Jesse,
Very nice history of the car. My goal was for it to go to someone who would really appreciate it...accomplished. I wish you many happy years with the car and the Delorean community!
Tom
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Jesse,
Very nice history of the car. My goal was for it to go to someone who would really appreciate it...accomplished. I wish you many happy years with the car and the Delorean community!
Tom
More LEDs!
Date: 10/17/19
Mileage: 37,022
Source: Super Bright LEDs
Progress and general fun with 628 had slowed to a crawl over the last three weeks due to business travel up to NY for 10 days as well as other work related projects. Back to it!
LED Flasher Relay
Part Number: CF13GL-02
Looking in the workshop manual, I was able to identify the location of the relay under the dash. I had read issues regarding the socket that the relay plugs into crumbling due to age when it is messed with. Luckily it looks like Tom (the PO) replaced this too. Cool! Out with the old and in with the new.
Attachment 61449
Side Marker Lights
Part Number: BA9S-AHP5 (2)
Part Number: BA9S-RHP5 (2)
The lights on the right side of the car had started to become very dim so I wanted to go ahead and swap these for LEDs. Unscrewing the side marker lenses and disassembling the light housing was easy enough. Not much else can be said about it other than the new lights are extremely bright for both sides.
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Front Turn Signals
Part Number: 1157-AHP28-T-2PK
Next was the turn signals though I have to admit, it took a little bit of encouragement to get the inner screw removed from both lights. Neither of them were stuck, just simply stubborn to pull away from the nut that they threaded into. Once I had both lights replaced, I tested the blinkers and hazards just to make sure that they did in fact work as intended with the new relay. Man these things are bright!
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Headlight and Hazard Switch Lights: Round 2
Part Number: 74-R
Part Number: 74-B
Previously, I blew my number 8 fuse due to the headlight switch LED. I recalled that there was a modification that needed to be done to the LED in order for it to not pop a fuse. I ordered three of each color just in case. The #74 LED has two wires that wrap around the base of the LED that was designed so that they would work not matter the direction that you installed it in. In this case, the two wires have to be cut short to prevent them from running around the other side of the bulb. I applied the 'mod' to both switches and presto! I finally have lights in these switches!
Attachment 61458
Random Pictures of 628 at the office last Sunday
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Electrical Issues
Date: 10/21/19 - 10/27/19
Mileage: 37,189
A few weeks ago when come back from Lebanon, TN, the Fan Fail Unit started blinking 3 times indicating that the relay was getting above 85C. Sure enough it was. I spoke with multiple people who advised to check the grounds and a few other items which all seemed OK. Dave advised that I replace the Ground Buss on the Front Relay Bank which will be done in time however due to time constraints, I was not going to be able to accomplish this myself.
I decided to pull every relay, fuse, circuit breaker, and connection and cleaned them with QD Electrode Cleaner.
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CoverCraft Dash Mat
Date: 10/24/19
Mileage: 37,189
Source: CoverCraft
Back in the beginning of October, I ordered a CoverCraft Dash Mat. This one is Suede and the color is 'Smoke'. I saw many pictures in DMCTalk of many folks with Grey and Black from Cover Craft. IMO, the Black looked darker than the event horizon of a black hole and the Grey looked really light and very saturated. No one posted about the 'Smoke' color so I took a gamble with it. I am very pleased with the way that it looks!
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Belts and Tension
Date: 10/31/19
Mileage: 37,219
Source: Vintage Planet
In Preparation for a Wedding that I have rented 628 out for - I noticed that the AC Compressor and the Alternator/Water Pump Belts were loose and needed to be tightened. Naturally, the new belts that are on the car have stretched over time and the tension brackets needed adjustment. Due to severe time constraints for the Wedding and me not wanting to risk loosening the bracket and not being able to tighten the Alternator Belt, I made an appoint with Vintage Planet to have them adjust them on 10/31. I took the car over and they had it done in about 30 minutes. While I waited, the below picture was the gorgeous view I had. They had a great showroom of Classic, Antique, and Very Rare Cars. Highly Recommend them to everyone. They also have extensive knowledge on Bosch K-Jet as well (good to note).
Attachment 61646
Electrical Issues (Continued) & New Relays
Date: 11/01/19
Mileage: 37,237
Source: DeLorean Go
Along with cleaning all of the electrical connections car, I also opted to order new relays from DeLorean Go. The Change Over Relays that DeLorean Go offer sounded like a good upgrade and I've heard that they are comparable to DMCH's Upgraded Relays (the purple ones) however I cannot justify spending $25 for 1 relay from DMCH. I also opted to replaced the RPM Relay, Lambda Relay, Circuit Breakers, Main Relay, and Accessory Relay. I ordered 3 40A Circuit Breakers and only installed one to replace the Fan Circuit Breaker as I read that installing a 40A CB inplace of the other two can have negative effects (unsure on this but very cautious).
