-94 Saturn, it needs the same spacer and pulley treament but is only $80 new, has a warranty and is avalible at most auto store around the country.

Original set up, 3.0 on left Dmc on right with the v belt pulley I need to re use

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P5290001.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P5290012.jpg

I made an aluminum bracket that goes inside the right side knee pad below the dash board, this will house the Ipod integration on/off switch and I can add more switches that are hidden and dont detract from the otherwise factory interior. Also received a replacement angle drive from DMC Houston. (this one has been working for many thousands of miles now)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P5290011.jpg

Started making some quick props for the car in the road trip I was going to partake called the Rental Car Rally, basically its a cheap copy of the gumball 3000 rally however you have to dress up and have a theme with your car. A friend and I decided on the obvious theme: BTTF

I made the time control panel, key pad out of carboard and screen shots printed on paper.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P5290007.jpg

vwdmc16

06-30-2012, 08:31 PM

June 6 2010

After trying Napa and Kragen, nobody seems to know what a CS130 alternator is ( the '91-94 Saturn alternator) but finally I found another store that knew what I was looking for. It took some modification to fit such as the pulley change and drilling out the mount boss hole to about 7/16 " and adding the spacer I made for it to fit the delorean's bracket, I wired it up and it worked great. Worryingly it made a bit of whining which went away after a few minutes of breaking in.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P6040039.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P6040040.jpg

later that day I went on a little drive again with another friend, Clark has a sweet 23k mile original '80 Louts Esprit. This baby has been well cared for and was all original, even the green carpeting. Clark is a old Cadillac enthusiast but still he loves the British Sports cars.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P6040014.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P6040016.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P6040023.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P6040028.jpg

We met up in Davis, had some food, compared cars making the usual lucas jokes and after sitting in the sun for 15 minutes I started the car up fine but the battery light was on. I did all the diagnosis I could with my DVOM including hitting the alternator in fustrastion, nothing helped. It was puting out maybe an amp or two so our drive was canceled and I had to drive 12 miles to my shop with just 10.2v left. I took the alternator apart and found nothing visibly wrong. I had 3 working diodes good looking comm and brushes. Disappointed I drove home after I charged the battery up.

The next day I got the alt warrantied and installed the new one. This one has lasted thousands of miles and is still working today. Im still very happy with it and consider it a great and cheap upgrade.

jawn101

06-30-2012, 09:20 PM

Does your friend still have the lotus? I'd love to see it one of these days :)

vwdmc16

07-01-2012, 02:35 PM

I pretty sure he does, havent seen him in a while as he is always neck deep in Cadillac restorations but i'd love to have him bring it along whenever we get around to doing our own cruise.

jawn101

07-01-2012, 02:50 PM

I hope that's soon. Stephen stopped by with his big ass truck on his way thru town the other night, and we discussed maybe getting the crew out to the 17 mile drive in Monterey. I can't think of a road/locale better suited to our cars and we should take advantage of it!

And I still wanna do that route through Copperopolis one of these days

vwdmc16

07-07-2012, 08:30 PM

Definatley count me in on that, I also wanna go visit the norcal abandoned D too.

June 12 2010

More Dyno Time~Voltage is Power!

The new alt is working great, and besides gluing some more weather stripping on, changing the lower engine compartment hinges, I had just been driving the car daily to test the alternator and trying to weed out any more weak points. The car developed a small miss at lower rpms with light throttle input, I was thinking a clogged injector. I checked out the ignition system first, cleaned the plugs which looked great besides some dirty threads. But no faults were found. It was not a horrible problem, it was noticeable only to me.

I diagnosed further by driving the car on the chassis dyno and saw the car was going lean during the missing, but plenty rich at high throttle and high rpm. This meant there was some sort of intermittent fuel starvation, again I thought clogging in the injectors or fuel distributor.

However the car ran great when pushed harder ( more pressure in the injector lines maybe?) So for the fun of it mostly I installed a different and stronger ignition coil to see what effect that would give. quite a lot in fact.

Compared to my previous best run on the dyno which was ran without the air cleaner, to the new coil, with the filter and cold air intake installed, I gained nearly 10hp and just about 13 ftlb of torque! so my engine with hollow cat, cold air intake and MSD coil but otherwise stock now puts out 114.1 Whp and 143.6 Tq

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/ScanImage001-2.jpg

June 15 2010

In less than one week I wound begin my long road trip to LA to start a rally race that finished in Tombstone AZ. I had to keep cracking on my upgrade and repair list. By now summer was here and the temps were in the high 90's and No I still ha NO aircon. I could have neglected a few other mechanical items and spent the money and time on repairing the A/C, looking back I wish I had but I had decided that I didnt have the time to do the job properly and would end up doing it twice, besides I grew up in Arizona summers so i figured I could handle it.....

You may notice below in the pic there is a yellow shock on the front suspension, my #1 mechanical concern was now handled: changing the horrible squeaking front shocks. Had I left the noisy front shocks in the car Im sure I would have turned around before LA and gone straight to a mental hospital, the squeak was that bad! I was able to borrow a set of shocks from a friend, Ill explain more later but these Bilsteins were not made to go on a Delorean....

I did another round of "routine" maintenance jobs like engine and trans oil change, coolant flush and an all round fastener check.

The low rpm miss I reported was getting worse somedays and better others, it was a large worry of mine but since the car ran just fine at higher RPM (like on the highway) I felt it wouldnt be a huge problem.
I also changed the front wheel bearings as they were getting very loud, louder than the engine on the highway. These gave a good fight to press out the bearings but some heat and ingenuity got them out. new bearings which cost just $14 each went in easily.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P7140084.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P7140085.jpg

DMC5180

07-07-2012, 09:02 PM

Are you still running the MSD coil? Any other ignition changes (plugs, wires etc) are you still running the ballast resistor?

vwdmc16

07-08-2012, 03:12 AM

Yes over 2 yrs later yes im still running the MSD coil W/O the resistor. I still have not had any ignition failures with the coil even when its being fed a full 14v. The plugs and wires are still the ones from the DMCH kit I installed the first week I had the car(except for the coil to distributor cap wire which I removed the Houston wire with the additional resistor in exchange for a solid core wire I had laying around). later on you will see I had trouble with the impulse coil in the dizzy, however that issue had symptoms since I got the car running and not caused by the non stock coil. I still believe that removing the ballast and changing the coil was the best improvement I have made to my stock engine and I don't understand why other people dont have similar results.

benjigolfpro

07-08-2012, 03:44 AM

It was great to read the story behind your D and all the work you have done. Would you get another D or is this the one and only?

Ben

vwdmc16

07-08-2012, 03:04 PM

You know a good friend has asked me that and I decided recently that yes I will someday get another. As the car sits today in july 2012 I'd value the car at $18-20K and if I was offered $25K+ in cash I think I would sell it and get another car. But that's not likely. There are plenty of things i would like to do differently to my next car, For one im am done with "rolling restorations" and will go to the more conventional and effective way by mostly disassembling the car first and starting from the ground up. I also had a small discussion on the old .com forum about a full on Race Delorean id like to build from a basket case vehicle.

Chris 16409

07-08-2012, 03:06 PM

So where did you find the 110amp Saturn Alternator? Searching on the major auto parts websites just returns 98amp units.

jawn101

07-08-2012, 06:02 PM

I think Clint is pushing the resistor removal agenda just to torpedo my ballast resistor covers. It's a conspiracy, I tell you!!! :lol:

dvonk

07-08-2012, 08:37 PM

"Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mobile_Bay) :biggrin:

vwdmc16

07-08-2012, 10:23 PM

Ha, good one. Well Jon you didnt have those sweet covers back then, perhaps I would have kept the ballasts if such a fashionable cover existed......

vwdmc16

07-08-2012, 10:24 PM

So where did you find the 110amp Saturn Alternator? Searching on the major auto parts websites just returns 98amp units.

I found it at Napa I believe, Let me try to get the part number off mine.

vwdmc16

07-10-2012, 12:34 AM

The alternator Napa # is N4591

Ok folks here is where it gets interesting:

June 19-21 2010

The Rental Car Rally Pt 1:

My friend and I spent some time preparing for our theme in this rally which yes was mandatory, there was a prize involved too so we were going to give it our best. I created a cheap but effective Doc costume from a paint suit, tool belt, some tape and a wig, he found the appropriate parts to make a Marty outfit from various thrift stores, and a friend let me borrow his Flux capacitor prop and RCA camcorder so we werent short on props.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3490.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3489.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3487.jpg

After more double checks and tweaks to just about everything the day had finally came for the longest and and probably fathest the car has ever driven in 4 days throughout its 29 yr life. I also installed a temporary system to help keep cool, A " Cool Suit" I packed all the tools and reasonable spare parts I could anticipate needing for the trip along with clothing and survival gear needed for the 4 day journey, She was loaded up for sure. I also wired in a twin 12v outlet harness connected directly to the battery to power our accessories.

With radar, GPS, and plenty of tunes on the Ipod, My friend Andrei and I headed south towards LA on I-5 from Sacramento.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3491.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3492.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3493.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs070.ash2/36864_1536035724919_1355629368_31398326_6324365_n. jpg

Getting into the hell that is the LA area.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3494.jpg

Another 450 miles on the odometer before our first issue, Popped the fuse that powers the windows and radio while going down the Grapevine, simple fix but a pain to get to as alot of stuff was on the parcel shelf.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3496.jpg

Our only source of cooling, ice water powered shirt that pumps cold water from a cooler behind the seat with a 12v pump through vinyl tubes sewn on the shirt, It is highly effective at cooling what ever it touches. But it lasted only 80 miles ( 1 hr or so before needed more Ice). We took turns driving every fuel tank (280 miles) and averaged 28mpg @ 80 mph. it went well.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3497.jpg

Andrei and I ready to start the race after a break in Corona,ca

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3498.jpg

11pm, at the race start at a parking lot near some railroad musem. We got into character and dressed the car up with the props, there was a crowd of maybe 100 people cheering when we showed, definatley the hit of the party.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3501.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3505.jpg

The other teams and vehicles:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3509.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3510.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3512.jpg

These guys were later ticketed for police impersonation.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3513.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3514.jpg

Team Dude.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3516.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3517.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3520.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3526.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3529.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3535.jpg

jawn101

07-10-2012, 12:38 AM

You make a good lookin' Doc, lol.

john 05141

07-10-2012, 02:32 AM

Very funny, thanks a lot for sharing.

John

Dangermouse

07-10-2012, 08:32 AM

I remember that cool suit story :)

vwdmc16

07-11-2012, 10:58 PM

The Rally Pt 2:

Midnight, the rally began and we were off to the checkpoints, Not without nearly getting stuck on a curb leaving the parking lot in the overloaded car. Cars started off one at a time and told we simply had to photograph ourselves at the noted location to prove we went there and then continue to the next one, there were 10 places to stop between LA and Tombstone AZ. The winner is whoever covered the trip in the least distance ( using odometer readings) and won $1500 cash. As the name implies, you should rent a car ( to make logistics easier for people attending from far away I guess) but this was not required. While no part of the rally was Illegal, there were quite a few contestants that were ticketed and one that was arrested on felony charges, this was the real down side to this event, it wasnt full of respectful or sober participants, so it was more of a rolling frat party that a gentleman's rally. A Twitter feed kept us informed of the Hi jinks and mayhem other teams created for the ones that followed ( mostly they were being assholes and disrespecting the public places the check points were). This greatly assisted us in not getting hassled by the man...much.

But there were alot of fun parts, The best section was a terrific run up Mt San Jacinto on Hwy 243 at 2AM, the first time I could really test the car's handling properly in the curves, it was the best time ive ever had driving my Delorean hands down. By morning we reached the Salton sea check point 2 and the we were able to capture some beautiful photos of the car.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3537.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs130.snc4/36864_1536036764945_1355629368_31398343_3978939_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs070.ash2/36864_1536037164955_1355629368_31398349_246315_n.j pg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3539.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs070.ash2/36864_1536037404961_1355629368_31398353_1556058_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs150.snc4/36864_1536037724969_1355629368_31398358_1115855_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs070.ash2/36864_1536037924974_1355629368_31398360_8168185_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs070.ash2/36864_1536037804971_1355629368_31398359_300199_n.j pg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3540.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3541.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3542.jpg

The rally was much longer than we anticipated and became quite frustrating at time when we got lost, the summer heat wasnt helping.

On the home stretch to the finish line we ran into the law outside of Tucson:
it was 3pm Saturday and we had both been awake and driving for 32hrs straight, so we weren't driving the car as straight as we could have. we were given a warning about the swerving if we would pose in costume... in the heat... we obliged.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs130.snc4/36864_1536038404986_1355629368_31398367_6247297_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs150.snc4/36864_1536038444987_1355629368_31398368_5575829_n. jpg

Soon after this we hit another electrical failure, the power wire to the ignition coil was loose and cause the car to stall, another quick fix but it was stressful until I found the problem. Also the fuel pump began to whine quite loudly, but this was due to the fact the fuel was low and very hot. The temperature that day was over 107'F. We were cooking too. However the car NEVER overheated I was very impressed. A fresh tank of fuel cooled the pump and all was well.

At 5pm we finished the rally on the edge of heat exhaustion, our rally was 711 miles long, about 6o miles longer than the winning team who didnt get quite as lost. However we did win the theme prize, a poorly replicated gas pump handle on a plaque painted in gold. Though we didnt claim our prize at the after party since we were long since passed out in the hotel. Driving a Delorean 36hrs straight with NO A/C in 107' weather really takes it out of you!

vwdmc16

07-12-2012, 09:35 PM

The Rally pt 3:

The next day we had to rush back West to San Diego where Andrei lived. We made excellent time mostly due to the speed at which we returned, Ill say this, the speedo wasnt very helpful on the way back since it only indicated 85 which I suspect was a bit...low. we stopped by the beach to get pictures with the sunset, a great place to part ways after a hell of a trip. The 500 miles north to Sacramento by myself was the final part of the trip and probably the least pleasant, not at all the car's fault, I stopped 3or 4 times along the way to take some naps in the car before I finally got back home at 10am Monday morning.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3549.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3565.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3567.jpg

car was not exactly clean

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3569.jpg

So the race was 711 miles and the grand total was around 2300miles in 60hrs. I've never been so proud of my car before or since, it had performed incredibly, the enjoyment was really only flawed by my stubbornness to hold off on the AC repair.

June 22 2010

No work was done, I was just marveling at all the filth that accumulated on the car. out of the 2300 miles that weekend about 50 were not on paved roads, they were "shortcuts"

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P6210050.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P6210051.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/P6210057.jpg

jawn101

07-12-2012, 09:53 PM

Wow, that old engine pic shows how far your car has come! I'd love to take a long trip like that one of these days. We should see if David wants to caravan with us somewhere.

vwdmc16

07-15-2012, 03:59 PM

Aug 19 2010

Little Improvements

I hadn't driven the car in weeks which was unsual but after a full weekend I was bit tired of being in the car. I placed another $300 order from DMC Houston, new LED window switches to replace the dying original window switches. My console looks a bit blue in this picture huh? I bet it could use a re dye.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_4463-1.jpg

Also have new door seals, screw set, pedal pads, and other goodies.
Now where to put that "Delorean" script?

worn out pedal covers:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3803.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3804.jpg

I found some liquid form of BFK, and found it easier to apply but it still likes to go down in the door seams and make a mess. but still it is the business when it comes to cleaning stainlesss.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3807.jpg

September 4 2010

Air-conditioning at Last

Finally all my AC parts had arrived, one of the main reasons I hadnt driven the car is so long it that I kinda vowed not to until I made the AC work, I was that put off after the Arizona trip.

