Need advice. I just inherited a 1981 Delorean with 1,248 miles. Been in dry storage

I have inherited a basically brand new Delorean from my grandfather & need advice on what steps need to happen to make it totally roadworthy/dependable because I plan to drive it regularly. I just want to do it right.

My grandfather bought 2 deloreans new in 1981. One he drove for about 25,000mi before parking... the other (a 5-speed) he drove for a couple weeks & parked it in dry storage & it hasn't moved since about 1983. Not cranked or anything.

The one I'm getting has 1,248 miles on it.. looks absolutely brand new inside, outside and underneath.

I hear that it will need a lot of electrical upgrades, fuel system completely cleaned (or replaced?), possibly all new brakes... Anything else?

I'd love to find a real expert in Tennessee or George to perform the 1st pass of work for me rather than having to haul it to DMC-FL (<< Unless DMC-FL is really the highly recommended path to go).

Once it has all been upgraded & made totally roadworthy I feel confident that I will be able to maintain it myself & fix small things that come up here and there.

Let me know your thoughts!

What an exciting opportunity.

I don't have anything of value to add, so I'll be first to ask what the VIN is since it's inevitable. ;)

I should have written down the VIN# on it when I went to see it last weekend. It will be several months before the estate is settled & the car is physically released to me. So I have a little time to prepare & get my plans together for repairs / etc.

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Originally Posted by dodint

What an exciting opportunity.

I don't have anything of value to add, so I'll be first to ask what the VIN is since it's inevitable. ;)

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Welcome to the DeLorean community! You may want to contact Lawrence in Kentucky, he is probably the closest Delorean tech to your area.

Andrew
4194
5052

What part of Tennessee are you in? I'm in Lebanon (30 minutes east of Nashville).

While I'm no EXPERT, I am a fellow owner who has rebuilt my own car after it had sat untouched for 20 years. As a "newby", I can tell you the information shared on these forums are absolutely invaluable.

Sounds like you are approaching it the right way. Shipping the car to DMC-FL would be the best option, they will appreciate the pristine condition and understand the necessary upgrades required more so than any local shop, even if that local shop has worked on DeLoreans.

I would recommend biting the bullet and shipping it. You got a perfect car for free, so spending the money up front to keep it perfect would be the right thing to do. A flawless, low mileage running car like you are intending to have could be worth $40k on the private market. While admittedly unlikely, I'd hate to see a local shop screw that up and leave you with a $30k car.

Alternatively you can send it to DeLorean Performance Industries in Akron, Ohio. While I've never had him work on my car, Josh at DPI seems very thorough and thoughtful.

Cheers
Steven

Keep your options open. Since you mentioned it may take a few months before you take possession of the car, you have time to check several options.

The DeLorean Convention and Show has had DMC Midwest help restore two DeLoreans (for the DCS Raffle Cars) within the last 18 months.
The 2015 Raffle Car has put on over 5,000 miles since October 2015 and the 2016 Raffle Car put on over 1,000 "test miles" by July 22, 2016.

The 2016 Raffle Car was "revived" after being stored for the last 12 - 15 years (half of your storage) and the car needed plenty of attention.

DMC Midwest uses an enclosed trailer (via Gullwing Transport) for transporting, which I highly recommend for DeLoreans, whenever possible.

I know Mike schedules transports a few times a month and you can schedule your pick-up on a weekend, which can make things even easier.

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Originally Posted by Rich W

DMC Midwest uses an enclosed trailer (via Gullwing Transport) for transporting, which I highly recommend for DeLoreans, whenever possible.

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Completely agree with this. DMC-MW has done great work on my car. I recommended DMC-FL since the OP listed them, and I'm assuming he is substantially closer to them.

Enclosed trailers are the way to go. It doesn't take much searching on this site to find threads of people that regret going with a basic trailer (rock damage, broken louvers, etc).

Where are you and where is the car?

You mentioned TN and GA.