My Delorean...is red.

[Kenny_Z]

Hello everyone. I bought my D a little under 2 weeks ago for a great price. She's #4534 and has a little over 26k original miles with 25k of those put on the car before 1991. She'd been in storage for almost 7 years when the owner passed away and his wife wanted the car gone. I got her for 4k under the reserved price when she didn't sell on Ebay. Luckily the pictures they took for ebay made the car look way worse than it actually is. Other than the fact the car is red...even the rims are red.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/delorean.jpg

From what I can tell from the papers I found in the D (original warranty card) she sold in 83 even though she's an 81 to a 60 year old lady with 1357 miles on the clock. I think the dealer painted the car, I haven't found any bondo under the paint with tapping tests. I'm familiar with bodywork so I'm confident in what I found. The car sold to the owner before me in 2002 where it sat in storage and only came out for car shows.

Does anyone know of any stripping products safe for the stainless and rims? I'm not in a rush to strip the paint, getting the AC working is my priority, but I will be doing it in the future.

[stevedmc]

Hello everyone. I bought my D a little under 2 weeks ago for a great price. She's #4534 and has a little over 26k original miles with 25k of those put on the car before 1991. She'd been in storage for almost 7 years when the owner passed away and his wife wanted the car gone. I got her for 4k under the reserved price when she didn't sell on Ebay. Luckily the pictures they took for ebay made the car look way worse than it actually is. Other than the fact the car is red...even the rims are red.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/delorean.jpg

From what I can tell from the papers I found in the D (original warranty card) she sold in 83 even though she's an 81 to a 60 year old lady with 1357 miles on the clock. I think the dealer painted the car, I haven't found any bondo under the paint with tapping tests. I'm familiar with bodywork so I'm confident in what I found. The car sold to the owner before me in 2002 where it sat in storage and only came out for car shows.

Does anyone know of any stripping products safe for the stainless and rims? I'm not in a rush to strip the paint, getting the AC working is my priority, but I will be doing it in the future.

That is a beautiful car. Do you know if that is the original 30 year old paint? It looks great.

[Morpheus]

I'm not sure about the body, but for the rims you should be able to just have them bead blasted and powdercoated easily.

[BigBenb84]

We Pensacolians saw that car in town forsale. Glad someone got it. So I see your not from Pensacola now, where did you take it "home" to?

[Chris Burns]

Hello everyone. I bought my D a little under 2 weeks ago for a great price. She's #4534 and has a little over 26k original miles with 25k of those put on the car before 1991. She'd been in storage for almost 7 years when the owner passed away and his wife wanted the car gone. I got her for 4k under the reserved price when she didn't sell on Ebay. Luckily the pictures they took for ebay made the car look way worse than it actually is. Other than the fact the car is red...even the rims are red.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/delorean.jpg

From what I can tell from the papers I found in the D (original warranty card) she sold in 83 even though she's an 81 to a 60 year old lady with 1357 miles on the clock. I think the dealer painted the car, I haven't found any bondo under the paint with tapping tests. I'm familiar with bodywork so I'm confident in what I found. The car sold to the owner before me in 2002 where it sat in storage and only came out for car shows.

Does anyone know of any stripping products safe for the stainless and rims? I'm not in a rush to strip the paint, getting the AC working is my priority, but I will be doing it in the future.

Good find man!:thumbup2:

[Kenny_Z]

We Pensacolians saw that car in town forsale. Glad someone got it. So I see your not from Pensacola now, where did you take it "home" to?

I took her just across the Lillian bridge on hwy 98. I'm closer to Pcola than I am to Foley so you'll probably see her around. Don't hesitate to say hello. She was heading to Norway but thankfully the owner didn't want her to leave the states so I got my dream car. :D

I think the paint might be from the dealer. It looks like a 'spray to sell' job. The interesting thing is that the rims don't match the body so I think they were done by the owner later on.

