Location: Maple Grove, MN (Minneapolis)
Posts: 1,423
My VIN: 05457
Brian! Welcome to the forum and to DeLorean ownership! I'm located south of you just a little bit, in Lodi. I think you may be the closest DeLorean to me that I'm aware of. Would be great to have you involved in our club's tech sessions and other events. jawn101 on the forum is in the Sacramento area, same with vwdmc16. Be sure to check out ncdmc.org and the NorCal DMC facebook group!
David Proehl
I realized today I never properly introduced myself!
My name is James and I'm UK based, looking to export a DeLorean due to the high sales price of them within the UK! I've been a fan of the DMC-12 for a long time, and a lurker on here for just about as long. I've got the money aside and had a few leads on cars, but just waiting for everything to fall into place and make the purchase when the right car appears. I've had the chance to drive one in the UK for a day already and absolutely fell in love.
I'm on both the UK Club and the Eurotech boards as well, and currently pursuing a 5-Speed Manual with Grey Interior!
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 217
My VIN: 1983 canadian model
Posts: 1
Well I've been a Delorean admirer for the longest time, it was the first car I can really say I knew I had to have. Anyway fast forward 15 years and today I was looking up part numbers in the KW catalog and I noticed a listing for Delorean I've since spent my afternoon researching and watching just about every Delorean program I could find (not much positive stuff out there)
Anyway I'm off to lurk. Out of curiosity is anyone in or near York PA?
Posts: 1
Hello, my father and I are the original owners of a 1981 Delorean. It's been parked since 2005 with 33,000 miles. Has some issues. Really need to tune it up flush fluids. Started it 1 month ago. Replaced fuel pump and changed oil. Vibrates real bad at about 45 mph suspect the tires have a part in that. Any suggestions would be most helpful.
Posts: 4,808
My VIN: 3937
Welcome Sean. Where abouts are you located? There are no doubt some locals owners nearby you that would likely come out and have a look at it.
What kind of rubber are your tires? Brand? There is a date code on them to see when they were made. You might be right that they are misshapen from sitting in the same spot for years. How do they look over all?
I would perhaps take the wheels off and get them balanced, if indeed you aim to keep the rubber. If not, replace it with a new set on all four. If the problem persists after the wheels have been balanced, then start looking suspension. Have you inspected your trailing arm bolts (TABs) lately? They are a little hard to get at, more so to replace, but inspecting isn't too hard. If you have the rear end in the air, can you shake either wheel and get it to move? There shouldn't be much movement there. On the front, could be steering rack and alignment, or maybe condition of ball joints or tie rod ends. Have a look at the boots. Are they torn, or beat up at all? Did your car get the front end recall reinforcing brackets once upon a time?
Lots to look over. Perhaps post some photos, maybe in a new thread and the group will help you figure it out. You'll be pretty amazed at how quickly people will type back answers or ideas (or equally amazed that many of us apparently have nothing better to do!! haha).
Sept. 81, auto, black interior
Location: Atlanta OTP GA
Posts: 7,084
My VIN: 2743
Club(s): (SEDOC) (DCH) (DCUK) (DOC-UK)
I would second what Jonathan is saying. The tires are almost certainly flat spotted, if they sat for 7 years, probably with low air.
As they are at least 7 years old, frankly I wouldn't even bother trying to balance them, just replace them, particularly the fronts.
Mine was the same, having sat for a couple of years, and having new rubber was amazing. Much softer ride too.
Pics and VIN and your dads story of how he bought one new would be fun to read in its own thread.
Welcome to the forum btw
Dermot
VIN 2743, B/A, Frame 2227, engine 2320
I don't always drive cars, but when I do, I prefer DeLoreans
http://www.will-to-live.org
No-one is to stone anyone, even, and I want to make this absolutely clear, even if they do say "carburetor"
Hi, my name is Marshall, and I am part of the BTTF generation. I naturally watched the movie religiously as a kid (and as an old "kid"), and more than once skipped over most of the movie, only watching driving scenes. As I was 3 when BTTF came out, I would say that having a DeLorean is a life long obsession.
I have been following this site for the better part of a year, and have gained much info on purchasing my first DeLorean. I even traveled up to Boulder, CO to check one out at Haglins mechanics shop, which regularly services DeLoreans. Dana (which is one of the nicest guy Ive met) walked me through a car getting serviced, pointing out 'areas of interest/concern' and general advise on buying a D. I budgeted out the purchase for the last 1.5years, and quietly read up on DeLoreans and gathering as much info as possible. Afraid of being part of the "I will own one in a year" group, I did not post anything until I purchased one. I knew that I wanted my first experience with a D to be a good one, I was prepared to wait until a good one came up.... i did not have to wait long....
I saw 4542 in a local car show in June, only to find out that the car/ owner was a local. I live in a small mountain town, it was very surprising to find out that there was a local D, that hardly anybody saw.... except at this once a year show. I got to talking with the owner, while further inspecting/ admiring the car for most of the show. Only to find out out 4542 was for sale and the price was reasonable especially for a car that just won 1st place at the aforementioned show. A few months later (I was sent to work in Australia for a couple months), I test drove and bought my dream car!!!
I drove it to Albuquerque and Boulder to have it inspected, as a 31year old car with 18k miles on it, I wanted to get some better qualified opinions. The laundry list of problems/ updates was small and relatively minor. Even one mechanic said that this car doesnt have hallmark DeLorean problems, but does have some steering issues to be addressed. My intention for the drive and show the car as a weekend car and try to keep the miles off of 4542. Mechanically I plan to update the car, while maintaining the essential/ iconic character of the car.
"Your visions are not limited by what your eyes can see, but by what your minds can imagine. Make your life count and the world will be a better place because you tried" -Ellison S. Onizuka-
I was like you in that I tried not to post very much here until I had a car. I did have to jump in a little earlier than expected when some forum members got wind of a car I was negotiating, which turned out not being the car I bought in the end. Sounds like 4542 is in pretty good shape. Post some pics either here or on a new thread. Congrats and enjoy your car.
Jeff