I ordered the parts From Hearvy and over all it was a nice kit, the AC pressure switch was the wrong thread pitch so I was out another $5 for a generic one with coarse threads from a local auto store. Installing the hose was a bit of a pain, It would have been harder without a lift too. The hardest part was getting the Drier tightened with the huge fittings and small spaces but with diligence and determination I was able to get it air tight. I now had a complete and possibly working AC system but it would be and other week or so until I could fill it at a friends place who had the compressor and filling equipment.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3816.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3818.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3822.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3830.jpg

vwdmc16

07-17-2012, 02:12 AM

October 10 2010

Ive been doing some more work here and there but mostly driving it, enjoying the summer weather, Finally had the AC charged and working! Oh what a great thing It blows real nice an cold, all the way to freezing, man I love it, it totally changed the way the car feels to drive with cold air in the face while the windows are up.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/101_4031.jpg

New compressor: You can see that Im still running the Ghetto throttle return spring, soon that would change

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/101_4026.jpg

Hit 40k miles. Another great feeling

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00073.jpg

louvers have undergone a great many hours of sanding and now the painting is nealy done

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/100_3879.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/PA010124.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/101_4014.jpg

Now for the first time in a year now, I can start the car up and it will idle at 700-900rpm all day at any temp, I had a few other threads out to help diagnosis the faulty idle air system, and the problem was the least likey of all the suggestions, the ecu was dead, well amongst others like an incorrect relay. I bought a good used Leerlaufregler ( idle ECU) off Turbobricks.com the volvo forum for just $50 instead of the $190 that vendors ask, the new unit has part #008 (vs dmc 009) and has 6 pins on the right plug ( #7 and 10 that the dmc unit doesnt) for and AC clutch input to raise the idle up some.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/101_4025.jpg

Next I removed the rear fenders for painting of the rear pontoon and repairing of the louver strut bracket.
Ive posted pics of the issue before and finally I could correct it:

The strut mount was nearly an inch off to the rear which caused the louvers to open at a horribly crooked angle. The fender was off in record time and was off to my shop.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/101_4012.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/101_4013.jpg

and bit of drilling and a sharp chisel and the bracket is off

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/101_4015.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/101_4016.jpg

Realigning and a quick Tig weld later
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/101_4017.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/101_4019.jpg

Back home begin sanding the pontoon and painting with SEM Trim Black, I used about a full can for this section

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/101_4021.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/101_4023.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/101_4024.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/101_4027.jpg

Chris Burns

07-17-2012, 10:58 AM

vwdmc16

07-17-2012, 10:45 PM

I believe there were some plastic pins in the connector, used to block dust i suppose from getting in the normally empty wire slots. Those were easily removed with pliers, then it was a plug in situation, same rpm values too.

vwdmc16

07-17-2012, 10:51 PM

Nov 22 2010

Changed the oil with some valvoline VR1 20w 50 which has more ZZDP in it to help engine life. Its also a bit thicker than what I was using before, as I had noticed after a long or hot drive the engine oil light would flicker a bit at idle. The exhasut was also leaking again, ive been driving it in the rain alot and im impressed at how well it grips in the wet considering the tires are nothing impressive. I have been noticing more and more interior noise and road noise latley, maybe im just paying attention.I found that if i drive real smoothly and at or under 65mph i can net over 27mpg which is far better that the 19-22mpg my lead foot usually earns, however im too impatient for that.

Here's a bomb shell, the D had now become the only car that I own that I can drive now. My '89 Corrolla has a intermittent fuel cut out if you give it much throttle, im thinking its the map sensor now, My Isuzu trooper was having problems with the EGR valve thus I couldnt smog it, I sold my Ghia a while ago, and my Honda z600 project is years off from driving. Oh the joys of having too many cars.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00059.jpg

Jan 6 2011

Spent the holidays in Houston which ment the obligitory trip to DMCH for another $400 batch of parts, some gaskets, seals, updated headlight switch, new defrost switch to match the window switches, and a bunch of other bits.

Nothing wrong when I came back, expect for a slow leak from the RR tire, so I took it to my friend Loren's Goodyear shop, loving the free service.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00096.jpg

EFI the Beginning

I found a '88 Volvo 760 with a PRV v6 at the local junkyard, this has a better fuel injection system. the car had 290k miles! and the interior was incredible, it must have been well loved right up to the point it was crashed.

so I Finally found the EFI I was looking for, a Bosch LH jetronic 2.2, I took the whole harness, ecu, throttle body ( which is bigger than the Eagle premier TB and it bolts on) and air intake with MAF. all for a bit over $100

Now I still have to fabricated a few things before i can attach it to my 2.8 engine such as fuel rail attachments, a better TB system since im quite sick of the stock dual throttles, then mount the MAF to that system along with a EFi fuel pump. After that it should be very simple to install and require a bit of tuning with injector sizes to get it running nicely

Better volvo TB

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00092.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00091.jpg

So I began stripping the harness of the unessesaries, headlights and park light circuits, etc this slimmed up that harness quite a bit:

before
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00095.jpg

after
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/p_00093.jpg

vwdmc16

07-18-2012, 08:52 PM

Jan 26 2011

Installed a new radio deck in the dash, car now has BLuetooth speakerphone, a 3" video display and a bunch of neat features, no more CD player though. but I could now watch BTTF in my car

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3415-1.jpg

Also finally found a good windshield washer bottle container on Ebay, just $20 instead of the $99 ones from a vendor.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3483.jpg

Trying out some ideas for facilitating the bosch EFI, Chief of which is the need for a better throttle body system as the stock twin throttles are too sensitive mid throttle, can not quite reach WOT, and require a fast blip of the pedal to full set back to idle, even the heavier springs ive installed have not helped.

This is a volvo 740 16v TB, its very simple to mount and is a great size, and the proper TPS will screw on directly, I just need to make an adaptor plate, a rod to connect the two and modify the throttle spool linkage. I would like to retain the stock air filter system to really help keep the engine appear semi stock ( as to fool a smog tech un familiar with DMCs that it is stock) so I will have to build another W pipe to connect the two throttles together, into a MAF then the air filter.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3479.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3482.jpg

Did some firewall cleaning too, ive never liked the bracket on the far side fire wall that holds the ignition ballast and the engine light switch ( which doesnt fit in the bracket properly) so untill I design and create a better looking one ive, clamped the ballast under the lid prop bracket ( which I made from scratch as well if you can tell)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3490.jpg

Also took a trip to Plesanton,ca and picked up a RR quarter panel from a CL ad. just $100 as it had been from a fire victim car, I will use for stainless body work practice or patch panels, in the mean time ill clean it up and display it in my house, Yeah I was single...

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3496.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3497.jpg

jawn101

07-18-2012, 09:34 PM

Wow, that spare panel looks a LOT better now. Amazing how nicely this stainless cleans up.

vwdmc16

07-19-2012, 10:58 PM

Oh yeah, scrubbing and regraining can do huge wonders

Jan 30 2011

I began installing the windshield washer bottle and container, however all but 2 of the rivnuts have spun so I had to rip them out.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3498.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3499.jpg

The new container with the remains of the original.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3500.jpg

Bottle back in with new washer pump.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3501.jpg

I had to use self tapping screws for now until I can get new rivnuts and epoxy them in.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3506.jpg

Fir the first time in a decade the windshield has a working sprayer, now with new hose and nozzle.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3505.jpg

Feb 9 2011

Bought some more SEM black and painted the windshield header.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3562.jpg

Next I worked on one of the last remaining sections of the car I havent cleaned, the top door jams. to do the job properly the doors should come off, but honestly removing the doors scares me, not for fear of breaking the torsion bars or damaging the heavy door but fear of losing my incredible door alignment, ive never opened the door of any other delorean that had opened or closed as well as 1768's do. So I just cleaned the best I could.

This is how bad they were, the driver side is next.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3563.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3564.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3566.jpg

After 2 hours of scrubbing, brushing and cutting out the old silicone sealant I resealed the steel roof panel with new sealant then painted with some SEM.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3569.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3567.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3571.jpg

While the paint was out, I freshened up the airbox and installed the NOS sticker

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3570.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3572.jpg

vwdmc16

07-21-2012, 08:08 PM

April 9 2011

I responded to a Craigslist ad requesting a delorean for a photoshoot for Comstocks Magazine. I was payed $50 to have it in the background of a shot about a local business man opening a new construction site. I was also give a neat hi res pic of my car, very cool.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_5505.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/17682.jpg

It was a fun experience, they were trying out a few styles and using a fog machine.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3584.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3578.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3577.jpg

One of my axle boots failed and began throwing grease around but changing a boot out is simple.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3800.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3801.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_3802.jpg

While the rear was up I changed the trans oil even though the oil only had about 4k miles on it. I was eagar to try a new synthetic lube called MTL. Ive heard that it helps older syncros tremendously. at $13 a quart I was sure hoping it would. The only issue was that this oil was NOT to be used in transaxles with high offset hypoid gears or rear differentials as it cant handle that shear stress. After a call to Redline they confirmed that the oil was ok to use in the DMC's UN1 tranaxle as is was a low offset hypoid gearset.

Afterwards I found this oil to do the trick and live up to its hype, the 1-2 shift was improved considerably and 2-3 no longer buzzed. I highly recommend this oil if you own a wearing transmission.

http://c1552172.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/101747_x800.jpg

lots of brass coming out the oil drain, syncros dying

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_4040.jpg

jawn101

07-21-2012, 08:26 PM

Big +1 on the endorsement of the MTL Redline oil. My trans was in stellar shape and shifted/ran very nicely, and the MTL made it even better. Worth every penny!

I love that pic of your car at the construction site. What ever happened with that project anyway?

vwdmc16

07-21-2012, 10:47 PM

ive driven by that area again and a year later its still the same, sad.

vwdmc16

07-22-2012, 06:39 PM

April 11 2011

I filled the gas tank the previous day and saw fuel on garage floor under the front of the car the next, it seems it leaked out while I had the rear raised up. I discovered the fuel pump cover boot had torn, this could have been bad if I hadnt caught it sooner. a New boot from DMCH solved it quickly.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_4035.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_4039.jpg

Idle system and ign Interference Woes:

While the new Idle ECU restored my ISC system I still had a interference issue at low rpm and idle which made it very hard for the idle system to do its job. It was like some kind of radio interference between the distributor and the IGN ECU. I had previously cleaned all the electrical connections in the ignition system but that did no good. I was sure that either the distributor signal wire or impulse coil was damaged however the signal wire was NLA from DMC or Volvo and finding a good used one was very hard. Every expert I spoke with about a possible impulse coil problem dismissed it as they either work perfectly or they dont at all. It seemed again my car was determined to become the exception. The engine was now missing worse than ever and had to be fixed

CLick and open in a new tab to view video:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/th_MVI_3411-1.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/?action=view&current=MVI_3411-1.mp4)

One theory was that the high voltage wires were making the static, so to try to fix this my new friend Jon came over (in his newly acquired D #2100) and helped put dielectric grease on all of the plugs and wires which isnt a easy job to get to the distributor( had to remove the fuel distributor again). Also changed out the coil to dizzy wire as is had these low quality resistor ends on it. But unfortunately it didnt help. On to the next idea!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_4046.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_4042.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_4345.jpg

Bitsyncmaster

07-22-2012, 07:46 PM

Your tach is moving faster than the engine RPM is changing. So I think your on the right track in that the ignition is causing a fault. Are you running the stock coil? Is your coil capacitor bad or not connected? I don't think the high tension wires would cause that problem. Think it's in the primary.

vwdmc16

07-23-2012, 11:17 PM

You are on the right track Dave, Now remember that post was about April '11, ive since fixed the problem, I wont spoil it for those following along. But the repair is coming up.

April 27 2011

I got a good deal on some good used Eibach shocks from a DMC owner in Canada, installed the rears today which only took 1/2 an hour, the rears have an adjustable perch for the spring so I lowered the rear down 1 cm more. One of the fronts that came were blown ( I knew this before the sale) so they would have to be rebuilt before I could mount them. The rears feel a bit stiffer than the originals but not horribly. Overall it was a good improvement.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_4207-.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_4206.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_4302.jpg

April 29th

I removed the muffler for a bit of polishing and repair. The factory muffler is Stainless but it still corrodes a bit, nothing an hour with a wire bursh cant cure! I also noticed a few of the plug welds had began to crack so I took the muffler to my old shop and TIG welded them up as well

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_4305.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_4307.jpg

June 26

I was back to working on the Honda z600 more than the Dmc for a while but I still made time for my DMC

I stepped up and finally shelled out the $56 for new parking brake pads, even though I only needed ONE of the 4 but now I have a reasonably working parking brake system, not enough for handbrake turns but it will hold on a hill at least.

Then I assembled my 3.0L PRV to help clean up the garage, its still going to be a while before this engine is ready to install. I had more immediate issues on the horizon as I was being forced to move out of the house I had been at for 2 years.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_4384.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_4385.jpg

vwdmc16

07-26-2012, 09:03 PM

July 13 2011

New engine mounts were one of the earliest things I had ever ordered for my car and finally I received them after being on back order so long. The originals had just about full collapsed, the oil pan was rubbing on the crossmember in one spot. To change out the engine mounts without pulling the engine was a real pain but I was able to do it with a floor jack and alot of cursing. My car was due for a Smog test as well so I had to reinstall my other catalytic converter, this was good as I found there was no way of removing the engine mount with the Cat in place. This whole job was by far one of my least favorite to perform.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0061.jpg

August 23 2011

All settled in my new house, its pretty nice. Has a nicer garage that has insulation and even has a sink though its a little smaller than my old garage.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0027.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG0102.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG0105.jpg

The big day came and I took the car to the smog shop after retarding the ignition back to stock specs and honing in the CO adjustment, I had a small issue getting the idle to stay in range long enough but she passed smog no problem, in fact all the emissions were below average! what a huge relief.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0067.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0073.jpg

You may also notice in that last pic I have installed a rear electric antennae which the later cars had and now I can actually get most radio stations! What a concept right? I think it helps the 80's look to it fullest. The antennae was a gift from my friend Jon

vwdmc16

07-26-2012, 09:11 PM

September 18 2011

I was determined to repair my glitchy tach signal so I decided the only thing left to try was start replacing the ignition components one by one until the problem was gone. Unable to find good used harness online or at local recycling yards my options were to pay hundreds of dollars for a new distributor from a delorean part vendor or wait until a PRV powered Volvo 260 or 760 showed up at a local junkyard. Finally one did in the Stockton, Ca Pick N pull which had 2 volvo 260's with what I needed.

The car I pulled the parts from had just under 35k Miles! That's crazy low mileage for an old Volvo.tThe car was intact and not smashed but the oil was pretty bad so maybe they never changed the oil and thats was did it in.
I grabbed the distributor, harness, ignition ECU (and a rear view mirror for my Toyota) for $95 which is about $600 less than what the DMC vendors would charge.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0096.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0097.jpg

I decided it would be easier to just swap out the whole distributor than to try and change out the impulse coil. I've read the volvo dizzy has a steeper advance curve that the DMC one but I cant tell the difference from the seat of my pants and I havent dynoed the car yet. I also swapped the ECUs first but this didnt change anything.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG0160.jpg

I started off with the intact engine and removed the fuel injection system and intake piping. The job was 2hrs long, i've taken these parts off too many times and hope I wont for a while longer.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG0161.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG0165.jpg

You can see the dist on the forward left of the engine buried under alot of hoses.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG0166.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG0167.jpg

DMC vs volvo. I had to swap the vacuum diaphrams as they are different but otherwise it was a simple swap. New dizzy in place.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG0168.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/CIMG0169.jpg

Finally I had a success with this long lasting issue, the tachometer was now rock solid, This allowed the Idle speed ECU to finally receive a clean signal and be able to do its job of maintaining the engine at 750rpm. Happy days! Now I don't know if the impulse coil was the problem or if it was the wire, Not really caring now that its repaired.

DavidProehl

07-26-2012, 10:51 PM

This thread continues to amaze! Very few people would be able to put this kind of work into a DeLorean and get it into a smooth running machine like you have.

Domi

07-29-2012, 04:37 PM

Really nice job and a lot of pictures to explain, thanks for sharing :thumbup2:

vwdmc16

07-29-2012, 05:12 PM

Thanks!!!

Jan 3rd 2012

Months have fallen off the calendar before I resumed work on the car. After being out of work almost 9 months I got a new job working on Mobility Vans, Not my ideal job but it was helping pay bills. Unfortunately it was also wearing me out something fierce and was in no mood to work on my cars. By January I was no longer just content with how well the car was running so I began working on small projects to get me moving again.

About a year after finishing the passenger side I decided to refinish the driver side upper door jamb.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0050.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0049.jpg

Scraped, cut and brushed away the junk and old silicone up there, no rust luckily considering how bad the frame was.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0055.jpg

Masked off the stainless and applied new sealant and paint.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0059.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0060.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0011.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0012.jpg

Jan 7 2012

I went for a 50 mile cruise yesterday south along the Sacramento River, it was nice and relaxing, however drives like that really remind you of the rattles and noises the car makes and how badly it pulls to the left.