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Here is what the inside of the DeLorean Go RPM Relay looks like compared to the original
Attachment 61649
Stolen Idea: Blocking Off the Doors
Date: 11/01/19
Mileage: 37,237
Source: Walmart
Daniel Potter, another DeLorean Owner in Middle Tennessee, showed me his idea of using these spring tension rods to put on the striker pins. He sent me a link to the product on Amazon at one point but I could not find it, so I went to Walmart and found these for $4.97 each. Works Perfect! Thanks Daniel!
Attachment 61657Attachment 61658
Loading The Trunk/Bonnet
Date: 11/01/19
Mileage: 37,237
As Dave Tavres on DeLorean Talk asks each owner in his Podcast, What is in your trunk?
Normally, I carry the following items marked with an Asterisk but also packed the car with all of this :
- Tools*
- Prestone 50/50*
- SunShade*
- Funnel*
- Paper Towels*
- Stainless Steel Care Kit*
- Towels*
- Spare Fuses*
- Spare Belts*
- Two Flashlights
- Alternator (Spare)
- Circuit Breakers
- Light Bulbs
- Original Relays (just in case)
- Car Cleaning Chemicals
- Car Cleaning Towels
- Car Cover
- Door Bars
- DeLorean Bra (Mounted)
Attachment 61659Attachment 61660Attachment 61661Attachment 61662
Road Trip, DeLoreans, and a Wedding
Date: 11/02/19 - 11/04/19
Mileage: 37,237 - 37,968
Road Trip to Memphis
DeLorean 628 was rented out for a wedding in Memphis, TN for Saturday 11/2. Up, packed, and out the door by 6am, I looked checked all of the fluids one last time and let 628 warm up. It was a cold, nippy morning at 28 degrees. I through my dufflebag and backpack in the passenger floorboard and took off at 6:30am with 11 hours to get to Memphis, check into the hotel, and detail the car. Throughout the week, I had reached out to my fellow DeLorean Owners down I-40 just in case I had any issues especially since I had been worried about my electrical issue. As a precaution, I took the board off of the top of the fuse compartment to let it breathe and to also see how how the relays were getting even with additional air flow.
Over the course of the trip, I kept checking the relays which I am happy to report that they were mostly cool (barely warm at times). The drive out was very calm and complete with Dave Tavre's DeLorean Talk Podcasts to keep me company.
Attachment 61702Attachment 61703Attachment 61704Attachment 61705
More DeLoreans
One of the plans for the morning was to meet up with one of our fellow TN DeLorean Owners in Jackson, TN and to see his car. I met him around 10am in the morning and was able to meet his car as well. We decided to run over to a TV/Movie Car Museum to meet another DeLorean Owner and check out his car as well. The car museum was 'Rusty's TV and Movie Cars' and Rusty's DeLorean is VIN 2726. After hanging out with Nathan for about 3 hours, it was time to scoot however we caravaned down I-40 for about 20 miles so that Nathan's car could stretch its legs. It's always fantastic to see multiple DeLoreans in one place not to mention the fact that both of us were driving our and looking at another DeLorean from behind the wheel of one made us both giddy. Neither of us had driven behind another. Nathan and I parted ways somewhere around exit 58 and I continued onward to Memphis.
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Detour and Time Crunch
Exit 42. I came up on this exit mere minutes after Nathan departed to which I saw a sea of brake lights. Fumbling for my smartphone, I pull of Google Maps and just hit 'go' on directions to Memphis in hopes to find out info on the crash. Side Note--- I am extremely familiar with most of TN, AR, and KY so I normally run without GPS. In this case, I am in the Memphis area way too much for my job and no where I am going. Google Maps show a 2 hour and 27 minute delay to get to Memphis -- this should take about 55 minutes from Exit 42. Shit. Google found an alternate route that was nearly all back roads so I took it. Nearly an hour and 15 minutes later, I was at my hotel in Memphis.
It's 3pm and I have to be in position at Mud Island at 5:30pm. Time to Check In. When I booked my reservation at the Crowne Plaza, I worked with the General Manager to have a dedicated parking spot coned off where they would be able to watch it from the front desk. Upon checking in, I come to the realization that these folks think that I am the one that is getting married and that I brought the car to my own wedding. Total Misunderstanding. I apologized for the mix up profusely and they were laughing about it. They had planned on putting Chocolate covered strawberries in the room as well as a few gifts during the wedding. Talk about amazing customer service but incredible embarrassment. That's ok though!
Once checked in and in my room, I ran down and started detailing the car in about an hour followed by detailing myself. Now it's wedding time!