[1batt4u]

Gotta say, that red actually looks good on the car!!! Except the rims, the rims need to be sandblasted and painted/powdercoated to original color! Good luck with the car!!! :thumbup2:

[tyb323]

At least your car isn't red/orange/pink like uhhair's ;)

[dvonk]

congrats on your purchase, glad you got a good deal! :biggrin:

[vwdmc16]

looks awesome, i might keep the paint if its that nice, you never know how bad the underside is until to get to it.

[opethmike]

That really does look very good, with the exception of the wheels. Its your car, so do what you will, but I would honestly consider keeping it painted.

[DeLorean03]

I have a buttload of pictures of that car I'm uploading them now as "nostalgic" purposes. They are under my profile in their own lil' folder if you want to download them. Sometimes pictures of "where you found it" can be lil treasures in and of themselves (: ....I already PM'd you as well. If you want to work on it together sometime, just let me know. I'd love to help if I can!


And yes, I was the one that stopped by..... (:

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=1760&d=1309235552

[BigBenb84]

I have a buttload of pictures of that car I'm uploading them now as "nostalgic" purposes....And yes, I was the one that stopped by..... (:


Hey Jer, when you leaving us? After you go, ole'red here will be the closest active DeLorean to me.

[DMC3165]

Does anyone know of any stripping products safe for the stainless and rims? I'm not in a rush to strip the paint, getting the AC working is my priority, but I will be doing it in the future.

First off congratulations on your new car. The finish looks great in your pics here. I was never a real big fan of painted D's but i really like the color of your car.

One thing I'd just like to point out. Don't be so quick to remove the paint from this car. If its in good shape with no peeling or cracking leave it alone. The reason I say this is I don't think your going to find nicely grained stainless panels under the paint. Depending on who painted and how 9 out of 10 roughed up the panels by sanding them down a little to make the primer and paint adhere better to the metal thus totally destroying the grain. You may be in for a nightmare of regraining or replacing every panel on the car if you want the brushed stainless finish.

But on the flipside I like it! I say own the paint job. As for the rims maybe have them chromed???? I like shiny wheels even though black powder coat seems to be all the rage these days. I think its a very nice car and certainly unique even in the DeLorean world. :thumbup2:

[Domi]

Congratulation on your purchase, car look good.

[uhhair]

At least your car isn't red/orange/pink like uhhair's ;)

Shut it Tyler, my D is red!

Kenny_Z, if you are seriously interested in stripping the paint off your D at some point, take a look at this thread I started last month.

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?36-Regraining-Stainless&highlight=regraining

My brother and I own a red D as well that we are going to strip and regrain this winter. There are tons of helpful posts by members in there as far as stripping products, methods, ect. I'll also be doing a pretty intensive blog when we actually go through the process this winter, so that should help as well!

As far as the rims, I agree it's probably best to bead blast them to get the paint off rather than strip it with a paint stripper. Once you get the red paint off, whatever is underneath it is definitely not going to be in great shape so you'll end up having to paint/powder coat the rims regardless.

Anyways, congrats on the purchase, and welcome to the uber-exclusive red delorean owners club!

[DeLorean03]

Hey Jer, when you leaving us? After you go, ole'red here will be the closest active DeLorean to me.

I'm here til Sept 13th (:

[jmrydholm]

Very nice! I would never paint the steel on mine, but that is one handsome car.

[timothymoore]

that car looks good. it was actually a car i was interested in before i purchased 10186. i kinda felt weird dealing with the person i did because he kept changing his story on me with the D. looks great though!!!! congrats on the purchase and hope you have loads of fun with her. get us plenty of pictures.what are you doing with it as far as paint goes?

[Kenny_Z]

He did seem quite shifty and the stories did change a bit. I did some research based on the paperwork I sorted through and trusted what I found and what I saw in the D. It helped being able to see it in person.

Thanks everyone. I'll keep an eye on your thread Uhhair, thank you for that. The red is growing on me. There are minor chips and poorly done touchups but overall the paint isn't bad. I can see where they didn't remove the trim to paint and didn't paint in the jams or edges. I didn't even think about the grain being scratched up to assist with the paint sticking. I'll keep that in mind as I decide what to do. I will be striping the wheels though, who ever painted them didn't do a good job and had no taste.