A neat old auto shop in Walnut Grove, ca.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0023.jpg

Later that night I began the work to repair the know bad rattle. There is a seam at the base of the rear firewall that had began to split and was making a banging noise when the body twisted. I found this after alot of searching. After removing the surrounding insulation I then removed the main wiring harness bulkhead. Ive never removed this panel before and it was alot easier than I expected. Now I had the room to clean the area and grind into it with a rotary tool to remove the old glue.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0026.jpg

I even managed to not break any of the fragile old connectors

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0025.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0029.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0027-1.jpg

also had a small separation on the driver side

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0030.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0032.jpg

Got out the epoxy glues, $32 worth there, I only used 3 oz. of it and 2 strips of cloth. after a through cleaning I was time to apply the epoxy

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0024.jpg

Action shot of me!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20120107_205834.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20120107_205810.jpg

After the glue was set, I also placed 3 stainless screws in the pinch seam in the engine bay to help hold it in place.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20120107_205142.jpg

vwdmc16

08-03-2012, 01:18 AM

Jan 16 2012

I was so disgusted at how filthy the refreshed suspension had gotten since I painted it, so I stripped it down for a good cleaning. also found a torn balljoint boot so a new one was installed with new grease.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0041.jpg

Jan 19 2012

Received my new Braided Stainless brake lines that I hope will cure some of my squishy brake pedal problems. The old ones are original to the car I believe and were in better shape than I anticipated. Have you ever had to use a heavy duty ball joint separation tool just to remove brake lines from their brackets? What a bitch to remove!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0047.jpg

Suspension cleaned and new lines ready to bleed.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0061-1.jpg

Also installed proper steel spacers to center the lower shock mount in the arm, not easy to install. I'll tack weld the spacers to the shock when I can. I cut the square access hole in the arm a bit bigger to help making shock swaps easier.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0056.jpg

Looking better than ever.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0049-1.jpg

Domi

08-03-2012, 02:28 PM

Perfect job :thumbup2:

vwdmc16

08-04-2012, 02:30 AM

January 28 2012

The brakes are better but not as firm and consistent as I wanted, but then again I still havent replaced the rear lines.

I did some much needed electrical work too. I installed a new and improved oil pressure sender. It seems the factory one isnt best suited for the gauge in the dash so it reads higher than actual, I highly doubted I was getting 80 PSI running pressure when hot. The new one is simple to install, and does read on the gauge much more smoothly and doesn't go as high which I feel is far more accurate. While in the area I cleaned up and trimmed some of the alternator and starter cables, the routing of these wires always looked poor and messy, also after 30yrs they are starting to corrode badly. I wish I had the extra funds to replace all of my wiring.

I also intend to replace all of my aging electronics with Solid state upgrades for some of the car's critical relays and modules. The first I bought is this Fan Fail Module. It tells you if one or both of the cooling fans have failed by lighting up an indicator in the center dash. Lucas electronics made one back when the car was new to do this job however it sucked so badly that it actually causes your fans to fail and them promptly not tell you about it.

For the last 25 years the fix has been to install this fused jumper kit, the new solid state one does this properly and still has fuses which the lucas one didnt.

New vs old

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0024-1.jpg

So installation is simply plunging it in, however mine wasnt. Mine did nothing, the fans still worked but the fail light still came on all the time as before. I pulled the plug up and saw all the wires were cut! WTF?

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0025-1.jpg

It seems the PO has crimped all the wires together which will illuminate the fail light when the fans turn on. the wires were also 2" too short so I had to solder on extensions then new spades to the relay block. Lots of fun!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0026-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0027-2.jpg

Finally that works properly. Now when one fan stops working the fail light blinks once every other second, and if both fans fail then it blinks twice a second, pretty neat kit!

February 5 2012

DYNAMAT Install

My friend Jon in Vacaville owns delorean # 2100 and we have split the cost of a 150' roll of Dynamat, well the cheaper no name stuff that I cant tell apart besides it being 5 times cheaper. 75' a piece is plenty for a delorean and over the last few days ive been installing it all. all the carpet and old moldy padding is out, and the fiberglass is cleaned. Ive done some work in my garage and I went over to Jon's to help with his too.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0012-1.jpg

looks comfy.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0010.jpg

2 layers on the foot wells and 2 on the rear deck and Firewall.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0032-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0011-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0008.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0009.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0013.jpg

I repainted the wood panels in the rear, I wanted to remove them for a good sanding and cleaning but they are seriously glued in, they would be destroyed in the process.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0020.jpg

Ive never mounted this battery door in the last 3 years, i guess ive never been confident enough in my electrics that I wont need to get to my battery really quick.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0021.jpg

There is still some more mat to install on the driver side and I also bought some high quality Jute to replace the padding, This insulation really does alot, the car's engine is near silent while cruising on the freeway and the stereo is a bit clearer.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0017.jpg

D Knight

08-04-2012, 02:39 AM

That's pretty cool, where did you get the solid state FFM?

vwdmc16

08-04-2012, 05:15 PM

From Dave M here on the site

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze109dmk/

vwdmc16

08-05-2012, 03:01 AM

Feb 23 2012

Haven't done much to the car lately, still have a ton to do but not in the mood after work.

Last weekend I had a little Delorean meet up at my place. My friend Chris sold his 16k mile '81 to a guy named Josh. He paid me to install new power window motors since the windows havent worked in 12 years. I also did a full inspection on the car to be sure its roadworthy. It had been driven only 400 miles or so in the last decade so a few things needed attention but overall it was a near perfect example of what a delorean looked like and felt like when new. It was an automatic but it still felt great, the transmission shifted very well and the engine felt terrific too.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/photo4.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/photo1-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/photo.jpg

My friend Jon also came for Vacaville and we installed lowered springs in the front of his car which helped dramatically as his were originals that had been heated with a torch and made a real horrible ride and noise. check out the old springs!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0858.jpg

Another weekend we will do the rears and maybe shocks.
Compressing in the new ones.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0860.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0861.jpg

Much easier with the upper arm off the car.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0862.jpg

Last Night I repaired the interior lights which mysteriously stopped working the other day, well they weren't wire properly anyhow. it seems one of the 4 diodes in teh light system had failed, luckily I bought spare a long time ago, probably for something else on the car that was broken.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0025-2.jpg

I also really wanted to get the door ajar light to work, it was never worked since I got the car, ergo it would be awesome. a door ajar light is a bit unnecessary on a delorean as its very obvious if your door is, well open. I thought i may be yet another diode which is hidden up behind the gauge cluster, so after the 20 minutes of painful twisting to get to the 7mm headed nuts I got the binnacle off and found the diode. I changed it and fiddled with every connection in the circuit until it started to work, Swapped out the LED for a regular bulb as it illuminated the logo much better. Above it is the seat belt warning light, also has never worked and i dont feel like getting it going, its a pointless light as I never drive without belts on.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0024-3.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0026-2.jpg

Tonight Im prepping my car for a trip to LA, Ill be coming back with something pretty cool...

Domi

08-05-2012, 04:39 AM

Tonight Im prepping my car for a trip to LA, Ill be coming back with something pretty cool...

Have a safe trip, and keep us update :)

krs09

08-05-2012, 04:46 AM

Great tread. What type of fuel filter did you end up using? I had the same leaking issue, I tried using one from special t auto and it didnt fit at all

vwdmc16

08-06-2012, 12:21 AM

Only the Bosch unit with forged metal ends would seal, the part numbers like 0450 130 030 0 or something like that

vwdmc16

08-06-2012, 01:07 AM

March 3 2012

Back from a quick trip to central LA, visited some friends and attempted to pick up a new project( more on that later). The front tires were horribly out of balance causing the steering wheel to vibrate very badly at 65mph+, one shop said they were too out of balance to repair, probably flat spotted. The tires were only 13k miles and 3 years old but I felt I needed new ones. I traveled to my friend's shop further south and bought 2 new 195/60r14s for $190 installed. A good deal and the vibration was gone! I averaged 26- 27MPG which is a bit less than the trip in the Rental rally, I figure this to be from the near constant use of the A/C system on this trip.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0036-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0033-1.jpg

Also on the way down I passed the 50k miles mark!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0029-1.jpg

Well here it is, my "little project". Yes its a "Delorean" go kart body. Okay not a precise replica I know, probably to avoid copyright issues or maybe they were going for a Corolla GTS look, I dont know, but when I do get it up north here alot of fiberglass work its going to transform it into a much more Delorean like shape. Also i would have to build some kind of chassis for it too. But it would be a back burner project, its roughly a 1/2 scale replica so it would still take up alot of room.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0035-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0034-1.jpg

With a bit of MS paint to show what new vinyl would do to help get the proportions right, its not so bad

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/dkart.jpg

Didnt quite fit, and I decided it wasnt work trying to strap it on and damage something else

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/imagejpeg_2_2.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/imagejpeg_2.jpg

The Delorean really is a great GT car, Just needing cruise control to help on those 100+ miles drives, I had zero mechanical or electrical failure. Only one new and rather worrying problem was arising, 6 times the transmission popped out of 5th gear while driving, 4 times while decelerating in gear. The 5th gear detent doesnt seem to be strong enough, My transmission may need some serious work soon.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0040.jpg

I was pleased however with how little coolant I had lost over the long 2 day trip as my coolant cap has a habit of letting out coolant when I park overnight after the engine gets good and hot. Deloreans dont have coolant catch cans factory and I intend on changing this, but more about that later.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0057.jpg

Still I feel Im on borrowed time with parts of my cooling system, So Im doing a bit of an overhaul as I also have small leaks from some of the cooling hose joints, especially when its cold outside. So out came all the coolant and all the hoses.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0058.jpg

I discovered a few things, 1 There were some cooling joints and tubes that I had never removed and cleaned before (for some reason I had it in my mind that I had gone through and cleaned all the connections and replaced more of the old and rusting clamps) 2. It appear that the rear frame rails of my car are much more bent than I thought. I had noticed the rails were a bit askew ans rthe epoxy cracked when I bought the car. The rear is bent about 1" over to the driver side. Since only the bumper impact foam attaches to this, there isnt any real problem with its being out of place but still its not right. I wouldnt have to cut the parts off, just pull it back to the right.

Compare the angle of the great frame rail below to the one above.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0060-1.jpg

I worked on cleaning up the rear coolant pipes, these are 1.25" aluminum tube of varying lengths and shape connected to be short pieces of rubber hose. Like Ive said some still havent been removed in years and now have corroded enough to start leaks where they connect to the hoses.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0055-1.jpg

A few hours with scotch brite pads, some 220 grit sandpaper and hot water, they were looking much better.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0062.jpg

Then I though why not go a bit further and give them a little polish? followed be some clear coat to let them shine longer.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0056-1.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0059-1.jpg

Internally the tubes are holding up very well with just a few bits of calcium inside.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0064.jpg

One tube however is starting to eat through, im tempted to replace this even though the the hole would be under an area that is sealed by the rubber hose and clamp.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0066.jpg

Domi

08-06-2012, 03:06 PM

Seems like you have a funny project with your kart!
I think it would be awesome to drive such a thing :)
I'm still amazed when I see the work you've done on your car, even a simple job looks awesome!
Those coolant pipe shine better than their first day!
On the other hand, just by curiosity, you also own an AMC Javelin if I'm not mistaken? Nice car too!

vwdmc16

08-06-2012, 10:13 PM

jawn101

08-06-2012, 10:22 PM

Thanks, I hope the go kart project even happens, And sorry to disappoint but no the Javelin was a customer's car that I build a sweet roll cage and 3rd link for a new axle in the back. ill try to find some pics.

I didn't even notice the Javelin at first. I thought he meant the Honda! It sort of looks like an AMC :)

vwdmc16

08-06-2012, 10:25 PM

Here are a few of the AMX, it was a '72 i believe. I built a full DOM cage for SCCA road racing, a 22 gallon fuel cell mount, seat mounts, coil over conversion in the rear with the 3rd link, and Willwood pedals and a custom steering column. Last I saw it it was finished and kicking ass on the track.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/other/100_3948.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/other/100_3992.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/other/100_3979.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/other/100_3991.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/other/100_4330.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/other/100_4350.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/other/101_4058.jpg

Domi

08-07-2012, 03:11 PM

Wow, amazing job done, as usual :thumbup2:

vwdmc16

08-07-2012, 08:56 PM

March 13 2012

The last 2 coolant pipes are now cleaned, sanded and polished, I also stripped and repainted the pipe brackets and inserted thin pieces of foam to help hold them better.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0078.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0079.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0080.jpg

I found these nice stainless clamps from Sweden that have a frosted white nylon cover which I really think looks neat and modern, So they will now assist in holding the tubes.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0056-2.jpg

I had a small area rusting where the frame widens, after alot of sanding and wire wheeling the rust is down and I coated it with some paint that I found to be a near perfect match to the original color.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0067-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0074.jpg

There is however a large area thats rusting I cant just sand away, I will have to weld in new metal here next time the engine comes out.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0058-1.jpg

On the other side of that rust is another cleaned up and painted bracket, New stainless hardware on everything I reinstalled.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0084.jpg

Speaking of hardware, this little bag of stainless nuts, bolts and washers cost a whopping $45, and i'll will need alot more in the months to come. I also discovered a 10mm wrench inside the passenger side underbody with some super rusty washers, Who knows how long this has been in there.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0065.jpg

All new stainless hose clamps should stop all my small leaks.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0063.jpg

With the underside easy to access I decided to finish up the flex brake line installation, the driver's rear was be far the most difficult to remove, these lines really did not want to come out.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0071.jpg

I cleaned up and reused the original plastic spiral protectors.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0075.jpg

New lines in, I noticed that the ground wire had been "customized". It seems somebody lengthened the stock battery to frame ground wire by bolting on another 12" piece to the transmission. I will remove this addition and place a new ground back on the frame and then an additional cable will connect the frame to the transmission.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0076.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0086.jpg

Now the cooling system is intact again, ive begun to work on the rear bumper and supports. I believe this car was rear ended years ago hard enough to bent the rear frame extension, So surely the rear bumper would have been destroyed. Look what I found, the bumper has a date stamped on it November 6th 1981, and also a tag on the rear taillight harness dated December 1st 1981. The car was built June 1981. Therefore I believe these parts to not be original to the car but with maybe not with the way things were put on out of order on the assembly line.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0088.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0073-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0090.jpg

AugustneverEnds

08-07-2012, 11:41 PM

Wow is the only underwhelming word I can say! I just bought my first DeLorean last week and will be picking it up on Monday. Your incredible project daunts and inspires me at the same time. Thank you for posting and best of luck to you on all of your future projects.

Tillsy

08-07-2012, 11:50 PM

I just bought my first DeLorean last week and will be picking it up on Monday.

Congratulations mate! Sure your VIN is correct though - 41287 is incredibly high?

vwdmc16

08-08-2012, 10:49 PM

On his avatar area it says 10287

vwdmc16

08-08-2012, 11:03 PM

March 21 2012

Ive purchased some new headliner material that is not a factory match but it looks pretty nice. I stripped the passenger side backing board bare of the old glue and foam. Im not ready to show the first attempt with the new material but I must confess it did not turn out well, so more on that later.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0027_copied.jpg

Meanwhile the rear of the car is still apart.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0028_copied.jpg

The remaining rusty parts on my car are really bothering me so I took my rusty and bent up Rear Fascia/ muffler heat shield off, ground the rust down, straightened it then painted it with high temp black paint. The shield is just a pressed 16 ga steel panel with some holes and zinc plated. A whopping $72 for a NOS one.

http://store.delorean.com/images/Product/medium/101764.jpg

Mine isnt bad now, just ugly, but I wished to improve it so I purchased some 16ga Stainless steel sheet for $35 and began to make my own, I'll have the finished product ready soon. You can see the original that is repainted on the right.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0029_copied.jpg

The car has been apart for weeks and ive become quite distressed at the fact I cant drive it, however i've restrained myself from assembling the rear just to go for a joy ride and instead began repairing the rear Fascia inner support panel. A previous owner has performed some repairs on this fiberglass panel before but it looks like they never finished sanding the repairs, also many new cracks have formed that I need to fill with fiberglass epoxy.

I dont know why there needed to be such a large repair for the small hole that the tail light harness passes through, but it still needs work.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0030-1.jpg

I taped up the back side of the holes I wished to fill, and made some dams with tape to contain the epoxy over the cracks and low areas. Somebody has ovaled out the lower engine lid latch holes. im filling these L shaped cuts up and drilling two new slots.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0031_copied.jpg

The largest crack is in this corner and will need alot of reinforcing.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0033_copied.jpg

Epoxy everywhere! It was immediately after i poured the epoxy that I realized I should have put the tape on the face of the panel as to mold the new epoxy to a nice flat surface, that would have cut down the sanding later.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0034_copied.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0035_copied.jpg

After a night for the epoxy to dry It was time to sand the excess and drill new holes for the latch mechanism. Super keen observers will notice that is in fact a 1994 Mazda Miata trunk latch. The Delorean latch is not longer available NOS, and even used ones are not really available, this is an issue because my car has been missing this part for years. But just my luck that the mazda bit is in bountiful supply at wreaking yards and fits perfectly, It literally bolts on and the delorean release cable clips right on.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0036_copied.jpg

With an evening of sanding done I primered the panel.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0037_copied.jpg

The next day it was ready for some SEM Trim Black paint, however I was not satisfied with how some parts came out, more sanding and paint will be needed before mounting to the car.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0021-1.jpg

While letting the paint dry I turned to the rear bumper cover

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0088.jpg

My cheap "dremel" I used on the car's firewall comes in handy again as I removed the 5 broken studs that were molded into the edges of the urethane bumper cover, these snapped studs are what have attributed to my very warped and saggy rear bumper, the most obvious and surly part of the bumper.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0016.jpg

Old stub remains and one new stainless stud.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0017-1.jpg

How the new ones will mount, Im getting some serious glue to attach these, is supposedly NASA derived and about $60 a tube.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0019.jpg

Ive started another little sub-project on my car here; replacing all the simple steel brackets with stainless steel. These two are relatively easy, just a 5" tall 90' steel sheet with 4 holes. You see these also have been slotted quite poorly by a previous owner, probably to get better bumper alignment with the bent rear frame.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0023-1.jpg

More 16ga 304 SS to the rescue, My neighbors must hate the sound of my angle grinder cutting up metal.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0022.jpg

Next some drilling to make some adjustable slots, i'll bend these up in a bench vice after the slots are done.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0024-4.jpg

jawn101

08-08-2012, 11:07 PM

Best thread ever. I already know how it turns out and I'm still anxious to see what's next :)

vwdmc16

08-11-2012, 09:37 PM

April 6 2012

I've had a few delays on getting the rear together, I won't have the glue I need for the new studs in the fascia for another week or more. The car hasn't moved in like 6 weeks, this was getting depressing for me. The stainless brackets are done however and fit great. I will however I will need to do a "rough adjustment" of my rear frame tomorrow so things will line up properly.