Attachment 61714
Wedding
Arriving at a park on Mud Island for the first stage of this evening, I put 628 in position and took a few photos while I waited on the Bride, Groom, and Photographer. Below are pictures from the photoshoot and I honestly cannot wait until I see the rest of them.
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The second phase of this evening is for the Bride and Groom to drive the car into their Wedding Reception at Jerry Lee Lewis on Beale Street and then to put the car on display for the evening. Everything went extremely well and the car drew a massive crowd :)
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Work and the Return Home
On Monday, I decided to pop into our facility in Southaven, MS so that I can officially meet my new employee that I had hired about 4 weeks prior. Little did I know that most of the day, folks would be asking if that was my DeLorean outside and etc. Pretty fun and made for a very interesting afternoon. My new hire is apparently a BTTF and nerd - he got a kick out of the car. I took him to lunch down in Hernando, MS to a little place called Junior's and he loved the ride. When we were about to leave, a red VW Van pulled up and I joked about the Libyans being outside. When we left, the VW fan caught up to us - a guy and his two boys were excited about the car and I popped the door open going down the road (they lost it). He motioned to me about pulling over and I thumbed up.
Attachment 61725Attachment 61726
The man and his boys were head over heels for the car. Very nice fella who loved classic cars and we talked about the car for about 15 minutes. Unfortunately, I didnt get any pictures of a red VW Van/Bus behind 628 and I regret that but it was a fun stop. Around 2:30pm, I cut out and headed home.
Attachment 61727
The whole way home, the car did phenomenally and drove great. The drive was very calm until I got on I-840 to bypass Nashville due to a multitude of accidents and a rather alarming deer carcass. I'll spare the details but I ended up hitting said deer carcass with 628 but THANKFULLY there is not any damage whatsoever. The carcass was already torn up but it went under the car. I believe that the tow hook point on the front right of the car took all of the impact as that had a chunk of deer wrapped up in it and some flush hanging off of the bolts on the undercarriage. As soon as I got back to Cookeville, I pressure washed the underside of the car.
Disclaimer regarding the deer: I can say with very strong certainty that I got incredibly lucky with no damage to the car. I have gotten under the car twice since Monday and inspected as much I can and there seems to be absolutely zero signs of damage to anything. The car drives as straight as it always has, there are no leaks from the cooling system, suspension seems just fine, etc.
During the course of the drive, my electrical issue never resurfaced again though I had the cover off of the electrical bay. Since replacing all relays and cleaning every pin, contact, socket, etc, I am wondering if the original issue was possibly a loose connection. Will have to investigate in the future.
This thread makes me want to drive my Delorean, so i am going to tomorrow lol
Do it man! You know what they say, the more these cars are driven, the better they get. I truly believe that at this point - I feel like 628 is absolutely solid
Side Note: I apologize for all of the grammatical errors in my last post - I was trying to get it posted before I had to host my weekly Friday meeting.
Oh boy do I know this situation well. A group of us Carolina DeLorean owners were caravanning together to DCS '04 and we encountered the carcass of a very portly beagle on a highway merging ramp. The DeLoreans in front of me were all stock ride height, and drove right over the beagle without issue. My car was a "chop & swap" (very LOW to the ground) and I had a split second to react: do I swerve around the carcass and drive into the grass at highway speeds, or do I risk going over it and possibly damaging my car? I decided to drive over the dog like the other DeLoreans. I immediately realized I made the wrong decision; the beagle sounded like somebody dribbling a basketball underneath the car as it volleyed down the undercarriage; then came a loud scraping sound as it got stuck under my engine cradle and was being drug beneath the car. The whole thing probably only lasted a couple of seconds, but seemed like a very gross eternity. :lol:
That whole trip was a mess. My A/C was inoperable, my RPM relay gave out, so did my battery, and I cracked my radiator end tanks open on a concrete parking stop. I guess it could have been worse, though. Josh Haldeman crashed his DeLorean into a motel room and Darren Decker had a head-on collision in his DeLorean that DCS. Ahh, this thread makes me miss DeLorean road trips! :whip:
Louie,
Your incident with the beagle sounds pretty horrifying. I made the same judgement call but at the time that I merged over (and came up to the deer carcass), I was trying to get out of the gore that was all over the road. When I merged to the left lane, I could tell I was already sliding a bit so I chose the later of the two options that I had: 'Dodge' and possibly cause over-steer and loss of control or hit the bastard and hope it goes under.
What did you do for the mess and did the carcass cause any damage to your car? Sounds like a pretty rough, yet unforgettable trip.
I remember DCS 04 very well and also recall both DeLorean related accidents that occurred there. The head-on collision on the Tail of the Dragon could've been a lot worse but if I remember right, there was minor damage to the fascia and LF Fender.