My favorite thing about the red paintjob is that people are having an even harder time figuring out what the car is. :deviltail:

[npdelo]

I Just bought a black one, Their are some small points where the pain needs a touch up any suggestions? (will post pic's tomorrow)

[D Knight]

When I bought mine it was red. I've since stripped and regrained. Mine was more of a fire engine red. Its a collossal pain in the arse to strip, but it can be done. Was that car on Navy by chance. When I was living in Pcola I saw one for sale on Navy that looked similer. At that point it wasn't running because of a claimed alternator problem.

[BigBenb84]

When I bought mine it was red. I've since stripped and regrained. Mine was more of a fire engine red. Its a collossal pain in the arse to strip, but it can be done. Was that car on Navy by chance. When I was living in Pcola I saw one for sale on Navy that looked similer. At that point it wasn't running because of a claimed alternator problem.

Wow, small world. I know the car on Navy that was on a used lot that claimed to have an alternator issue. Little crappy used lot, was on consignment, had $14,800 written on the window, guy said the owner would take $9,000. My friend Snapper said he drove (maybe owned) that car, he told me the story behind it but I forgot. I even have digital pictures of it on my old computer.

That was about 11 years ago, when I was 16. I must have driven up to that car lot 10 times over the course of a few months that it was there. Mostly after they were closed, cause they never locked the car and I would sneak in and sit in it.

[john 05141]

The very first Delorean I went to see when I was looking to buy a Delorean was cherry red. It was in a barn, and looked very bad, but the color was nice tough. If I would have bought it, I probably painted it the same color again.

I did not buy it because the car was in a poor mechanical shape. Benny, one of my friend-Delorean drivers came along to look at it, but we both agreed in 1 minute this was not the car for me. But I did like the color.
If I would have bought it, I would have redone the interiour in a beige color like the gold Deloreans, matches the red very nicely.

John

[Andy]

The very first Delorean I went to see when I was looking to buy a Delorean was cherry red. It was in a barn, and looked very bad, but the color was nice tough. If I would have bought it, I probably painted it the same color again.

I did not buy it because the car was in a poor mechanical shape. Benny, one of my friend-Delorean drivers came along to look at it, but we both agreed in 1 minute this was not the car for me. But I did like the color.
If I would have bought it, I would have redone the interiour in a beige color like the gold Deloreans, matches the red very nicely.

John

Is that red car still in Belgium were you last seen it? I would like to see that one out in the open, looks nice ...

[uhhair]

When I bought mine it was red. I've since stripped and regrained. Mine was more of a fire engine red. Its a collossal pain in the arse to strip, but it can be done. Was that car on Navy by chance. When I was living in Pcola I saw one for sale on Navy that looked similer. At that point it wasn't running because of a claimed alternator problem.

There is a slight possibility, if this red car you saw was years and years ago, that I may be the owner of it now. I bought it from a car collector in NJ, who in turned purchased it from the original owner where it resided in Florida. The car does still have a department of defense sticker on the front windshield from where it was parked on some sort of military base. So maybe, I have it? :)

[john 05141]

Is that red car still in Belgium were you last seen it? I would like to see that one out in the open, looks nice ...

Dag Andy,

No idea what hapened to it. It was in a barn with like 50 very expensive exotic cars in it. Benny and I were both surpirsed to see this. Most cars were in poor condition and covered in dust. I believe he wanted 11.000€ for the car which was too expensive. Anyway, you would have to remove some 20 cars to get this D out anyway.
I'd like to go back again some time, but I have no idea where to reach the owner, I never saw the add again. It has been 6 or 7 years ago, but I bet I can find this place again. It is a 30 min. drive, I'll do that next time when I want to take de D for a ride.

John

[Kenny_Z]

When I bought mine it was red. I've since stripped and regrained. Mine was more of a fire engine red. Its a collossal pain in the arse to strip, but it can be done. Was that car on Navy by chance. When I was living in Pcola I saw one for sale on Navy that looked similer. At that point it wasn't running because of a claimed alternator problem.