Heres those 90" brackets in place:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0023-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0019-1.jpg

I had my lower fascia bracket/heat shield bent up on a friend's Metal brake, it looks great!Next I drilled the 12 holes for the fascia studs.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0047.jpg

New vs old:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0052.jpg

Test fit on the bumper and frame: You can see how bent the frame is by comparing the gap between the muffler tips and the heat shield too.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0048.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0050.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0051.jpg

My local metal supply shop sells a bunch of strange surplus parts including these rubber mounts for just $0.50 each, They fit perfectly to replace the factory muffler mounts, I just needed to drill the two mounting holes to 6mm. I saved $25.50 over NOS DMC mounts.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0016-1.jpg

I pressure tested my cooling system at temperature and found a few leaks that a clamp adjustment fixed.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0018-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0017-1.jpg

Now to the creation of a Coolant overflow tank which I mentioned before. I mocked up some mounting ideas, I think im going to have to cut down this bottle unless I can find one at least 2.5" shorter.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0028.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0031-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0027-1.jpg

You can see I attached my spare quarter panel to the wall, decoration and space savings at its finest!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0022-1.jpg

I decided to swap my cars positions in the garage as im starting body work on the Honda and it would be easier to isolate the little car with plastic curtains on this side.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0032.jpg

Although im not much for baseball caps ( I think I look dumb in them) I decided to buy one of these new limited edition (1 of 500) DMC hats because it looks good and I can say there is one less of these hats for one of those "Playas" that would wear one of these hats sideways and has never even see a Delorean in person.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0053.jpg

Domi

08-12-2012, 04:07 AM

I like the job you've done on your stainless bracket/heat shield :thumbup2:
Your glasses look like one of the scientist :biggrin:

vwdmc16

08-12-2012, 07:32 PM

April 8 2012

So I performed my "rough frame adjustment" Saturday night. Now it looks really crude and I suppose it was but it worked and performed the same action that a body shop would use, brute force. With a sturdy tow rope I used my Toyota to give a few hard tugs on the right rear corner of the frame and pulling it back to the passenger side about 1" it's still a bit off but miles better than it was before. Not pictured but I did place some large wetted towels on the strap to absorb any energy if the strap were to break and fling towards me or the D.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0058.jpg

See the difference in the gap on the driver side, it moved about 1". This side needs some sanding and paint love too.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0059.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0060.jpg

The rope did bent up the left side some and crack most of the epoxy off( which wasnt holding on well anyway) but I was able to bend it back, some sanding and paint will help making the rail look better.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0062.jpg

I then took off the muffler and brackets for more cleaning, the engine is constantly shedding its oil onto these parts, I was able to track down another leak. This sensor is an oil pressure sender for the idiot light on the dash which illuminates when there is less than 4 or 5psi oil pressure.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0063.jpg

As you can see the copper O ring is bent, it must have been installed poorly. A new O ring fixes that.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0064.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0068.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0066.jpg

I then attempted to remove the crank pulley as the belt grooved looked pretty rough and could use some wire wheeling, I also could look at the engine's front seal which is leaking too. However no amount of impacting with my gun could get it off. Another time perhaps when I have a torch.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0069.jpg

The muffler brackets used to be yellow zinc plated but all the years of oil and heat have worn that down. After a good cleaning I primered them.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0077.jpg

Upon picking them up to hang them to dry I thought hey these are much too heavy. So after they dried I got out the ruler and pen to mark up some lightening holes, drill presses are invaluable sometimes.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0078.jpg

Now a few ounces lighter its time for some Wrinkle Black Paint

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0079.jpg

Another small project was to weld some nuts to the lower engine lid latch as getting to these are hard when the latch is in the bumper.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0070.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0072.jpg

Unable to find a shorter usable Water bottle for my coolant overflow, I cut this one down 2 3/4" using a hose clamp to mark a straight line around the bottle. using a 4 1/2" angle grinder I carefully cut away the section i was removing, this is very thin stainless.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0071.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0073.jpg

Sadly the Tig welder wasnt working so in the meantime ill have to go the cheap route and just JB weld it, remember this bottle will not be holding pressure, it just has to be water tight.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0076.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0074.jpg

vwdmc16

08-13-2012, 10:33 PM

April 12 2012

Ive been sanding away at my Fascia support panel everyday after work for the last week and I was not happy with how smooth is came out until yesterday. Some skim filler coats and lots of primer to get this rather panel that isnt super visible anyhow into the proper smoothness.

Yes the filler is extracted from Dolphins....

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0080.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0092.jpg

Primered up with the overflow bottle in its mock up location.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0096.jpg

A neat picture of the rear naked.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0082.jpg

Here is how the seam came out of the Epoxied bottle, im quite chuffed about it.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0094.jpg

I cut out a little access cover out of my Stainless, this was another part missing from my car, the original is a simple zinc plated steel plate but a NOS one cost $86.71 !!!!!!!!! check it out! there must only be like 5 left. I could cut two dozen out of that $35 sheet of SS I bought.

http://store.delorean.com/p-9652-access-panel.aspx

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0101.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0103.jpg

Next up is to give the urethane foam bumper some TLC. I brushed off the loose foam chunks and whatever black coating was flaking off before spraying on thick coats of Plasti-Dip, that plastic coating spray, Its the same job I did on the front bumper to help keep the foam from deteriorating as quickly.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0104.jpg

Sanded and repainted the rear frame rail corners.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0105.jpg

Domi

08-14-2012, 03:35 PM

I cut out a little access cover out of my Stainless, this was another part missing from my car, the original is a simple zinc plated steel plate but a NOS one cost $86.71 !!!!!!!!! check it out! there must only be like 5 left. I could cut two dozen out of that $35 sheet of SS I bought.

Great job, what about the round corner? Easy to do?
PJ Grady Europe use to sale them in stainless, but there is no more product in his shop:
http://www.pjgrady.co.uk//GenericContent.aspx?PageType=Shopping&ShowContent=Parts.html
I thought it will be available on DeLorean Performance Industrie but no:
https://www.deloreanindustries.com/shop/originalstainless.html

Anyway, if you decide someday to sale your own plate in stainless, count me in if you're agree to send it to France :)

vwdmc16

08-16-2012, 10:51 PM

April 14th 2012

Another test fit of the rear support panel and latch, you can also see the clamps for the overflow bottle, not the prettiest solution, i'll create something better in the future.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0107.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0110.jpg

New hose for the overflow, looks sharp.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0111.jpg

A job before the rear bumper is repainted is to replace these rusted and mostly stripped out jack nuts that secure the tail lamps. they are quite hard to find in this size and at M4x 0.70 pitch.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0115.jpg

Surprisingly Home Depot ( not Ace which has the weird hardware) carried the proper speed nuts I needed that support the top of the bumper cover to the support. Just one row of screws, nuts and washer but still $10.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0116.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0117.jpg

More new stainless bolts all round. Over $40 in hardware this week so far.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0118.jpg

All bolted together and ready to install. Yes I know I havent glued in my new lower studs, I still have not gotten my awesome glue, I may have to go with something else but i can do it with the bumper attached.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0119.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0121.jpg

Close up of the DMC/Miata latch and cable.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0122.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0125.jpg

Need to Rivet on the engine compartment light but otherwise its looking great!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0126.jpg

Hose installed.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0127.jpg

Cleaned the Fascia a bit and its looking less droopy and will look even better after the studs are in.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0128.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0137.jpg

Muffler brackets look way better, Love the look of a non greasy engine.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0138.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0142.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0143.jpg

With everything back on it was time for a test drive, the first in 6 weeks. all went well at first, I pulled over after a few miles to take a look at the bottle and saw it was leaking. It appears I forgot one important step, drilling a vent hole in my custom overflow bottle. All my seams were air tight and this allowed pressure to build in the bottle ( remember I said it wasnt going to be pressurized) and partially blew out the bottom.

Damn time for more Epoxy.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0147.jpg

At least She's drive-able for this weekend's Norcal DMC club meet.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0145.jpg

Domi

08-17-2012, 04:02 PM

At least She's drive-able for this weekend's Norcal DMC club meet.

Enjoy your week-end and please post some pictures :thumbup2:

vwdmc16

08-18-2012, 08:22 PM

April 14

Went to the Norcal Delorean Club tech day, we had quite a good turn out with 7 cars This was held at a members house in El Dorado Hills. We chatted, had some burgers and did some door Torsion bar adjustments. First was on my friend Jon's car, his doors needed alot of work and they never would stay up on their own.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0148.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0150.jpg

check out Stephen's car with just 19k miles, im SOOOOO envious of that super clean engine.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0153.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0154.jpg

Here we are using the wooden jig and large breaker bar to hold one of the torsion bars on Jon's car

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0152.jpg

Hex head socket

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0156.jpg

Jon's car gave a pretty good fight, some of the bolts were partially stripped, not what you want when they secure the $1500 bars that are always twisting at a few hundred lbs of force.
Next up was mine which appeared to have never been adjusted since new, We tightened both bars up one spline. Finally my doors go up all the way and stay even in cool weather. Such a great thing!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0159.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0160.jpg

After lunch we all headed out for a cruise through Folsom,ca.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0163.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0167.jpg

Great day!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0170.jpg

DavidProehl

08-18-2012, 08:29 PM

That was such a great day!

jawn101

08-18-2012, 08:30 PM

That was absolutely a great day. I wish more of those guys were active on here! We have an amazing local crew.

Edit: Jinx, David you owe me a Coke... ;-)

Domi

08-19-2012, 04:15 AM

Thanks for sharing your pictures!

Kenny_Z

08-19-2012, 01:00 PM

Very cool stuff. I've done a tree and come-along frame alignment on an older car. That one is considered a redneck alignment. I guess with no sturdy trees the tow rope could be considered the cali-alignment :D

vwdmc16

08-19-2012, 09:20 PM

What we dont have sturdy trees here in California, is that it? Two words: Red wood. lol. Well I dont have any kind of winch so a small car would have to do, and it worked!

April 28 2012

Another Davis Picnic Day Parade. This time with the Norcal DMC club too!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0215.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0216.jpg

Working on another small idea ive been thinking about. Can you guess what it is?

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0219.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0222.jpg

Finally I received my "NASA derived" urethane glue, Panel 60. But I had nothing that could dispense it properly. Time to make something!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0223.jpg

A quick trim to this caulk gun's frame allowed the bottle to sit in nicely.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0225.jpg

Now it needs a dual plunger system, so I welded two pieces of 3/8" rod to a scrap 1/8" plate.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0227.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0228.jpg

And that to the original plunger. Note the shaft can still rotate separately of the new dual plungers to they can be retracted.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0231.jpg

But now the gun is too short to fit the bottle, I cut it in half and welded two more pieces of 3/8 rod to lengthen the body. A simple zip tie or similar strap will ensure the tube doesnt fall off, but overall it seems secure, its not too pretty but it will do the job!. Hopefully I will be able to use it this coming week.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0232.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0233.jpg

I took the car to work this last Friday and on the way home I smelt rubber and heard an intermittent squeak in the rear it seems my 3yr old AC belt had shredded. Strange. I already have a new one on since I carry spares!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0004.jpg

john 05141

08-20-2012, 05:29 AM

"Working on another small idea ive been thinking about. Can you guess what it is?"

fried cirquit?
Where does the battery go?

John

Kenny_Z

08-20-2012, 07:29 AM

What we dont have sturdy trees here in California, is that it? Two words: Red wood. lol. Well I dont have any kind of winch so a small car would have to do, and it worked!

I didn't see any in your photo so I assumed your yard had no trees. Can't exactly go down to the local park to do that ;)

jawn101

08-20-2012, 12:12 PM

I didn't see any in your photo so I assumed your yard had no trees. Can't exactly go down to the local park to do that ;)

LOL, most of our yards don't have trees out here. But we COULD go drive to the park and do our frame straightening on giant redwoods... if we wanted ;-)

vwdmc16

08-25-2012, 06:47 AM

"Working on another small idea ive been thinking about. Can you guess what it is?"

fried cirquit?
Where does the battery go?

John

Keyless entry remote inside a hot wheels key chain, Sadly Im having alot of trouble finding a 12v battery that will fit so Its not finished yet.

vwdmc16

08-25-2012, 06:50 AM

May 7

Drove to Reno with my girlfriend this last weekend. No problems, only the AC was cycling a bit too quickly, needed a little more refrigerant. I've been talking with my friend Jon and he is really worried about the condition of the steel" roof box" that is glued to the roof and secures the door hinges and torsion bars. However its the torsion bars that can apply enough force to start lifting this box off the fiberglass body. It seems his might be separating and I decided to check mine.

T Panel is off.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0269-1.jpg

Driver side looks great, you can see the steel shell that is glued to the roof with green adhesive.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0271.jpg

Passenger too.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0276.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0277.jpg

I was curious to what lurked under the access panel.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0286.jpg

Four giant connections probably haven't seen daylight in 30 years.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0287.jpg

And RUST! my frame was super rust plagued so why shouldn't the roof be too. It doesnt look like serious cancer but there are some big flakes loose.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0289.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0288.jpg

Also it seems that this has been opened in the last 30 years, somebody has taped up a few wires with tape, I dont like the look of that. all my door electronic work great but now I disturbed it.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0293.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0296.jpg

Don Camillo

08-25-2012, 08:04 AM

Wow, you did a lot of work. Great, that you can enjoy the car now with your girlfriend. Keep the thread updated :popcorn:

Best wishes
Don

Domi

08-25-2012, 04:28 PM

About your rust problem on the roof, Ed from DeLorean Europe has the solution:
http://www.delorean.eu/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=168003&cPath=167
It is all stainless.
Nevertheless, it is a bit expensive...

vwdmc16

08-25-2012, 05:22 PM

Oh yes ive drooled over that a few times, Quite out of my budget and requirements honestly. My original box just has a bit of surface rust flakes that were vacuumed away, Now that the car is in dry and sunny California I doubt major rust repair will be required up there for another 30 years.

vwdmc16

08-28-2012, 10:15 PM

May 14

I finished up the roof after cleaned out all the rust flakes in the roof which weren't as bad as I thought, But to do so I had to disconnect the 4 large plugs in the roof to get access. After plugging them back together none of my door electrics worked, Ah shit. After tugging and twisting wires I could get the mirrors, the windows or the locks to work but never all three. after an hour of mostly cursing and taking the plugs apart and cleaning the terminals everything worked. Will they continue to work after the next pothole? who knows. :dunno:

Last night I started on something more productive. More head way on the EFI conversion

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0308.jpg

This 1/2" aluminum plate is the beginning of my new dual throttle body adapters. They will connect the Volvo 740 16V throttle bodys to the DMC intake. They are relatively easy to build.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0307.jpg

Three of the TB holes are 6mm and are tapped into the adapter. The upper Left one has to go through the plate and into the manifold so it will be a m8 bolt.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0309.jpg

The other M8 bolt that threads into the manifold has to sit counter sunk in the adapter so the TB can sit over it.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0310.jpg

Now the adapters need cleaning up and some more trimming so they look good. But they bolt up nice.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0312.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0313.jpg

Sadly the Volvo Tb is not symmetrical so I can't just make a mirror image copy of this right hand adapter for the left side. Also the TB will interfere with the rubber hose coming out of the thermostat, I will have to modify the thermostat housing to get the right clearance.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0315.jpg

vwdmc16

09-03-2012, 04:21 PM

May 15

Now since NOBODY (that I can find) sells M7 bolts in stainless with a Allen head, I have to drill the holes out so I can use M8 bolts. The stainless Allen head is going to be a new theme to the engine, you know because it classes it up.
I finished tapping the five holes to M8, I had to use the 3/8 ratchet attachment at there was no space for a T handle.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0332.jpg

The same for drilling it out, had to use a ratchet as my drill wont fit between the engine and bumper.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0333.jpg

But finally bolted on with the proper stainless M8 bolts.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0335.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0336.jpg

For now its back to stock. If I build my new throttle linkage and new W Pipe to connect the two new bodies with the K jet plenum. I could still run the factory injection until I get my fuel rails done and wiring finished. Also this is the first time ive ever bolted my air filter down, ive never felt comfortable enough to have it not lift lift off by hand in case I needed to manually prime the injectors ( i've had too many PPR o-ring failures...).

