So, got the car in the garage, all cleaned up from it's 25 year rest. Now what?

[Doogie]

1970 1971

OK, the wife cleaned the exterior, I did the interior, not nearly enough Armorall in the garage to soak into the hard leather seat covers...

I've opened up the doors, trunk, hood, etc, and let the neighbors take a look. I read through all the owners manuals, I've put a fan on the car to help clear out the musty, 25 year old smell, and cleaned all the glass. Of course, everything has to be cleaned 5 more times before I'm satisfied. Question is: Where to start?

I'm thinking first: order all the door/louver/hood struts. Tired of holding things up with broom handles and umbrellas. Second: Order the Gas tank cleaning kit stuff from DMCH, and jack the car up to to remove the tank. Heck, might as well put all 4 corners on jack stands, no?

Remove the tank, clean clean clean, and put in a new pump and whatnot. Can I simply clean the lines from the engine to the tank with Brake Cleaner spray cans and collect it on the other side before I reinstall the tank you think? Can I simply remove the lines from the fuel distributor 1 at a time and clean the same way and reinstall? Thoughts on that?

Also, there are a few people doing a "GTG" (Get together) this weekend close to my house (Lebanon/Motgomery Ohio area) and I want to show up to do a meet and greet, so I have some contact nearby. Is it bad form to just 'drop in' without a car? I replied that I would prolly make it on facebook, should I bring a bottle of bubbly or maybe a couple wrenches with me? :-)

Here's #3589 in the garage, after a mild cleaning session with the wife.

Here's another pic of the access panel in the front. It has a lot of black 'goop' on it. Looks like someone was in there YEARS ago, prolly fixing something. Does it look OK to you? I think the mechanic YEARS ago was just too happy with his black goop, no?

TIA,

Doogie

[opethmike]

It certainly is more comfortable to remove the tank to clean, but you really don't have to. I'd leave it in.

[TTait]

Seconded - I've mucked out 2 of these tanks, and assisted on a third. You end up half laying in the front trunk with your arm in the tank, but it works.

DO NOT even tickle that starter key until you clean out and flush the fuel system, and check oil etc.

For fuel system clean up:

Go to the auto parts store and find a $12 electric fuel pump, some hose and a gas can if there is still gas in the tank, rig it all up to pump out the gas as much as you can. More likely there is some mix of gas and "tar" that you will need to clean out.

also get some clear plastic cheap fuel filters with paper media, 2 or 3.

Buy a gallon of B12 chemtool if you can get it. Seafoam may work too.

Get a tyvek suit an chemical resistant gloves.

Get a small can of good gas.

Buy a new pump and fuel filter and accumulator (and Herveys baffle if you like it - its fine and I like it better but some people don't your call - check back if you want to know the pros and cons. buy a new 12" power harness, upper and lower fuel boot, pickup hose and filter, sealing gasket for fuel sender, and the fuel lines from the pump to the metal pipes.


Get 2 plastic tubs, half gallon to gallon. A 1/4" bolt 2" long with large fender washers and maybe a couple nitrile rubber washers

cleaning the tank:

Remove access covers in front trunk.

Remove fuel level sender and fuel pump and baffle assembly. Save the oem baffle even if you decide to go aftermarket.
.

Leave the fuel lines from the top of the pump connected to the car body for now, note which one was connected to the top of the pump/

Pump out any gas using your cheap-o fuel pump

Suit up in tyvek, and clean out the tank - you will get tar everywhere and the suit will be trashed when you are done so have someone on hand to fetch stuff and be prepared to do the whole tank cleaning job at one go.

Use a bit of b12 and rags or heavy duty paper towels to muck out the tank, you have to work at it to get at the whole tank, but it can be done unless you have 21" biceps (is your wife a REALLY good sport and are you ready to burn ALL your Delorean good will on this one? Better to do this one yourself.)

You can finish with a can of carb cleaner, spray on a paper towell, when the the towels come out clean, th tank is as fresh as new.

Before you reassemble I also suggest a flush of the fuel system a follows:

Rig up your cheapo pump in the front boot so it can draw B12 out of one of your tubs, through a plastic filter, so you can pump it down the supply fuel line that was tied to the oem pump. Let the return line sit in the tub.

Now, don't flush the fuel distributor, instead go to back to the engine area and locate the fuel feed and return lines at the distributor and disconnect them. These are large banjo fittings on the ends of the hoses, don't think about trying to disconnect them. Instead put a fender washer and rubber gaskets onto your 1/4" bolt and slide on one bango, the the other, then another rubber washer and fender washer, finally the nut. The fuel will flow, but it also will leak. Set this up so it cannot drip or run down the lines and drip, and get the connection into the second small tub. keep an eye on it during the flushing process, especially the first time you turn on the cheap pump.

Once you start flushing, be prepared to finish - don't stop half way through - B12 is too strong to leave in the system for any extended period of time.

Pour a quart or so of B12 into the front tub, and start the pump. Eventually black fluid and clumps will come out of the return line. Run it for a few minutes, then change out to fresh fluid, a fresh paper filter, and repeat. Do this several times, until the fluid is generally clear, if not tinted. As soon as the B12 is clean, stop flushing with B12 and flush with clean gasoline.

Clean your fuel level sender.

Re-attach the fuel lines at the distributor (use fresh copper washers), now replace the two fuel lines from the fuel tank to the hard pipes near the tank, and reassemble. If you are using the oem baffle and pick up, look at the mod of putting a spring inside the line so it won't collapse. Install the new (12-18") fuel pump wires) and the fuel sender unit.

The fuel system can now be tested temporarily - but not run for long periods. You also need to replace the fuel filter and the accumulator (that job sucks), have your injectors cleaned, and replace all the copper washers. But, its ok to test it.

