Thanks guys, I'm happy to answer your questions and share some of the random stuff I've learned over the years. Most of what I know is from other people sharing in our builder's group so I've got to give credit to Joe and the rest of the team for all the hard work they have done. Years of research were involved figuring a lot of this stuff out before I was even a part of the group. As a team we were able to pool our respective skills and figure out details that most people would have found trivial at the time. That decade or so of hard work prior to the restoration made all the difference when we had the opportunity to restore the A car.
Thanks guys, I'm happy to answer your questions and share some of the random stuff I've learned over the years. Most of what I know is from other people sharing in our builder's group so I've got to give credit to Joe and the rest of the team for all the hard work they have done. Years of research were involved figuring a lot of this stuff out before I was even a part of the group. As a team we were able to pool our respective skills and figure out details that most people would have found trivial at the time. That decade or so of hard work prior to the restoration made all the difference when we had the opportunity to restore the A car.
That's a generous and commendable mentality Mark, thank you. There is no obligation of course from your side to share such valuable hard work, knowledge and experience; which is what makes it even more respectable that you decide to help us with stuff that we would probably find very difficult to find out (if at all) for ourselves. There is only so much information that can be gathered from numerous reference images etc (as you know).
"You can't keep a good scientist down!" nor can you stop Joe from doing what Joe does best. Check out the latest project, building the Eaglemoss DeLorean Time Machine on the "No Concept of Time" youtube channel and facebook page.
Joe and the TMR crew, BTTF cast/crew, and BTTF fans will collaborating to create 130 episodes to build the complete Eaglemoss 1:8 scale time machine replica. Each episode will also feature never before shared information about the restoration and info about the parts included in the Eaglemoss release.
Episode 001 features the DeLorean rear fascia, RH tail light, license plate bezel and OUTATIME license plate:
Hey Mark....a few more parts questions. I have a cast of the black box that the wires are coming out of but I think I would rather build this (as well as the other one by the flux capacitor...these grey fittings are also in other places on the car.) Can you give part numbers and/or dimensions of these? Also, what info can you provide about the parts for HIGH VOLTAGE box. I already have the correct can from Zero.
Hey Mark....a few more parts questions. I have a cast of the black box that the wires are coming out of but I think I would rather build this (as well as the other one by the flux capacitor...these grey fittings are also in other places on the car.) Can you give part numbers and/or dimensions of these? Also, what info can you provide about the parts for HIGH VOLTAGE box. I already have the correct can from Zero.
Hey sorry for taking so long to respond, I've been out of town.
The black boxes for the watertight fittings are also zero cans, just cut and modified to make the sides of the can into flanges. The watertight fittings are some obscure brand that you might still be able to find surplus somewhere. I'll have to check and see if I've got part numbers, but I'm pretty sure I've got the correct sizes. You should be able to find other companies that make them in the same size, although the exact dimensions and rounded profile of the ends won't be exact. I think a few accurate ones have been found in the past and you could find someone who sells just castings of the watertight fittings and no the whole assembly.
The high voltage box is a zero can as you already mentioned. The counter is made by Contraves and you can still buy them from the company that makes them if you call and order, but the LED 7 segment displays are no longer accurate and would need to be swapped out. The font on the counter wheel has also changed if you care about that level of detail. To order you should just be able to call and ask for the "Back to the future" counter wheel and there are people there that know what one it is. Otherwise I should have the PN somewhere that I can post.
The yellow indicators are made by CompuLite. I don't think they make the exact ones anymore (I will look up the PN), but I think a few surplus shops in the LA area still have the right ones in white and can by dyed yellow. The number labels were an after the fact addition and are not part of the design of the indicator itself. Another option is if you find them with white buttons is to disassemble make a mold of just the button, cast in yellow and reassemble.
The surround that goes around the three buttons is a small piece of 1/8" thick 6061 aluminum sheet.
The cannon connector on top is covered in one of my previous posts.
The full keypad assemblies were made by TRW and were most likely used for entry / security systems. When the company went under all of the existing surplus went to Apex in Sun Valley, CA. I don't know of any other place that anyone has ever found an accurate keypad.
TRW used off the shelf components to build the keypads. The green housing was unique as was the circuit board that everything was connected to, but the keypad itself was made by GTE and the indicator lights were a purchased sub component. The indicators can be cast from an original, or you can find them on ebay and other electronics surplus sites. They are not always in stock and sometimes have a large minimum buy quantity. They are made by Leecraft and are the series 32/35 indicators:
The best source for the green housing at this point is probably a casting. The originals are very brittle and tend to crack when being trimmed down slightly to fit as done on the screen used cars. You'll also need a casting for the white insert that covers the face of the keypad. The rest can be built up using more common parts.
Apex listed a few full keypad assemblies a while back on ebay but they were mostly damaged units. I think at this point they may have completely liquidated what was left.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Mark D