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0338.jpg

DMC5180

09-03-2012, 05:05 PM

Did you ever consider just one TB mounted to a Modified W-pipe with the throat opening facing level forward?

Bitsyncmaster

09-03-2012, 07:24 PM

Spittybug

09-03-2012, 07:44 PM

AWESOME.

I was looking to find a good little throttle body that would fit on the end of the manifold like that. Check out the EFI subforum and specifically the threads on stock conversion to EFI. We've already got the injector/rail/hold down bracket figured out. Your throttle body mod is what I was trying to do for "stage II EFI"; eliminate the stock air intake. Speaking of which, how do you plan to plumb air to these guys? Also, being dual, how do you plan on joining their linkages?

And here's a random thought.... I haven't looked at my stock intake manifold to confirm, but what if you reversed it 180* and put the throttle bodies towards the firewall? I *think* it is symmetrical and since you will no longer have the fuel distributor or air intake they won't get in the way. The dizzy may be in the way come to think of it.... just brainstorming here.

I've been trying to see if I could find a "fly by wire" throttle body so that there would be no need for linkages between the two. I don't know what kind of electronics they use and then there would be a new gas peddle required... but how cool would that be?

vwdmc16

09-03-2012, 08:39 PM

I always thought while not necessary and more complicated two TB's would look better, I have a few options to connect them together and im thinking ill go with a new throttle shaft mounted below the bodies with individual connecting rods to each arm, these will use stock Volvo ball and socket joints to help maintain the OEM look. Owen, that is another idea to flip the manifold 180' Ive not really thought of doing that as there would be a void where the stock w pipe was and it might look strange, a simple aluminum cover could solve that like the throttle spool icing recall shield does. My next fabrication hurdle will be the fuel rail mounting, maybe Ill take some ideas from your design.

As for Throttle by wire, I still have not come across any TB that is very small with the built in motor and gear drive. This is conversion will have a period theme to it so electronic throttles would look out of place.

vwdmc16

09-03-2012, 08:41 PM

June 8

New package from DMCH:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0348.jpg

Lots of goodies!: oil pan and timing cover gaskets, new keyless entry system, fuel, oil and air filter, o rings, clips for the lower engine cover and fuel hoses.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0349.jpg

Jon came over again to help with electrical work.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0351.jpg

He fixed more wires, sorted out alot of relays that were out of proper order, and wired in my dome light delay module.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0353.jpg

Meanwhile I installed some other new parts like the fuel and air filter, I was hoping that would help cure my off idle stumble I get when leaving stop lights sometimes, but alas it didnt help.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0357.jpg

With my seats out I could repair the seat rails that were very difficult to adjust. After a good cleaning I punched out 4 broken, stripped or bent mounting studs and welded in new M8 bolts. then a new paint job and greasing.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0361.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0363.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0364.jpg

Test fit, all good!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0365.jpg

And a picture of a duck that wandered in my garage.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0375.jpg

Rhsxo

09-03-2012, 10:10 PM

And a picture of a duck that wandered in my garage.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0375.jpg

That was random. lol

Looks like even more progress on an already outstanding car. Keep it up!

jawn101

09-04-2012, 01:13 PM

Why does every picture you take of me involve my asscrack? :lol: I need a belt.

cybercusp

09-04-2012, 01:56 PM

why does every picture you take of me involve my asscrack? :lol: I need a belt.

lmao!!

vwdmc16

09-06-2012, 01:12 AM

Yeah im sorry about that, You just need to pose more Jon

July 8

One more theory on the stumble I have leaving stop lights is that perhaps the rubber inlet hose for the fuel pump is collapsing when the alternator voltage pops up and thus speeding up the pump and pinching the softened hose. Last time I was working in the fuel tank I noticed this hose was soft like a wet noodle, probably from the 10% Ethanol fuel we have here attacking it. I my last parts order I got a new hose that is still stiff, so time to pull the fuel pump out of the of the tanks.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0521.jpg

Old hose on the left and new on right, Now the old hose doesnt feel as soft as I recall but definitely not as strong as the new one so possibly its kinking or collapsing shut.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0517.jpg

I do have an extra precautionary measure, I will insert this 7/16" coil spring which I stretched out a little to get the required length and flexibility inside the new hose, this metal skeleton will make sure the hose stays open.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0524.jpg

With a solid uncollapsable hose I could now reassemble. This is not so easy. This picture is the fuel inlet screen and baffle assembly, It is a soft plastic piece that comes apart into 4 pieces since it's too large to fit in the fuel tank opening in one piece, so I have to assemble it with one hand inside the fuel tank purely by feel, it is to say in one word, difficult.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0526.jpg

So after a through washing to get the gas smell off my arms it was time for a test drive, and.... I still have occasional stumbles and stalls, Ive noticed that It will stumble if I hold the revs at about 1900-2000 rpm as i'm releasing the clutch and starting to move the car. If im heavier on the gas or much lighter all is well. Strange.

SS Spoiler

09-06-2012, 11:01 AM

Heres a little trick to make installing the baffle easier. Drill four small holes on the top edge where the wire crosses over. Feed the wire through them, and they will never slip off. Did this 22 years ago with no problems!

vwdmc16

09-08-2012, 12:24 AM

I have started to hear a loud popping noise on hard braking from the front right corner, I feared the lower balljoints which can be frail and fail prone after 30 years may be giving me a warning, so ive taken the front suspension apart yet again.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0539.jpg

The balljoints dont have any visible play or any that I can feel when manipulating the arm, however the boot for the right side joint was very much destroyed. New poly boots are going in to replace them. After more diagnosis I have concluded that the inner tie rod join on the passenger side is loose, Sadly inner tie rods are not available separately so im not sure what im going to do short of replacing the entire rack, maybe retro fit a modern manual rack that you can get parts for.

I also am looking to make the front suspension more compliant, I am running quite low on suspension travel especially when I have a passenger or even groceries in the trunk. The simplest solution would be to get some factory shocks ( which are shorter than the Bilstiens Im using) back on but NOS Girling shocks are not available. So while I continue to look for more shock alternatives im going kind of radical and moving the lower shock mounting hole as far down as I can to get more shock travel. Lower arm welded up:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0536.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0540.jpg

vwdmc16

09-09-2012, 11:04 AM

July 9

New hole is .750" lower than the old and little father inward to better locate the shock body in the hole of the arm, Its been rubbing a bit.
With a 1.68:1 shock ratio and .750 inches of additional space the wheel can now travel an additional 1.25" before bottoming out the shock body. This should be noticeable over rough roads, I hope.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0549.jpg

Maximum compression:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0547.jpg

Full droop:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0548.jpg

fully compressed:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0544.jpg

With that sorted my new dilemma is should I spend the time and money and have the suspension parts sandblasted and powder-coated or put it back together with some spray paint and see if this work was worth it.

vwdmc16

09-10-2012, 09:30 PM

July 15

I removed the steering rack to inspect it and see if I could tighten up the right side inner tie rod, under heavy pumps of the brake pedal iI could hear and feel a clunk from the front right wheel, sure enough there is play in the tie rod.

Here is a comparison of the DMC rack vs a Mazda Miata manual rack, Ive been having ideas of upgrading to the mazda rack but you can see it probably wont be wide enough without major work.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0552.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0553.jpg

The offending tie rod.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0556.jpg

Apart you can see there is a small plastic disc that fell apart, I was able to glue it back together but still I wish I could have replaced it, otherwise with some new grease it all looks ok. An extra turn on the retaining collar seems to have removed the play in the rod end, A new steering rack is now a big priority.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0557.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0559.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0566.jpg

I found some better aluminum spacers to center the shocks.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0561.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0565.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0562.jpg

vwdmc16

09-13-2012, 10:08 PM

July 22

Front end Is all back together, I went for a 40 miles test drive on some rough back roads, There is a definite improvement in suspension travel so overall the ride has improved! For the first 10 miles the car didnt pull to the left as much as is has before, But after a hard braking test it went back to normal. Also the banging noise from the right side is gone but now is on the left side but not quite as bad. Ill have to tighten up that tie rod joint too.

Another project in the queue is to keep the fuel temps in check as the fuel actually can boil during 100' days with long drives causing vapor lock. The heat is caused by the coolant pipes that run along side the fuel cell, and the hot radiator air is blown over the tank as well as the constantly circulating fuel through the fuel distributor on the hot engine. Ive installed a temporary thermometer in the fuel tank. Its an Ikea meat thermometer and the thermocouple is tied onto the fuel pick up tube, then the 4' lead goes to the trunk mounted digital gauge, simple and effective.

So far I noted the fuel has risen for 72' to 96' during an hour long drive in 80' ambient temps. One of these 100'+ days should give some good data on how hot it can really in there.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0568.jpg

That test will have to be postponed a while as im now experiencing overheating issues. After driving the car to work, I took the car to dinner and the water temp stayed near 220' most of the way, normally the temp is never that high. A few miles later it it punched over the 220 mark so I cut the engine and coasted to the road side to refill the coolant with the spare water I carry. After dinner it seems all that water leaked out definitely a leak somewhere, so another refill got me home. The leak was originating from the water pump area.

So apart comes the valley:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0572.jpg

It appears I lost a bolt on the back of the pump. I split the pump and resealed it.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0573-1.jpg

Also broke the bleeder nipple off on the thermostat housing, I knew this was coming as the threads had galled as it would only turn about 1/2 turn, but this is a pain as this housing is not available anymore.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0575.jpg

Tighten all the hoses again an reassemble. Lets see what happens after I rent the pressure tester.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0576.jpg

DavidProehl

09-13-2012, 11:12 PM

Breaking the bleeder valve off the housing really stinks. I remember seeing your earlier post about that, but not how you fixed it. Great to see the progress!

vwdmc16

09-15-2012, 07:53 PM

July 23

Working on replacing my thermostat housing, my 3.0 EP engine does have a housing that I can use, it has a bleed fitting that works but it does have an extra threaded boss in the top I need to cut off so the W pipe can fit. I also found a pin hole leak in one of the short hoses that connect the pump to the heads, I accidentally deleted that pic and the pic of the new hoses I happen to have. So that is sorted.

Next I installed the 3.0's thermostat housing, however it leaked quite badly at the lower seam, the thermostat has an o ring seal that is supposed to seal that gap but it was not being compressed enough because of the corrosion on the new housing, nothing that half and hour of sanding with 220 grit on a flat surface couldnt fix!

I believe the system is tight now, it held 17 lbs of pressure for 9 hrs and only dropped by about 1lb.

vwdmc16

09-17-2012, 12:24 AM

July 28

Back together and doing well, no overheating but im still loosing coolant out the overflow tube, I dont believe the cap is able to screw on as tight as it was designed to, that might be an easy fix, we will see.

I ran into an issue with the 3.0's water outlet that has an extra threaded boss on the top, it interfered badly with the W pipe, Nothing a 4 1/2" angle grinder couldnt fix.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0584.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0586.jpg

Also I found an issue with the front sway bar, its hardware has failed. Need to weld in new captive nuts or studs this side is all stripped and messed up. And as you can see my AC hose is leaking pretty badly.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0596.jpg

A picture of both of the volvo throttle bodies mounted and the EFI MAF sensor in its future location under the air filter, Now I need to make a new W pipe to connect all three and a elbow to connect the MAF to the air filter intake.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/twintb1.jpg

vwdmc16

09-19-2012, 01:22 AM

W pipe idea, but what to make it out of, plastic, fiberglass, stainless, etc?

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/twintb11.jpg

Or possible have 3 tubes that go to the rear fascia and connect behind the license plate, there is plenty of room inside the bumper.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/twintb12.jpg

Kenny_Z

09-19-2012, 02:53 AM

Maybe you can find something in a universal intake kit? Sort of like this:

http://www.vertexauto.com/UserData/Images/Large/293842.jpg

DMCMW Dave

09-19-2012, 08:29 AM

Sorry I wasn't following this thread very closely.

Thermostat housing is now available. DMCH website does not show it yet. I have a couple in stock. Repro part from DMC Europe.

dmc6960

09-19-2012, 08:57 AM

Is the linkage between the throttle going to get in the way of that at all?

I wouldn't go back to the fascia unless you had an intercooler back there somehow for a turbo. Keep it at the engine.

jawn101

09-20-2012, 10:16 AM

Sorry I wasn't following this thread very closely.

Thermostat housing is now available. DMCH website does not show it yet. I have a couple in stock. Repro part from DMC Europe.

Oh, cool!! Thanks for the update Dave :)

vwdmc16

09-20-2012, 05:09 PM

Good as i will need a spare, i will have to modify this one more to clear the driverside throttle.

vwdmc16

09-20-2012, 10:48 PM

Yeah im leaking towards staying out of the fascia, Kenny, that intake tube Is like what i'm looking for, Still I doubt I could find something that looks closer to OEM, Im always checking the local junk yard for intake pipes that might do. I Think I found something for the MAF to airfilter connection, more one that later.

Aug 5

I painted the driver door jam, Now just to glue on the rear weather seal and it will look complete again.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0597.jpg

My friend Jon lent me the A/C tools again So I finally swapped out that front A/C hose that was leaking. After getting the system emptied I removed the old hose, compared to the new. It took a few tries for the front fitting to screw on properly and tight enough but after applying vacuum on it for 1/2 an hour and letting it sit over night to make sure it wasnt leaking, it was time to fill.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0603.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0621.jpg

Strangely the system only took about 25oz to get to the right pressure when about 36oz is called for by the book, ill check the pressures again in a few days to make sure its still full, but in the 70' garage I was getting 27'.6F out of the air vents! Nice.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0610.jpg

Next it was time to fix the sway bar bracket.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0611.jpg

As you can see the holes were quite mangled and this is the side that didnt fail.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0612.jpg

I used a die grinder to bevel the holes to allow for more weld and penetration.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0613.jpg

Forgot to get a pic of the welded bolt but after I cut off the bolt head I could assemble it all. It will all have to come apart again for paint but the front feels nice and solid again, doesn't pull to the left much anymore too.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/8219/20120805161333.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0614.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0619.jpg

Dangermouse

09-20-2012, 10:52 PM

Chris,

I was reading this thread from where I left off, in particular the posts about your dual throttle bodies However I must have missed the reason you were doing this (looks good btw)

Could you give me a quick recap?

vwdmc16

09-21-2012, 01:03 AM

Way before I even got my Delorean I knew I wanted to get rid of the Kjet and replace it with something better like EFI. For the most part it has been very reliable and has done the job, but I want the engine to do better. Better fuel economy, better throttle response and feel, and more power. So im converting to EFI with a Bosch LH Jet 2.2 from a '88 Volvo 760. It will be a pretty easy install compared to something like Megasquirt as the harness is already built and just needs to be integrated in the car, and the ECU is already programmed pretty close to where it needs to be, Plus it is OEM quality so I know it will be rock solid reliable, I have done a similar K jet to LH jet swap on a '82 BMW 320i.

The reason for all new throttles is for a few reasons, First of all I dislike the stock throttle quite alot. I have spent way too many hours trying to get them to operate as they were designed to, they dont close fully or consistently or open fully without a lot of modification to the return springs, that has made the pedal much too heavy and sensitive in parts of the travel. So I have lost hope in ever becoming satisfied with it. The twin Volvo throttle is similar to a design I found on another PRV. lastly these new throttles will allow a Bosch TPS to bolt on easily and look sanitary.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/tt7.jpg

Dangermouse

09-21-2012, 08:48 AM

Thanks for the back story. Good project.

Is the pic from an Alpine?

vwdmc16

09-23-2012, 09:52 PM

Yes I think so,

Aug 19

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0629.jpg

Back again in many pieces, This time for more electrical work, but not because something is broken. Im adding a door popper system so that I can open the driver door via the remote on my key chain. I purchased this 45lb solenoid to pull the door latches, Its a bit more powerful than I need but I dont want this to burn out and if i adjust it correctly it wont break any of the linkages.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0631.jpg

Now to power the new solenoid I will use this yellow/white wire that is located in a great spot and is a unused wire in the harness.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0627.jpg

But for some reason the wire just stops up in the roof box, it seems they installed the wire in the door harness but did not continue it into the rest of the car's harness.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0287.jpg

So once again I had to remove the T panel and now I have to remove the headliners to finish running the Y/W wire down to the relay and keyless module. ive never removed my front headliner, time to recover them now!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0634.jpg

Near the rear window you can see where the harnesses come through the roof and split to go down the B pillars.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0636.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0638.jpg

Since so many things are apart I decided its a good time to remove the old door-T panel weather strip, I need to drill out the rivets, and replace the rubber and re install.