This assumes that you have checked the oil, that you have turned the engine by hand to make sure its not siezed, that you have coolant, and lastly that you can generate oil pressure... thats another long email.

You will end up replacing all of your cooling hoses before you run it up to temp. You will need to change the oil and the filter, you will venture into the "valley of death". At the very least your going to bleed your brakes.

But first - clean out your tank and flush the fuel system...

This was hastily written - questions?

Tom
10902
03238

[Dangermouse]

Great write up Tom.

Can we save that in the Resources section?

[Doogie]

WOW! That's awesome! Thank You sir! I can see this as a 2 person job for sure. Plus it's always better to go swimming with someone other than yourself no? That's a very nice write-up. I have my work cut out for me, but that's ok, I'm up to the challenge.

Thanks again!

Doogie

[Jonathan]

Doogie,

As tempting as it might be, spend your time and cash on the stuff to make it run first. Then start to tackle the cosmetic stuff. Fuel system, brakes, hoses, steering and suspension, electrical (upgrades to fuses and relays, headlights, horns, signals, coil, ballast resistor, ignition wiring, spark plugs)... get all this running well and THEN focus on the interior trim, carpet sets, sloppy PO RTV, radio, maybe even the AC (depending on your weather). Door struts are somewhere in between.

Depends on what is important to you... but IMHO, it's better to be cruising down main street in a safe and reliable and UGLY DeLorean, then it is admiring a PRETTY Delorean that you can't move out of your garage.

[jmrydholm]

I can vouch for that. My D looks like it went back to the battle of the Somme, but at least it runs....sort of. :)

[TTait]

I have my work cut out for me, but that's ok, I'm up to the challenge.

Doogie

Good, cause your barely scratching the surface. As stated above, you have to just hold off on cosmetic until she drives safely - I've been working on my car for 6 years, and just got rid of the nasty carpet this week.

From a safety standpoint - get jack stands - 4 of them, and a good low profile jack. Get safety glasses, and I would go ahead and replace all 6 gas struts sooner rather than later. It would be bad to be working in the engine compartment and knock an umbrella out of the way and have stuff come down on your head. It would be worse if a door came down on you. My vote is struts are a safety item.

While I'm thinking of it, you might be better for now just removing the louvers and lower engine cover for a while - they are just going to be in your way for a long time, and you'll have better light in the engine bay if nothing else.

One advantage of getting the car up on jack stands is that your less likely to hit your head on the doors - but that's really just postponing the inevitable.

[dhaney]

1970 1971

OK, the wife cleaned the exterior, I did the interior, not nearly enough Armorall in the garage to soak into the hard leather seat covers...

I've opened up the doors, trunk, hood, etc, and let the neighbors take a look. I read through all the owners manuals, I've put a fan on the car to help clear out the musty, 25 year old smell, and cleaned all the glass.

That musty smell may be what we all call the "Delorean smell" its an odor that is deep in some of the insulating material such as that found in the package tray and under the carpets. Until you remove and replace this stuff a bit of that smell will always remain.

I agree with others on this thread, concentrate on the mechanics but, I'd go ahead and spurge on all of the struts because you will be in and out of all areas of the car working on the mechanics and at the very least its inconvenient to have to keep clear of your support braces and blocks and potentially very dangerous, should you knock one out at the wrong time. The doors weigh about 80 pounds unsupported.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Dan

[A Van]

Doogie,

As tempting as it might be, spend your time and cash on the stuff to make it run first. Then start to tackle the cosmetic stuff. Fuel system, brakes, hoses, steering and suspension, electrical (upgrades to fuses and relays, headlights, horns, signals, coil, ballast resistor, ignition wiring, spark plugs)... get all this running well and THEN focus on the interior trim, carpet sets, sloppy PO RTV, radio, maybe even the AC (depending on your weather). Door struts are somewhere in between.

Depends on what is important to you... but IMHO, it's better to be cruising down main street in a safe and reliable and UGLY DeLorean, then it is admiring a PRETTY Delorean that you can't move out of your garage.

Well said

[Rich]

Also voting in favor of a full set of struts early in the project. As already noted, propping stuff up during a restoration just wastes time, gets in the way, may cause damage if a prop falls away. Half an hour max. to do all 6 struts.

Along those same lines, make your car an inviting place to work and avoid collateral damage. Put protective cloths over the fenders, rear bumper. Get some decent drop lights. Maybe a creeper if you'll be down under it a lot (coolant hoses, fuel accumulator, cooling fans). Jackstands for sure. There are 4 jacking points on the body tub ahead and behind the doors.

Don't fiddle with the door torsion bars unless you find they were over-torqued (common mistake made to cope with worn-out door struts). You'll hope not to see that after the new door struts are in.

A general note. Think now about what level of originality you want your car to end up with. Then restore accordingly. There is no right answer to that question but setting that goal in mind will help when you make parts buying decisions.

Last, but not least, get to know a friendly DeLorean parts/service business.

[Bitsyncmaster]

I don't use a creeper because I want all the room under the car I can get. Cardboard is nice because you can slide on it easy. But I also have a couple bathroom throw rugs which is good working around the car.

[Doogie]

I agree with everything everybody said. My wife really wants to be a part of the resto, and her speciality is "cleaning" (-vs- say "rebuilding the cooling system"), so I'll let her do as much of that as she wants. In the meantime, I am going to get the struts and the fuel tank parts first. The struts as much for safety as for conveinence (I need my umbrella back when it rains!).

I'll start with the fuel system rebuild/clean, then on to fluids. Oil, antifreeze, brake, transmission. After that, I'll step back, take a deep breath, and decide on the next step with your help of course. This will be fun!

Lastly, will be new seatcovers and carpet, and then make it shine.