I found it on Pensacola blvd at a consignment shop but odds are high that it is the same car. I mean how many red Deloreans could there be in Pensacola? The car was purchased for 17500 back in 2002 according to the title. The timeframe seems to fit and she has a finicky alternator.

Npdelo, touching up these cars is probably the same as any other car except you don't have to worry about your car rusting while you work out the details. Check out some google links for touchups and I'm sure you'll find a lot of useful information.

[Kenny_Z]

Since Old Red is down for the count due to the blown clutch cylinder I've decided to just bite the bullet and do an overhaul.

I've already purchased and have waiting: plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor, starter, and oil filter.

I know I have to get: master, slave, and stainless lines

I probably need a new accumulator since I have the warm start issue and I need to check out the fuel filter because I'm not sure it was changed when the previous owner had the fuel tank drained.

To do the cap and rotor swap it looks like I have to pull the fuel distribution block. I see a kit on SpecialT that has some common orings and a gasket kit for the intake horn. Do you think I'll run into anything else I'll need to replace (or something I might break) while I'm there?

The coolant and vacuum hoses seem to be in good condition. They aren't cracked or brittle and the alternator seems to be in working order for now. I'll probably wait to replace that. Delorean03 recommended a relay kit from SpecialT but that might have to wait as well.

The brake system was fixed before I bought the car with a flush, bleed, and replacement of the MC. I am going to check the pads and rotors before she hits the road again. Is there anything I'm forgetting?

[Farrar]

Sounds like you're off to a good start! I have nothing to add to your list, just wanted to say congrats and good luck. Where in Alabama are you? I'm in southeast Louisiana and can lend a hand if you're not too far away.

Farrar

[opethmike]

At the very least, I would strongly recommend replacing the two coolant hoses that attach to the back of the water pump while the intake is off. The difficulty level and time consumption of intake removal are vastly over-rated, but it would still be a real pain to have to go back in to replace them later on.

[Kenny_Z]

Thanks for the coolant line tip. I'll grab replacements before I start tearing into the engine.

I'm on the Fl/Al line at the foot of the highway 98 bridge.

[Kenny_Z]

I got my license plate in the mail today.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/outatme.jpg

I love it :D

[DeLorean03]

If you need help, let me know. I'll come drive out there and help you. My girl lives literally RIGHT on the Florida side of the Lillian Bridge - like almost across the street from the Vallarta restaurant there, and I do plan on coming out there soon anyways to see her family. I can help you to near the end of August, then it's off to OTS. Just wanted to remind you I'm here if you need me.

[BigBenb84]

...I can help you to near the end of August, then it's off to OTS. Just wanted to remind you I'm here if you need me.

There is a decent chance I'll be moving back Pensacola within the next few months. Probably just as you leave Jer, lol. Didn't plan it that way but oh well.

I'm available for help too. I just drove mine to Destin and back today because I haven't been able to drive it in a week. Thank god my A/C is running awesomely.

[Kenny_Z]

I bet my aunt lives in that same area as your girlfriend, Spanish Moss drive? My grandparents lived in that neighborhood since before I was born. I was supposed to take the D over for my aunt to see but the clutch problem stopped that. Send me a message when you visit and I'll send you directions to my house. Even if I don't have the parts in yet it'd be great to get some pointers on the car in person and meet another Delorean owner.

Just as one D owner leaves Pensacola another one fills the position. Hopefully we could all get together before Delorean03 leaves. Three Deloreans in a restaurant parking lot would be a sight to see.

[Domi]

I got my license plate in the mail today.
I love it :D

How lucky you are to be able to choose your own license plate :thumbup:

[Kenny_Z]

Need a little more advice for Red.

I swapped out my starter and it works. While I was looking around the engine bay I came across this wire:

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/ididntbreak.jpg

It connects to this:
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/box01.jpg

I'm going to fix it before I get Red back on the road but...what is it?

Also, I'm pretty sure I didn't break it because I'll admit to what I break...case in point, I broke this:
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/ibroke.jpg

[Farrar]

what is it?

Diagnostic port.

Farrar

[SIMid]

Looooove the new plates!! They look awesome! Congrats!