I wrapped a few layers of vinyl tape over the drill bit so I dont nick the priceless torsion bars which could shatter if scratched.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0639.jpg

Now this stainless strip is missing on my driver side and since its not available new I will have to use this one as a template and make another.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0642.jpg

Recovering from the heat of the garage I began to strip off the headliner material inside.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0643.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0644.jpg

Back in November 2009 I re made the rear headliner board out of foam board as the original was not salvageable. You can see it easily here, I may re do that again.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0645.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0646.jpg

vwdmc16

09-25-2012, 11:55 PM

September 1

Door poppers are done, It was alot more work than I anticipated. I got back into the roof access to soldering two new 14ga wires, one for each door.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0647.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0648.jpg

Now they both run down the passenger B pillar with the stock driver wiring too the fuse box area. In the future It will be much easier to add a passenger side popper, but first I need a remote control with more buttons unless I want both doors to open at once.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0653.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0652.jpg

Door wiring done

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0651.jpg

I added a 20amp circuit breaker and a relay to the fuse board, After a few more hrs of searching, I found the wiring pin out of the keyless entry and the right wire for the Option button, pretty simple wiring.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0655.jpg

Finally I sealed up the roof again.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0654.jpg

And finally here is a video of it in action:

Right click to open!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/th_Doorpopper1.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/?action=view&current=Doorpopper1.mp4)

Domi

09-26-2012, 03:05 PM

This is great, good job!

DavidProehl

09-26-2012, 04:09 PM

Impressive amount of work to pop the door. I think we should call this mod "Clint-a-Loft."

CEOofawesome

09-27-2012, 11:05 AM

Okay, I could understand none of that was cool car falling apart fixy fixy cool car good! That is awesome that you put all that time and money in to that Delorean! Good for you!

vwdmc16

09-27-2012, 03:36 PM

Impressive amount of work to pop the door. I think we should call this mod "Clint-a-Loft."

How about "pain in the ass popper". So after a few weeks of using the system, the remotes range is hit or miss, and if the car stays out in the sun for a few hours the solenoid doesnt seem to get full amperage and doesnt have the strength to pop the door. Very frustrating.

vwdmc16

09-29-2012, 11:20 PM

Sept 7

A friend gave me a old Stainless thermos that he had laying around to try and replace my failed overflow bottle idea, this thermos was pretty near perfect for what I needed, I simply had to drill the large inlet hole and one small one for a vent facing the bulkhead so it wont be visible.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0656.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0657.jpg

Then I added a random steel spacer I had to push the bottle away from the bulkhead near the top as its a tapered bottle and I wouldn't be able to unscrew the lid otherwise. Then just clamp it in as the old one, I think it looks sharper and is certainly stronger. I began testing immediately and found it to do the job very well, However the coolant header tank still seems to allow alot of coolant to trickle out after a long hot drive, Time to try out a different radiator cap.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0658.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0659.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0661.jpg

vwdmc16

10-06-2012, 06:18 PM

Sept 7

Tonight I refreshed my driver side upper door panel, the Foam behind the vinyl has turned to dust over the years and the panel is no longer padded as it should be, here's a quick fix:

Stripped the old cover off and spent 10 minutes wiping off years of soil accumulated from all the arms that have rested on it

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0672.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0673.jpg

Originally there is a layer of thin foam sewn in between the vinyl and this fabric backing, this give the puffy look, all that is left in these pockets is dust that can be swept out.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0674.jpg

This new foam ( this is scrap headliner material available for $5/yard) will work perfectly.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0675.jpg

Simply cut out new pieces that can be slid in these empty pockets, I numbered them so they feel special.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0676.jpg

And I slid them in, they do not need to be glued as they will have nowhere to move.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0677.jpg

Now the cleaned plastic backing board and the back of the material gets a spray of good adhesive, Not the $5 a bottle stuff, it needs to be the real heavy duty good stuff if you want it to last more than a few months.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0678.jpg

Carefully placed the cover on excatly as it was before, It should fit perfectly as this been wrapped around this part for the last 30 years. the glue should be set in about 10 minutes

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0680.jpg

Once again these panels have some cushion to them, while not as snazzy as if they were reupholstered with new material and had the foam stitched in, this easy method should give the panels new life for only $20 and an hour of time.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0681.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0682.jpg

Kenny_Z

10-06-2012, 06:48 PM

That is an awesome fix. I'll have to try that.

Domi

10-07-2012, 02:42 PM

Nice job, well done!

vwdmc16

10-08-2012, 01:27 AM

Thanks, Its been a while since ive updated but now we are up to date, work has been keeping me busy and tired. I havent been driving the car much either as so many rattles have risen that it has become a real unpleasant experience to drive the car.

Had another coolant system failure, this time was the worst, the radiator cap failed catastrophically and it wasnt even at 220' yet, I was able to get home after refilling with tap water at a nearby restaurant, once I got home I flushed the whole system and removed the plugs on the engine block to may sure I got that hard water out. Since the Incident a new radiator cap has been installed and is holding great, very little water is being lost out of the overflow.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20120917_190639.jpg

To help lift my spirits I did a bit more work on the EFI project, one part I thought I was going to have to fabricate from scratch steel was a elbow to connect the stock air filter to the air flow meter, some fellow DMC owners performing a EFi conversion gave me an idea to use a rubber intake part from a VW rabbit with CIS, after a few junkyard trips I found one in great shape for just $5.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0683_zpscced2cb0.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0684_zps70436b9d.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0687_zps60887cd3.jpg

Its nice to use a OEM quality part that fits great but when its installed it will not be visible. The search for a new W pipe to connect the twin throttles to the air meter continues, and if I find nothing I will have to weld one up.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0685_zpsbad81600.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0686_zps11db90f8.jpg

Then this last week I had my friend sand blast my dirty corroded valve covers, they came out great.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20121003_213235.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20121003_213308.jpg

While they were off I readjusted the valve lash it was getting a bit loud.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20121004_180101.jpg

vwdmc16

10-08-2012, 01:40 AM

I thoroughly cleaned the sand off the covers and then gave them two coats of primer, next three heavy coats of VHT Wrinkle Black paint, It actually came out very nice. Sometimes the wrinkles come out splotchy.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20121004_180117.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0692.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0689.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20121004_211040.jpg

After a night to dry it was time for a test drive, I didnt get far before a large amount of oil began pouring out of the passenger valve cover and onto the exhaust manifold. I took the cover back off tonight and found the issue,

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20121007_192902.jpg

while the new gasket and sealant was setting I fixed something that has bothered for quite a while the rusty air intake flap, so I polished it.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20121007_191134.jpg

Dangermouse

10-08-2012, 09:18 PM

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0692.jpg]

Love this pic :)

vwdmc16

10-14-2012, 04:23 AM

I have a new parts order coming in from DMCMW, I also had to redo my valve adjustment job, it seems I got a few too tight.

In the meantime there is plenty of labor needed to repair the rattles in the doors that are making me insane. Also got this '06 Kawasaki EX250 for the decent price of free, after an afternoon of cleaning and service, she runs tops! She should save me some gas money to free up more for the Delorean fund.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/IMG_0702.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/IMG_0707.jpg

vwdmc16

10-20-2012, 02:31 AM

I pulled out my Brake master that has been feeling spongy and has begun to loose pressure on me, that wasnt too hard to remove. The brake booster behind it was a lot harder to pull out, It needed a good cleaning and repaint.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0713.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0715.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0716.jpg

alot of debris and grease in that area

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0717.jpg

after 1/2hr of scrubbing it looks better, I wish I had a pressure washer to really get it clean in there.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0726.jpg

New brake MC

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0723.jpg

Cleaned and painted booster. I will get some fresh stainless nuts to install these tomorrow too.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0727.jpg

vwdmc16

10-31-2012, 10:37 PM

The refreshed booster is back in.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0732.jpg

New stainless nuts.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0733.jpg

Now to bench bleed the master, something that should be done on any master cylinder before installation to ensure there are no bubbles stuck inside. I clamped it in a small drilpress vise, and inserted two rubber lines in the outlets that run back to the reservoir to recycle the fluid, then pump with a screwdriver until the bubbles stop.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0734.jpg

Bolting the MC in is simple, after the lines are back on, bleed each corner of the car and done.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0735.jpg

With some solid brakes I was ready for another long drive, I met up with my friend David and Jon in Fairfield then off to Marin county to meet up with the Nor Cal DMC club for a 50 mile drive on the coast roads.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20121021_090820.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20121021_104544.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20121021_111515.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20121021_111424.jpg

Domi

11-01-2012, 05:22 PM

Nice meeting :)

vwdmc16

11-10-2012, 08:48 PM

Not driving the car much now that I got a new motorcycle and still have un finished projects to do. The other night I felt like working on the car and just had to clean up the cowl intake area at the base of the windshield, it was bothering me alot.

To take out the plastic cover you need to remove the wipers, some screws and the fender have to come loose, but I still saw no way without removing the windshield or the wiper shafts that looked seized in solid, so that wasn't happening. So the next best thing was to remove the plastic in 3 sections so I had to cut it. I also want to add a mesh screen over the fresh air intake to prevent debris from entering.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0762.jpg

With that cleaned I felt compelled to realign my trunk better, so I removed it.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0752.jpg

On close inspection of the hinges, it seems that both had broken, the driver has sheared the pin in two but still was solid. The passenger however was really messed up, only a tiny part of the pin maybe the size of a ball point pen tip was left holding it on. This was very dangerous.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20121107_234345.jpg

The pin had rusted solid to the hinge body. NOS hinges are not avalible but new all stainless ones are... for $110 a pair. That too much for my blood, all mine need is new pins.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0750.jpg

Well a simple bit of tapping with a punch and hammer was not getting the pin out, after 20 minutes of attempting to lube and heat the metal it became apparent that I was going to have to drill this out.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0756.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0748.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0751.jpg

Lots of drilling and banging later the pin was out of both parts.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0754.jpg

One new 3/16" steel rod cut to fit, and tapped in place after I straightened the hinge out from all that hammering. Then the pin is welded so it doesnt walk out.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0757.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0758.jpg

With the dead hinge ready for more action I test fit the hood, Ugh pretty bad. The leading edge was about 3/8" too high and nearly 1/2" high in the middle. I removed the hood and was going to lower the hinges, But the four bolts that hold it to the underbody also looked extremely seized in. All sorts of hell would rain if those sheared off.

I had to pull out the headlights just to see those bolts anyways, atleast my headlight brackets are holding up great!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0759.jpg

These just scream " Dont even think of removing us in one piece"

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0760.jpg

So instead of moving the hinges down I had to bend them down about 3/8". Time for another test fit, great on the corners but the front center still was about 1/4" higher than the fascia. So I loosed the fascia mounts and pryed them up as much as possible. slots are maxed out now.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0771.jpg

Another test fit, I need more! So I cut some washers into some shims. I inserted them between the fascia's urethane and the mount I pryed earlier. I also pulled the Fascia forward in the center to increase the gap.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0767.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0768.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0769.jpg

Bingo! some respectable flushness , just need to raise the front part of the fenders but I will leave that for another day.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0770.jpg

jawn101

11-10-2012, 08:59 PM

Wow, those hinges are scary for sure. Hope the fix holds up for you! The front edge does look better than before though so that's great news.

vwdmc16

11-24-2012, 11:13 PM

I have a four day weekend to myself and finally got around to working on the D. Last night I completed the second throttle body adapter for the EFI conversion. This one turned out a bit nicer that the right side, both still require a final trimming and a clean up. As you can see the airflow is smooth and uninterrupted going into the manifold plenum.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0781.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0784.jpg

You can also note how the waterpump outlet interferes with the left TB, while it doesnt hit as bad as I anticipated, I dont wish for them to touch at all as the 200'F hose would transfer alot of heat to the intake air. The thermostat housing will have to be modified when I can get my hands on a TIG welder again.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0785.jpg

I even got the shafts to line up pretty nicely. One idea to link the two butterflies was to simply connect them with an intermediate shaft, However the new W pipe has to flow air between the TBs. So the common shaft idea is binned and I am still going ahead with the second design of a secondary shaft that will mount below. The throttle cable-linkage design will be one of the last parts to be made to be sure it doesnt interfere with something I can't move, like the injectors.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0786.jpg

Now that the TBs are set in their new location I have to bite the bullet and built the new W pipe from scratch. I purchased a 2.5" 180' mandrel bent exhaust tube however its radius is 4". Here it is after being cut in half.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0787.jpg

Ideally Id like a 2.5" tube with a 2.5" or 2.25" radius. Such incredibly tightly bent tubes do exist as steel donuts. The best price Ive found for one mild steel donut is $90!

http://images.pro-werks.com/CACHE684C73950D30EB56EDC35223E850775B/400/300/ProWerks/pn_C76565/C76-565_1.jpg

I may have to spend the money and get one but as a proof of concept Ill attempt to make this part with the much cheaper 4"r 180' tube. after marking the pie cuts to remove I cut away.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0789.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0790.jpg

After much welding and some grinding, its looking more like the tight bend I need. This will require alot of grinding to look smooth enough.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0792.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0793.jpg

After 2 hrs of cutting, welding and grinding I have 2.5" tube with a 3" radius, Much tighter than before. However I will require two of these, Ill spare you the pics of my filling my hair and clothing with steel grinding dust.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0794.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0801.jpg

By 6pm I felt I have annoyed my neighbors enough with all the grinding for one day, I began looking into another step, brackets for the Fuel rails. First I made sure that the stock airbox will clear the driver side fuel rails, and in fact it does quite nicely. The fuel outlet may need to be relocated to come out straight instead of 90' from the rail, purely for cosmetic reasons, however that may interfere with the secondary throttle shaft.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0795.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0796.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0800.jpg

Even the fuel inlet in the back looks great.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0799.jpg

vwdmc16

01-05-2013, 09:17 PM

I finished tightening the second tube.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0807.jpg

Cuts were alot neater with a jigsaw and better lines to follow.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0808.jpg

Much easier to weld too

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0809.jpg

Good penetration and still decently smooth inside.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0811.jpg

Now to join them together!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0813.jpg

vwdmc16

01-05-2013, 09:49 PM

Ive started a new job at another race car fabrication shop, Its been a bit slow going but its promising, I was able to get a wheel alignment check for the first time since Ive owned my car, I never trusted any other shop with my car, or they would look at it's exotic nature and say no.

Well its not good news, the front suspension is bent badly, the camber and caster is wildly uneven and there is no way to adjust it. Im not sure exactly what is bent, the control arms, frame, sway bar or something else.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20121213_123727.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/dmcalign.jpg

One big goal I had before I even bought the car was to improve the suspension so it was adjustable, Now seems like the time to do it. Im starting out simply by correcting the rear camber, if you cant read the print out above, it says I have -3.7' of camber on the left and -2.1' on the right. I'd like a good -1.5' per side. I have so much because the rear is lowered so much, this camber also pulled in too much toe, Im hoping by building a new adjustable upper link I will shed some camber and toe.

Rear link removed.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0819.jpg

One pair of 1/2x20 Chromoly heim joints, on is RH thread and the other is LH so I can just loosen lock nuts and twist the link to add or remove camber. The span between the holes in the stock bushings is 8" This will become the new links shortest length as I doubt I would ever nee more than 3.7' of camber.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0821.jpg

One short section of 1x.095" DOM tubing with the threaded fittings welded on. I even welded 3 rosette welds as well as seam welding to make sure this is sturdy.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0834.jpg

All apart, I have some nice washers that go on the side of the heim joint that will seal dirt and moisture out of the joints.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0824.jpg

Assembled, It looks dainty but these are very strong joints and should be more than enough up for the job.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0825.jpg

Installed with the factory bolts, I cut some spacers to hold the joints in place, they are asymmetrical so that when the suspension is loaded, the link is perpendicular with the bolt, the stock links had a bit of an angle to them that was absorbed by the rubber bushings.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0830.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0833.jpg

Bitsyncmaster

01-06-2013, 06:40 AM

Those 1/2" heim joints just look to small. But I really don't know what forces are seen on them. I would have gone to a larger heim and machined a bushing if you needed a smaller bolt hole.

Rich

01-06-2013, 10:38 AM

jawn101

01-06-2013, 11:20 PM

Looking good man. I hope the adjustable arms work out for you, be interesting to see if Rich is right about the extra NVH.

vwdmc16

01-09-2013, 02:08 AM

No opinion on the Heim joint size or link size.

Comments in passing

- Looks like a clean fabrication job, nice work there
- This design looks like what Josh recently came up with at DPI - his kit includes both upper and lower adjustable arms (w/Heims all around)
- Marty M. offers adjustable lower arm rebuilds that retain the original bushings - no Heims - and also result in rear camber adjustability
- Tradeoff: Am guessing that while any Heim-ended control arms will tighten up the wheel geometry variation and also eliminate any bushing wind-up loads they will also transmit more noise or harshness into the frame than we get with the original bushings. Not sure how much this matters since those are secondary loads, not vertical loads into those links.

Let us know how it all works out. Nice thread you have going.

Thanks, I spoke with some fellow race car builders, they use these joints to build control arms on their 400hp circle track cars, only fail if the car hits a wall. They are rated at over 16,000lbs. If I built the lower arm, I's use something bigger. Now I may go another way with this, If I feel that the solid joints allow too much vibration in, I will have to go back to rubber mounts, perhaps something like the ones Marty M. offers.

Id love to get the beautiful links that DPI has, but I have to keep within a budget, I was able to make these at a great price. Im still debating on what to do on the front end.

vwdmc16

01-20-2013, 07:48 PM

Rechecked the alignment with the new links, Rear now has -1.5' of camber which is just where I want it, I still have plenty of adjustment available to go to the stock -0.3-0.8' The rear toe is about .25' off so I will have to play with some shims on the TABs to get that right. Overall though the ride is not rougher or louder with the solid upper links.

In my latest bag of new parts is an AC panel decal. Look how tired and faded the old one is.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0836.jpg

I simply pull off the old one to reveal the clear plastic backing that directs the light to the decal. it looks pretty messy and after 30 minutes of scrubbing and scraping it still looked messy but was smooth enough to allow the new decal to lay over. The Plastic panel is NLA sadly.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0839.jpg

Looks much better now!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0841.jpg

Got a piece of screen door mesh that would work nicely as a screen for the air intake .

Wide open hole.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0871.jpg

Trimmed mesh

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0872.jpg

Glued in with black weather strip adhesive, this will be covered by the cowl grille so it wont be very visible nor will it want to pull off.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0874.jpg

Nice!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0876.jpg

Domi

01-21-2013, 02:12 PM

Nice panel decal, did you put some led in the back?
Nice improvement under the cowl :thumbup2:

jawn101

01-21-2013, 11:38 PM

That new decal looks awesome man. It's the little things sometimes, right? :)

So how come you couldn't get your cowl off in one piece? What was in the way? I really want to add some screen under mine but don't really fancy the idea of cutting it up.

vwdmc16

01-22-2013, 03:42 PM

Yes there are LEDs in the panel, it illuminates well.

Jon, there wasnt enough room between the wipershafts and the base of the windshield, i didnt want to force it an possibly crack tge glass, i cut it neatly at the wiper shaft and you can only see that its cut if you look really close.

dmc6960

01-24-2013, 09:51 PM

The windshield cowl should remove in one piece no problem if you remove the wiper arms first (just a single bolt each).

vwdmc16

01-24-2013, 10:38 PM

Right it should however mine would not, maybe the windshield (not original) is longer or something else strange.

vwdmc16

02-02-2013, 11:43 PM

I have access to a sandblast cabinet now si ive been cleaning up parts from other projects, the parking brake really needed work on the D, It was the rustiest part remaining.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0893_zpsd1bb1c50.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0892_zps879604df.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0894_zps6e024e7d.jpg

All cleaned up I found a large crack has formed, the whole bracket was pretty bent up too so a bit of hammering and welding was needed. Then some primer and paint before mounting up with new stainless hardware, the old mounting studs all broke off.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130130_203822_zps7436f827.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0898_zps2bd72e13.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0908_zpsc9f74f91.jpg

I also bought some more stock wire harness retainer clips to help hold up the wiring on the roof that was sagging badly, still need to finnish that headliner.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0911_zps8dec3168.jpg

jawn101

02-02-2013, 11:54 PM

DavidProehl

02-03-2013, 12:34 AM

Very impressive! Amazing what the right tools can do!

vwdmc16

02-03-2013, 03:28 PM

Both lower door panels are off for an easy mod to help the door air vents flow air better, The ducting is pretty loose and there is a strip of foam that is attached to seal the gap. An alternative is to fill the gap with expanding foam for an even tighter seal.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0886_zps619e073c.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0880_zps2435a080.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0881_zps5fa72119.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0884_zpsf06d7171.jpg

After the foam cures I cut it down and spray some black paint on. Now those vents should discharge all the air they get.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0882_zps18c6db12.jpg

Now back to the front suspension, as a test to see how much castor I could regain by modifying the suspension, I took one of the stock stay bar bushings and cut it down from 3/4" to 1/4" thick and re installed it.

This is bushing #32 in the diagram below, by cutting it down I effectively move the lower control arm forward 1/2" thus adding caster

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0877_zps3060da44.jpg

http://store.delorean.com/images/Category/large/5-1-0.gif

The results are in after another quick measurement on the alignment rack. I gained about 4' on the driver side, Now I need to add shims to the front side of the passenger lower arm to reduce the caster 2' so they are equal.

For the first time since ive owned the car, it just about tracks stright down the road. But still more work to do.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130201_174520_zpsb38ffca7.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/align2_zps12360470.jpg

Ryan S.

02-03-2013, 04:43 PM

Wow. That looks amazing. Looks brand new.

vwdmc16

02-16-2013, 11:32 PM

Jon came over today and performed a HUGE and much needed job, Replacing my Fuse box and updating the relays and breakers. It was a long day crammed in the passenger floor well, but great improvements were gained.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0958_zps3c6fa017.jpg

Before, a horrible mess that was actually quite dangerous:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0948_zps552870f8.jpg

A PO had done some rewiring, It looks like they cut off the original box 2" into the harness and then soldered in another box with its 2" of wire, then put thick and gooey heat shrink on each wire.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0949_zps76905ed0.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0950_zps38d6cf38.jpg

As you can see, some key circuits were just hanging on by a thread and others were just mangled, how the fuse plugged in I dont even know.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0951_zps60bea3fa.jpg

We really did this all just in time, Just as Jon cut the last wire, the fuse board burst into flame!!!! Oh No!:tongue2:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0954_zps9ae6bc82.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0952_zps05fee819.jpg

All labeled and ready for better heat shrink and new tips, a few wires could not be saved so new ones were installed.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0955_zpsea4d49a9.jpg

Meanwhile I worked on my EFI conversion more, I found a possible W pipe replacement part from the intake piping of a 1992 300zX twin turbo. the center is 3" and the two outlets are 2.5" just what I need.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0937_zpsd613b52c.jpg

However no amount of heating would make the ends bend sharp enough without pinching shut, It seems I would have to continue with the scratch made metal one.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0960_zpsce57830e.jpg

Grabbed my tightened bends and trimmed them to fit each other at the correct width.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0959_zps1dd24d43.jpg

Next I found a 3" ID to 3" OD adapter tube at the local auto part's exhaust aisle that would help the transition become smoother, I cut and bent that to fit in between the newly joined bends. An hour of fitting and trimming it was ready to weld.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0962_zpsaec9dc19.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0963_zpsbd4facc4.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0964_zpsba7f4c3e.jpg

I still need some silicone connectors but here is how the W pipe, MAF and airfilter adapter will go together.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0965_zps7ded79b7.jpg

I also mocked up some throttle linkage ideas, I will need to scrounge some volvo/bosch throttle body arms from the junkyard to make this work, but I still think the common throttle shaft idea will work.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0968_zpsd872b0d2.jpg

Now does the new piping fit?

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0975_zps3386dc6c.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0976_zps31e54443.jpg

The thermostat housing interferes too much so it had to be cut down again, but it was still too tall. A bit of heat and hammering on the new W pipe to create a small indentation on the underside did the trick. Its very close to the thermostat still.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0985_zps57d94e20.jpg

Not much was holding the Intake manifold in now so I decided to remove it and the K jet mixture unit so I could sand blast them, Im very tired about how dirty and corroded they look, I also did some sanding/filing on the manifold to remove the ugly casting flaws in the manifold and original W pipe.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0986_zps1428f217.jpg

The sun was setting and Jon was finishing up on the wires, Looks pretty good, final step was to re wrap the harness in the oem style non sticky rubber wrap, that really helps sanitize the compartment.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0987_zpsdff1aa46.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0989_zps4ce5eabf.jpg

jawn101

02-16-2013, 11:58 PM

Weird the way that box just caught fire like that, wasn't it?

Can't wait to hear if the car runs better as a result - I bet you'll see a lot of little improvements everywhere given the state things were in before, but some really big gains would be awesome!

vwdmc16

02-19-2013, 01:29 AM

After a quick sandblasting the part are ready to go back in.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0991_zps498b4d48.jpg

Fuel mixture unit before:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0969_zpse35665ab.jpg

After, I still need to get new stainless allen bolts:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0992_zps254edb3b.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0996_zps9eb61a97.jpg

VOD still looks good, paint is holding up

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0990_zps63bcb4aa.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0997_zpsc53e23a7.jpg

Even blasted and painted the throttle mechanism, This part was really nasty looking too, But it still isnt as nice at the re plated ones ive seen.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0998_zpsae62b852.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_1000_zps9514279c.jpg

Now if only the underside of the engine was this clean....

jawn101

02-19-2013, 01:46 AM

Hot damn, dude. This has been a very big week for your car. That looks amazing! I can't wait to see it in person.

Ryan S.

02-19-2013, 02:19 AM

That looks pretty impressive. You two have done some amazing work.

DavidProehl

02-19-2013, 09:59 AM

Wow! That is fine!

Domi

02-19-2013, 04:13 PM

Really nice ;)

dmc3130

02-19-2013, 04:26 PM

NICE JOB Clint and John.......:dork:

vwdmc16

03-09-2013, 10:41 PM

The Norcal DMC club gathered some of our mufflers together for a group ceramic coating, the mufflers are stainless but after 30 years they look rusty and old, since they are visible from behind the car this is an unsightly problem.

$125 each, they look better than new.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130309_185251_zps6af987c0.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130309_174043_zps8efa7008.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130309_174051_zps5f2b583a.jpg

I also sanded the tips to regrain them again.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130309_185416_zps31e2470d.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130309_185315_zpscbd6704e.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130309_185304_zpse98a8dcb.jpg

My friend Jon found some alternative exhaust clamps, theses stainless band clamps should last longer than the u bolt style stock ones, I trimmed mine a bit to help it fit better since the muffler inlet begins to turn immediately.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130309_182709_zpsc9a6ae90.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130309_184832_zps5cd53a55.jpg

DMC5180

03-10-2013, 12:57 PM

Nice work with that clamp Mod.

vwdmc16

03-23-2013, 10:37 PM

About 4 years ago, when I rebuilt the passenger side rear suspension I also changed out the main bearing in the hub since they were making grinding noise. Since then the other side hasn't been making grinding noise but whenever I go up my driveway at an angle or if you make hard low speed turns left to right, The rear hubs make a clicking/clunking noise which was the bearings sliding inside the hub carriers.

This clunking issue is fairly common with Deloreans as the machining tolerances arent that great, If you can find some shims to tighten it, that is the best solution. An alternative is locking compound.

Rear suspension apart.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130312_202827_zps4103495b.jpg

Driver side with Loctite sleeve retainer.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130312_203019_zpsc54837c9.jpg

The rear rotor was rusted on pretty good, it needed to pressed off to, next the spindle is pressed out.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130313_121103_zps8bd906c0.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130313_121521_zpsa88b5934.jpg

All apart, I could then Sandblast all the parts.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130313_122638_zps63c3d089.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130313_123857_zpsdd158a7a.jpg

After a cleaning The Loctite was applied.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130313_130141_zps0e49ee46.jpg

New bearing pressed in.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130313_130324_zps38ccd584.jpg

Cleaned the Snap ring groove so the loctite doesn't glue that in.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130313_131255_zps23f694c5.jpg

Cleaned and painted spindle with anti-seize on the splines

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130313_160528_zpsdab5a709.jpg

All back together, looking clean.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130313_161154_zps91fd659c.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130314_200106_zps906d5c5b.jpg

While the suspension was out I cleaned and repainted the frame int he wheel well, the POR15 silver has not held its color well over the years

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130314_195835_zps529b79f9.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130315_204630_zps29339ffe.jpg

Two days later the passenger side was done but I reused the main bearing since it has only 18k miles. I also blasted and painted the brake rotors too. Up next , the brakes get stripped and repainted again.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130315_222913_zps36463854.jpg

Domi

03-24-2013, 06:23 PM

Amazing job as usual :thumbup:

vwdmc16

03-28-2013, 01:27 AM

Can't wait to hear if the car runs better as a result - I bet you'll see a lot of little improvements everywhere given the state things were in before, but some really big gains would be awesome!

Forgot to add this, No the engine didnt run any better, the gauges and lights are definitely 3x better at least but I still had a crippling and persistent missing/ cutting out when coming off idle under load. the car would buck back and forth an cough if driven below 2k rpm. The fix was super simple, new spark plugs! I had it in my mind that the plugs arent that old, sure they have about 20k miles and 4 years on them but perhaps it was that I have taken them out quite a few times I thought they were fresher. Some how new plugs made the car just work properly, I again gapped them at .040" since I have that powerful coil and no resistor. I love easy fixes!

Cartman

03-28-2013, 09:39 AM

Been reding this tread from start to finish, I must say you'we done some grate work, admmitedly, seeing all this work has scared me slightly from getting a D of my ovn, but the want is stil stronger than the scare, så hopefuly some time down the road, i'l have saved up enough money to find a deacrnt enough one to import. I'm no stranger to restoration, but there is aparently alott more than meets the eye on the D's i had the impresion that they didn't rust at all, but I now se that that wil be my biggest consern. Theelectrical bits, and engien/trans issues don't realy bother me that mutch, because that's just mechanical bits, but rust is my acilies heal :) I can't weld good to save my life :) luckely we have a grate bodyshop at my place of work, and they realy know what they are doing :)
Idealy I would get one of DMC's new build's but that wil be to expencive I fear.

Wil be keeping an eye on this tread :)

jawn101

03-28-2013, 06:23 PM

Really glad to hear the new plugs went such a long way for you man. Did you redo the dyno now that you have solid spark? :)

DMCMW Dave

03-28-2013, 07:24 PM

I again gapped them at .040" since I have that powerful coil and no resistor. I love easy fixes!

Keep an eye on your cap and rotor over time. By doing this you have raised your spark voltage by quite a bit over what the resistor in the rotor and the gap in the cap/rotor were expected to handle by the OEM designer.

vwdmc16

03-28-2013, 09:21 PM

Really glad to hear the new plugs went such a long way for you man. Did you redo the dyno now that you have solid spark? :)

No there is no way my old boss will let me use the Dyno again sadly.

Dave, that is a good point, the car and rotor will begin to wear more too. Ill get a new one to keep around on hand for the next time im in the valley.

vwdmc16

04-15-2013, 11:52 PM

Havent updated in abit since the car has been behaving so well, really racking up the miles, (over 56,800 now) Probably hasnt driven this nicely and consistently since new! Mostly this is from the recent fuse box replacement and the spark plugs, Also this simple mod I did helps tremendously in traffic. As ive said before I hate the stock throttle set up and currently the only way I could get full throttle and full idle was after a LOT of adjusting, well at this "optimal" adjustment, the first 10% of throttle is very twitchy which is quite a pain in heavy traffic

As a test I merely added a small ziptie to the throttle max stop with the throttle cable going on the outside. This allows the cable to have more leverage on the throttle spool for the first 15% of throttle and making it less twitchy

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130320_174416_zpscafdc0f0.jpg

However the zip tie only lasts two days before breaking so the permanent mod will need a metal roll pin to be installed, drill a hole as far out as I can without going too far and cracking the metal.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130324_111419_zps00658680.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/dmc/20130324_111419_zps00658680.jpg.html)

Now the throttle has a variable control to it. The lower throttle amounts require more pedal movement than the upper amounts, if that makes sense.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130324_112150_zpsf773fb77.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/dmc/20130324_112150_zpsf773fb77.jpg.html)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130324_112159_zpsae41113b.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/dmc/20130324_112159_zpsae41113b.jpg.html)

I have some other interesting projects coming up that will have to wait until coming events are over (or the car decides to stop behaving)
But still Im continuing with more cosmetic issues like the lower engine lid, Crack repairs and repaint

Grilles and retaining strips sandblasted and being painted, engine cover stripping:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130415_181800_zps7384e935.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/dmc/20130415_181800_zps7384e935.jpg.html)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130415_181810_zps2a05f6e5.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/dmc/20130415_181810_zps2a05f6e5.jpg.html)

Need to figure out how to reinforce the leading edge of the lid better than this brass stock/JB weld mess

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130415_181819_zpsdf7118de.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/dmc/20130415_181819_zpsdf7118de.jpg.html)

Cracks

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130415_200022_zpsbf87b0d4.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/dmc/20130415_200022_zpsbf87b0d4.jpg.html)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/20130415_200102_zps0cf4d42c.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/dmc/20130415_200102_zps0cf4d42c.jpg.html)

jmpdmc

04-16-2013, 06:05 PM

Wolff,

About the brass/JB Weld mess: Email Josh at DPI since he sells a lower engine cover support strip for this area. You will need to ask him how it is secured too.

Jeff

DavidProehl

04-16-2013, 06:26 PM

Nice work with the throttle. Glad to hear you are making progress and you continue to have a more and more reliable car every day. Keep the updates coming!

jawn101

04-16-2013, 08:52 PM

Are you gonna keep those engine cover grilles silver, or is that just the prep phase?

vwdmc16

04-16-2013, 09:17 PM

Nah that's just primer, I painted them SEM black again. Nothing flashy. On day I could go back and make it contrast.

Another note on those grilles I was thinking about just gluing them to the lid with windshield adhesive instead of reinstalling those heavy and clumsy retaining strips, Anything I can do to lighten the rear of the car and remove possible rattle makers.

vwdmc16

06-13-2013, 10:03 PM

Finally finished up one project I have underway, Corvette 3rd Brake light. I picked this unit up for just $40 from a Corvette repair shop just a block from my work. It needs a new base gasket as this one has shrunk some and it needed two new bulbs, $8 a piece, I also used some old free BMW parts for the wiring. First to mock up where it will go, Center of the top louver:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130513_190432_zpsbb241dca.jpg

Tried under the louver idea but that would require two lights and would block some rearward vision:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130502_214857_zps5e9bccb0.jpg

After measuring center, I measured for the two M6 mounting holes.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130513_183923_zps93af869c.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130502_214739_zpsafb03dab.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130502_214739_zpsafb03dab.jpg.html)

After mounting was figured, I stripped the light down, sanded, primered and painted with SEM black. Now to wire it up. I got some high quality twin cable 18ga wire from a old BMW, its actually the rear speaker wires and comes pre-twisted, I also wanted to install a quick release waterproof connector up top so I dont have to cut and re connect the wires whenever the Louvers have to be removed ( granted that isnt often but whatever makes things easier in the future). The two pin connector is also from that BMW.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1011_zpsfdfd55f0.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1011_zpsfdfd55f0.jpg.html)

I drilled out a hole in the torsion bar finisher panel for the connector to sit in:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1013_zps2daf9807.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1013_zps2daf9807.jpg.html)

After installing the heat shrink in the right order, time to solder up the female plug end to the long wires.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1014_zps4e1a393e.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1014_zps4e1a393e.jpg.html)

I used a small hose clamp to secure the plug to the panel so it isnt pulled out when unplugged:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1016_zps4e0276a0.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1016_zps4e0276a0.jpg.html)

To allow more room for the plug and so the louvers don't hit the plug when shut, I trimmed down the male end of the plug and made the wire come out at a 90' angle, sealed with liquid electrical tape.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1017_zpsc7c4d048.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1017_zpsc7c4d048.jpg.html)

Cut down the excess wire, add heat shrink and this nice expandable mesh sheathing (again from a 90's BMW) and connected to the newly mounted brake light.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1018_zps8a6d7d03.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1018_zps8a6d7d03.jpg.html)

Plenty of room between the plug and louver, also added a clip to hold the wire from sagging into my field of view:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1032_zps3a45ae97.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1032_zps3a45ae97.jpg.html)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1033_zps466a3300.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1033_zps466a3300.jpg.html)

Wires are run down the passenger side quarter panel to the rear fascia and soldered into the taillight harness, I will need to come back and solder in another quick release plug needed during fascia removal. Not shown but I also added another ground to the tail light circuit since there is about 24 more watts being drawn.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1021_zps775cfe70.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1021_zps775cfe70.jpg.html)

Looks nice and hopefully it will save my ass one day!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1022_zps6e2e1c25.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1022_zps6e2e1c25.jpg.html)

jawn101

06-13-2013, 10:42 PM

Damn man, that came out great!! Good job :)

DavidProehl

06-14-2013, 09:35 AM

Well executed!

Ryan S.

06-14-2013, 12:16 PM

look so OEM. good job!!
Just need to add a break light flasher for an added protection.

ALEXAKOS

06-14-2013, 12:38 PM

Don't really like any of the third break lights made on a D..
But this one looks sweet!

Josh

06-14-2013, 12:51 PM

I agree. I don't really see the need for a third break light, but this install is done very, very well!

dvonk

06-14-2013, 01:11 PM

...I don't really see the need for a third break light...

:8ball:

Domi

06-14-2013, 03:53 PM

Very good job and really clean, congratulation :thumbup2:

Farrar

06-14-2013, 04:03 PM

Brake

Dangermouse

06-14-2013, 11:09 PM

Brake

:)

Ryan S.

06-15-2013, 01:29 AM

damm...iphone auto spell checker.

Josh

06-15-2013, 02:37 AM

Brake

Lol, poor spelling strikes again!

vwdmc16

06-15-2013, 02:53 AM

Bitsyncmaster

06-15-2013, 05:54 AM

Thanks guys, im working a huge wiring connector upgrade project too, i have the a few styles of connectors to decide on before installation begins, this should really improve the car to the point it should have been originally.

+1

I would never use the round pin connectors they chose. They just don't age well. I've always considered just removing the connector in the bulkhead and just hard wiring them. When will you ever need to replace the harness?

Farrar

06-15-2013, 10:35 AM

damm...iphone auto spell checker.

I dunno about the iPhone, but I was able to turn off that "feature" on my iPad 1.

Farrar

06-15-2013, 10:37 AM

I've always considered just removing the connector in the bulkhead and just hard wiring them.

All of them?

Would you use a lot of little grommets or one big one?

Bitsyncmaster

06-15-2013, 04:47 PM

All of them?

Would you use a lot of little grommets or one big one?

I would probably do one connector at a time so the wires would stay in the same holes. I would just use some edge molding on the sharp metal and not use any grommets.

vwdmc16

06-17-2013, 11:52 PM

Performed one of those free Autocheck things on my Vin number, Got some more info on the earlier years of my car

It seems it actually spent the first 18 years in Sanford Maine, Not Massachusetts as I thought, only until 1998-2001 was it in the Boston area with the previous owner before he moved to TX then here to CA in 2001. I guess the guy I bought it from really did "drive the hell out of it in Mass. back forest roads" He more than doubled the mileage putting about 20k on in 2 years. It must take time for the latest info to be uploaded ( I added the last entry). Almost 20k in 3 years under my watch.

?????? 03/13/1996 SANFORD, ME
14,351 09/30/1998 RANDOLPH, MA
14,352 07/07/1999 RANDOLPH, MA
34,900 08/31/2001 STOUGHTON, MA
37,221 03/16/2010 SACRAMENTO,CA
37,340 03/23/2010 SACRAMENTO,CA
47,782 07/29/2011 SACRAMENTO,CA
56,936 06/17/2013 SACRAMENTO,CA

Stainless

07-23-2013, 06:50 PM

I quickly looked through your thread, but didn't find the answer to two of my questions:
1) Where did you purchase the stainless steel studs that you used to replace the broken ones on the bottom of your rear fascia?
2) Did you cut more of those access panels that cover the engine cover lock/latch in the engine compartment?

vwdmc16

07-24-2013, 01:23 AM

Stainless

07-24-2013, 10:16 AM

The Stainless studs were from DPI, I also got the glue from him, eventually.

And I did not cut out any more stainless latch covers, I was seriously thinking about getting 100 or so laser cut out by a local shop and I could sell them at cost and save all you people about $100 over a NOS one or attempting to cut one out. Yeah DMCH wants $108 for that panel now!

Great. I'll contact Josh for the studs.

If you ever go down the road of cutting more of those stainless latch covers, sign me up. I recently discovered mine missing and am not going to spend $108+ on a small piece of metal. Sheesh.

vwdmc16

07-30-2013, 12:58 AM

More cosmetic repairs continue. Lots of epoxy repairs and sanding to the lower engine lid.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130721_124746_zpscbb0a5d6.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130721_124746_zpscbb0a5d6.jpg.html)

Also finished the mini louvers for the big louvers, I tried about 2 years ago to repaint them but they kept fisheyeing badly and no matter how many times I cleaned or sanded it would not accept paint smoothly, Today I Sandblasted them and actually got the old paint off nicely. While they look good in bare black plastic I decided to prime and SEM black paint them again to make sure they match the louvers. Success!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130729_193902_zps5098e494.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130729_193902_zps5098e494.jpg.html)

Finally after a few weeks, the cover looks good again.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130729_192750_zpse28f31d6.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130729_192750_zpse28f31d6.jpg.html)

I also need to replace some more rubber Coolant hoses under the car, while waiting for new silicon tube to come Im cleaning up the fuel closing plate, Ive scrapped a few things it seems.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130729_192739_zpsfc5b8855.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130729_192739_zpsfc5b8855.jpg.html)

After cleaning:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130729_193801_zps97884eb8.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130729_193801_zps97884eb8.jpg.html)

The back side has a few spots where the epoxy is damaged from brake fluid. There is a pretty large dent too ill need to repair too.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130729_193402_zps193d3f88.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130729_193402_zps193d3f88.jpg.html)

Now I have easy access to the hoses.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130729_193817_zps3b159572.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130729_193817_zps3b159572.jpg.html)

More epoxy damage, Im thinking i should remove the fuel tank again to clean this up. it still may be years before I have the opportunity to remove the frame for a proper full restoration.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130729_193832_zpse9e6c340.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130729_193832_zpse9e6c340.jpg.html)

Josh

07-30-2013, 01:07 AM

I noticed your bit about the frame, that is interesting that you want to do a frame off after all the work you have done! I guess one of the disadvantages of a rolling restoration. I ripped all my suspension off and figured i might as well pull the frame and be done with it. However the major advantage: You get to drive your car!

This is a great thread by the way, if I hadn't already mentioned it!

jawn101

07-30-2013, 01:27 AM

That closing plate and engine covers look great man. Happy for you to have those louvers looking so good after so long!

One of these days I need to drop my closing plate and learn to paint. The only rust on my whole frame is where the brake master leaked many years ago and ate the epoxy right under it. And one day I'll also need to fiberglass that crack in my louver, which means painting it too... Sigh

Got any photos of the completed louvers? I haven't seen your car with them in one piece in... Months? Years? Exciting!

vwdmc16

08-19-2013, 01:41 AM

I noticed your bit about the frame, that is interesting that you want to do a frame off after all the work you have done! I guess one of the disadvantages of a rolling restoration....
This is a great thread by the way, if I hadn't already mentioned it!

Yeah the frame will never be as nice as I want it to be unless it is fully removed and stripped. As you will see below I still have problem spots.

Glad you like the thread!

I decided to remove the fuel tank fully and check on a few things as well as be able to remove the tubes in there for a proper cleaning.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130809_183609_zps103d1173.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130809_183609_zps103d1173.jpg.html)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1085_zps82cc950f.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1085_zps82cc950f.jpg.html)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130807_194924_zps14f8a2e0.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130807_194924_zps14f8a2e0.jpg.html)

Fuel tank itself is still in fine shape.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1088_zps950f7bd1.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1088_zps950f7bd1.jpg.html)

No more old rubber under the car now.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1087_zpsc0b2e8e7.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1087_zpsc0b2e8e7.jpg.html)

As you can see there is a small area that the M/C has leaked brake fluid on to and has eaten the epoxy. luckily its only surface rust and after a heavy wire wheeling and quick paint touch up, it shouldnt fester much until I the day comes for the frame renewal.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1090_zpsa9cc3cf2.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1090_zpsa9cc3cf2.jpg.html)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1091_zps58a97358.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1091_zps58a97358.jpg.html)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1092_zps54b51f02.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1092_zps54b51f02.jpg.html)

Used some small sections of tube to insulate and protect the tank from the hot tubes

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1093_zps4443798d.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1093_zps4443798d.jpg.html)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1095_zps8146d08d.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1095_zps8146d08d.jpg.html)

Last weekend, fellow Dmc owner David came over and helped swapped my failed plastic capped radiator for a solid used brass unit I got from Jon in vacaville, After a quick sandblasting and painting of the tanks it looked good as new. Only wish I could have installed newer cooling fans at the same time, but that day will come.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1100_zpsfde20406.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1100_zpsfde20406.jpg.html)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1101_zps9e389f1b.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1101_zps9e389f1b.jpg.html)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1102_zpsf5f4e882.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1102_zpsf5f4e882.jpg.html)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1106_zps767edefe.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1106_zps767edefe.jpg.html)

vwdmc16

08-19-2013, 01:51 AM

Got any photos of the completed louvers? I haven't seen your car with them in one piece in... Months? Years? Exciting!

You mean the engine lid? The lovers still need work and another repaint before I can install the mini louvers. I just finished gluing the mesh back in to the lower engine lid with windshield adhesive even though I just bought the missing metal clips that I needed to hold the mesh to the lid. Gluing is so much cleaner and much lighter, No rattle either.

Sadly I need to do one more top coat as something got on the paint as I was gluing the mesh in, and it looks kind of streaky.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1108_zpscf138ab7.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1108_zpscf138ab7.jpg.html)

Also have another (unnecessary) project, installing these big ass 1940's ers AutoLite horns after I finish blasting, painting and rebuilding the second one. I will need a new power supply to these since they pull nearly 10 amp each when blowing.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1109_zps9b0707d5.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1109_zps9b0707d5.jpg.html)

Josh

08-19-2013, 01:53 AM

Looks great Clint! That is a good idea around the gas tank, mine did not have that when I was taking apart my car. I will have to cut up some extra hose when I put my pipes back in.

vwdmc16

10-21-2013, 11:48 PM

Small update, Not been working in the garage as much these days, may continue slowly as winter approaches.

Created a silicone tube bleed valve set up for the radiator, sure makes it easy to get the air out.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20130822_122445_zpsb11a3a86.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20130822_122445_zpsb11a3a86.jpg.html)

Fiddled about with the EFI / Twin throttle project. Decided for sure to go with cables and spools over push rods and linkages to open the butterflies. It seems amazing how well random Bosch parts and similar era German/ Swedish parts are interchangeable and can work together in ways they were never intended to. The throttle spools from 70's volvo 240s fit perfectly and with a small set screw, attach well on to the throttle body of a '90 volvo 740 16v. even the half moon casting on the inside works as a throttle stop against the throttle body. It's weird.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20131007_180959_zpsae5a1c26.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20131007_180959_zpsae5a1c26.jpg.html)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20131007_181006_zpsa5530adc.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20131007_181006_zpsa5530adc.jpg.html)

Drilled and tapped for a 6-32 set screw to hold it on the flat section of the shaft, just need to install another in the right place so the idle stop screws can work.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/20131007_181055_zps9d78134e.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/20131007_181055_zps9d78134e.jpg.html)

Just some final trimming, fabricating a split cable set up and finishing one more adapter before I can try the twin throttles with K jet.:nana1:

ALEXAKOS

10-22-2013, 04:43 AM

Nice detailing!

Fear not of what you see outside....
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1092_zps54b51f02.jpg

But what is going on behind that!:bawling:

vwdmc16

11-11-2013, 10:59 PM

Treated my self and the car to something nice

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1139_zpsa0baeeed.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1139_zpsa0baeeed.jpg.html)

First time the car has had completely new front shocks in 32 years, Below are the shocks Ive run before. Right to left: Stock Girling (off a 18kmile car), DMCH Eibach (used with 30k miles and one ended up being blown so ive never actually used these more the a trip around the block so Still need to find a place to rebuild them), New Koni Adjustables, Mazda Miata rear Bilstein HDs with a few seasons of racing on them.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1142_zpsaf6ef6bd.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1142_zpsaf6ef6bd.jpg.html)

These Konis are modifed Pontiac Fiero front shocks (Koni #8040 1092). The lower bushing was pressed out and a urethane bushing with a 1/2" ID sleeve was installed, they are adjustable by compressing the shaft fully and rotating it within a 720' window, I started out in the middle adjustment and they are a noticeable improvement over the Girlings and the (worn) Billys. There is a slight amount of residual bouncing if you bounce the car up and down on one corner so Im going to set them a bit stiffer but while driving they feel devine

I would like to get another pair of new Bilsteins and do the same bushing treatment and compare them back to back with the konis since my experience with the Bills are not fair since they were used cast offs I got in a trade years back.

Installed easy just like a stock shocks ad you can see they are barely smaller.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1145_zps0d31748f.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1145_zps0d31748f.jpg.html)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1146_zps67180306.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1146_zps67180306.jpg.html)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1147_zps3b72d860.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1147_zps3b72d860.jpg.html)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/DMC2/IMG_1148_zpsf6f3f5b4.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/vwdmc16/media/DMC2/IMG_1148_zpsf6f3f5b4.jpg.html)